The spicy, smoky flavours of mezcal lend themselves perfectly to summertime cocktails. Here are some of the top mezcals you should be with mixing with this season.
If you haven’t discovered mezcal yet it’s about time you picked up your game as this Latino spirit is making friends and turning heads across Asia. Once relegated to movie cameos and dive bars, mezcal has become refined and respected and in major cities across the region drinkers and bartenders alike are reaching for sophisticated craft mezcals for both sipping and cocktail making. You can learn more about mezcal’s boom in Joe Mortimer’s piece Mighty Mezcal.
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Yuu Baal Espandin
Yuu Baal Espadin is made from farm-grown Espadin agave ensuring a soft, elegant flavor followed by a refreshing but vigorous intensity that lends itself well to traditional tequila cocktails that could do with a kick. Made by a social enterprise that supports native Oazacan producers, this is a great entry-level spirit for those feeling their way into mezcal.
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Del Maguey Ibérico
Created by the father of the premium mescal movement, Ron Cooper, Del Maguey Ibérico is a unique spirit made with Ibérico ham in a collaboration with acclaimed Spanish chef José Andrés. Expect a sensory symphony that includes a spicy floral nose and a wide palate dominated by flavors of smoky caramel and roasted vegetables.
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Los Amantes Añejo
A break from the tradition of bottling mezcal unaged, Los Amantes Añejo is made from agave that’s triple-distilled in clay and copper stills, before being rested for French and American Oak for two years, resulting in a full-bodied but elegant spirit with touches of tarragon, wild honey, and caramel.
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El Jolgorio Madrecuixe
With a bold, powerful flavour profile, in part thanks to its core of wild-harvested agave varietals like Madrecuixe, El Jolgorio Madrecuixe is a refined artisanal spirit that’s double distilled and limited to only 250 bottles each season.
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Mezcales de Leyenda’s Guerrero
Known for their support of small producers, both in Oaxaca, the heartland of mezcal, as well as in surrounding states, Mezcales de Leyenda’s Guerrero is crafted from agave cupreata and features touches of smoke complemented by leather and chili.
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