Un mezcal por favor

Growing up I had heard of Mezcal, but for some reason I had always seen it as a the lesser liquor from the agave plant. Tequila has such a strong presence all over Mexico that I never thought of drinking Mezcal. The assumption growing up was that Mezcal was drunk by the rural people of Oaxaca or other small villages that couldn't afford tequila, but I am so glad that I was wrong with this assumption. The New York Times just ran an article on the rise of Mezcal, the process, the tradition, and the importance of drinking the small batch high quality mezcal.

Over the past couple of years  as I have became more interested in finer cocktails and liquors.  I began hearing mezcal making its way onto cocktail menus at places like PDT in NYC and the Alembic in SF. Last summer during our wedding my friends Brandon & Lucera had traveled to Oaxaca and met up with us at the wedding. He had purchased a bottle of El Señorio and was extremely excited to share it with me. I remember we were sitting in his room staring out at the ocean as he told me how he had fallen in love with it in Oaxaca. He poured us two shots, I grabbed it and smelled it. The aroma reminded me of the smoky and earthy characteristics that you get from a 18 year old scotch or a tequila reposado. I gotta say that a good mezcal is a perfect way to end a dinner. You dont have to go to Oaxaca to enjoy this gorgeous and seductive liquid. If you are in the mood hop on over to Cantina Mayahuel on 30th and Adams where you will find an array of tequilas and meszcales that you wont find at any other place except back in Mexico.