Bartenders on mixing mezcal cocktails
Can mezcal be tamed?
While mezcal is often sipped straight it also provides the foundation for impressive cocktails. Elite bartenders, ie “mixologists,” are pushing the boundaries of taste and creativity with mezcal. Bartenders search out the best ingredients to complement the Mexican spirit. Some of the cocktails bartenders have dreamed up might surprise you. Fennel Delight is a favorite, for example. It’s a combination of mezcal, fennel and grapefruit.
It’s no surprise that bartenders have grown particularly fond of artisanal mescal like Mezcal Vago. “”People like mezcal for its uniqueness,” says bartender Matt Stanton of Sabrosa in San Francisco. “They talk about it in the same way that people talk about wine.” He acknowledges that the smoky, often minerally and complex mezcal is an acquired taste, but in the end, “most people fall in love with it. It’s similar to Campari [liqueur] in that respect.” Sabrosa serves flights of mezcal as well as several signature cocktails. One of those custom concoctions, the mezcal margarita, is made with fresh lime and roasted jalapeño and is not to be missed.”
One reason bartenders are drawn to mezcal is that it can be challenging to work with. Bartenders need to understand its complexity before working with it. A learned appreciation of mezcal’s taste profile and sophistication is required.
David Wondrich of Esquire magazine offers some insight and advice to bartenders that dare mix with mezcal:
“The mezcal that bartenders and tequila fiends everywhere are geeking out over is the kind that’s handmade in the Zapotec-speaking mountain villages of Oaxaca by roasting the pineapple-shaped agave hearts in charcoal-heated pits in the ground, crushing them, and distilling the juice in oftentimes ancient, sometimes even decrepit, pot stills. The result has roughly the same relationship to tequila that Islay malts do to other single-malt Scotches: They’re very smoky, briny, and intense. Their flavor is deep and penetrating and not one to blend easily. That said, if it can be tamed, it makes for a memorable cocktail.”
La Urbana, a Mexican restaurant in San Francisco serves over 50 types of mezcal.
“Even though it is strong in flavor, mezcal is actually pretty versatile. Among my favorite [cocktails] from the restaurant is our La Urbana Margarita. We extract essential oils from citrus, mix them with agave syrup, and use that as the sweetener. It balances the flavors of the mezcal.”
While challenging, advanced bartenders have proven that mezcal can be tamed. With the right ingredients to compliment its complex flavor, mezcal can be used for a variety of cocktails.
