When you live deep inside mezcal, it is very easy to forget that not everyone is an agave nerd. When people ask me, so what is mezcal (sidebar— given mezcal sales are less than 3% of overall alcohol sales in the US this is not a stupid question), I take a deep breath and give as simple an answer as I can so I don’t overwhelm them with too much information. Depending on the look on their faces or if there is a follow up question, I let the conversation go from there.

Developing the 101 guides for mezcal, bacanora, raicilla and sotol was our way of translating complicated these spirits and production styles to a basic FAQ format complete with pictures and videos. And they are great, but for answering someone’s simple question of what is… still more info than what they are probably looking for in that moment. So Felisa Rogers took all of that information and created this agave spirits cheat sheet.

What I have confidence in is that once people have been kissed by mezcal their curiosity is piqued to know more and then more. It is a never ending journey. So check out the cheat sheet, memorize it and/or bookmark it for easy reference so the next time you are at a party or bar, you’ve got a quick reference.

We’ve got some great new stories, including a wrap up of some new things in the market, places to drink mezcal in NY, a terrific new pairing and more. Plus so many mezcal events and a special new batch of Rayo Seco at Tahona Mercado.

Saludos,

Susan and the Mezcalistas Team

MEZCAL NEWS

MEZCAL EVENTS

• September 14th, Mezcal Por Siempre, Los Angeles

• September 21st, Copita Mexican Spirits Festival, St. Louis

• September 27th, Piña Agavera, Madrid (Spain)

• September 28th, Copitas, Ostend (Belgium)

• October 4th, What’s in Your Mouth, San Diego

• October 5th, Mexico in a Bottle, San Diego

• October 18th-19th, Mezcalfest, Mexico City

• Oct 23rd, Bowl of Zole, Brooklyn

• November 16th, Mexico in a Bottle, San Francisco

SPOTLIGHT: Tahona Mercado Private Batch