One distilled spirit that has been gaining in popularity in America over the past few years is mezcal. Produced in Mexico, mezcal (pronounced meh·skal) is distilled from fire roasted agave which gives it its signature smoky flavor. One of the big differences between mezcal and tequila is that while tequila is only made from blue agave, mezcal can be created from a number of different types of agave.
Traditionally drunk straight up, usually from a glass known as a veladora, mezcal’s expanding popularity is thanks in part to it being added to craft cocktails in the United States and Europe. A number of these drinks are riffs on classic cocktails with mezcal replacing the traditional spirit to create a unique take on a great drink. With that in mind, we took some of our favorite cocktails and mixed them up with mezcal for something new, and we really liked the results.
Mezcal Negroni Cocktail Recipe
Yield: 1 Cocktail
Ingredients
Glassware
Tools
Instructions
Add mezcal, Campari and sweet vermouth to a mixing glass filled with ice and stir until chilled. Strain into a rocks glass over fresh ice. Garnish with an orange wheel.
Mezcal Sour Cocktail Recipe
Yield: 1 cocktail
Ingredients
- 1½ oz Mezcal
- 1 oz Amaro Montenegro
- 1½ oz Lime Juice
- 1 bar spoon of Agave Syrup
- 1 Egg White (Or Fee Brothers Fee Foam)
- Angostura Bitters for Garnish
Glassware
Tools
Instructions
Add mezcal, amaro, lime juice, and agave to a cocktail shaker filled with ice and shake until chilled. Strain from one shaker tin to the other and discard ice. Add egg white and shake for another 20 seconds. Pour directly into a chilled coupe glass. Garnish with a few dashes of bitters directly on the foam.
Mezcal Paloma Cocktail Recipe
Yield: 1 cocktail
Ingredients
- 2 oz Mezcal
- 1/2 oz Lime Juice
- Fever Tree Sparkling Pink Grapefruit
- Salt and half slice of Grapefruit (for garnish)
Glassware
Tools
Instructions
Prepare glass by rimming with salt and filling with ice. Add mezcal and lime juice to glass, then top with Fever Tree Sparkling Pink Grapefruit. Garnish with a grapefruit wheel and enjoy!
Hank Feist
Hank Feist is the photographer & videographer for KegWorks and has been with the company since July 2019. He enjoys film photography and printing his work in his home darkroom. Hank is a connoisseur of classic cocktails and he loves creating new ones as well. He also likes to play the drums when not taking great photos or making awesome cocktails.
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