Today, any self-respecting cocktail bar or Mexican restaurant has a selection of artisanal mezcals, but that was hardly the case even ten years ago. Rarer still (in the U.S.) are mezcalerías, bars that specialize specifically in mezcal with a goal of educating the public about this remarkably complex, but often misunderstood, agave distillate.
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It can be difficult to distinguish between a mezcal bar and a restaurant with a robust mezcal program. Most big cities have myriad Mexican restaurants with thoughtful mezcal selections, and many smaller cities do, too, such as California’s Santo Mezcal in Santa Barbara and Cultura in Carmel-by-the-Sea; Sazón in Santa Fe, New Mexico; and The Oaxaca Club in Jacksonville Beach, Florida. All are worthy of time and exploration, but the mezcalerías below are playing a crucial role in disseminating mezcal culture throughout the U.S. and do so with respect for the small-scale producers that keep the category vital. These are the best mezcal bars in the country right now.
Bakan
Miami, Florida
With almost 200 seats and a menu featuring everything from escamoles (queen ant larvae) to oak- and cherry wood-grilled steak served with housemade heirloom corn tortillas, Bakan is one of Miami’s most festive Mexican restaurants. At its heart, though, it’s a mezcalería, with hundreds of mezcals from ten Mexican states on offer along with nine sotols, a mezcal-adjacent spirit from Chihuahua state. The colorful indoor-outdoor cactus-walled space—plus a wraparound bar—encourages all-day imbibing, so chances are you’ll want to make plenty of time to sip through a bunch.
Bar Sótano
Chicago, Illinois
Beverage director Julianna Arquilla oversees a list of almost 200 mezcals at this bustling basement bar, which includes a reserve list of rare and vintage bottles, plus a carefully curated list of tequilas and other Mexican spirits. Don’t miss the food: Chef de cuisine Jaqueline Hernández takes Mexican bar bites to a new level, with dishes like a black mole tlayuda with Brussels sprouts and parsnips and lion’s mane mushroom “Milanesa.” Of course, there’s the bone marrow in salsa macha, chased with an optional mezcal “luge” poured down the bone into your mouth. A range of mariscos, like “michelada” oysters and ceviche, highlight mezcal’s affinity for briny flavors. Come prepared.
Barcoa Agavería
Phoenix, Arizona
Everything at Barcoa is made in Mexico: the bars themselves, chairs, tables and tiles, not to mention decor like the beaded Huichol cow skulls, which stare down from the walls like benevolent spirits. It’s an apt environment for getting lost in the 40-page agave menu, which includes detailed production and tasting notes for each spirit. Don’t miss the spot’s exclusive private label mezcal, a deeply complex blend of tepeztate and jabalí agaves from the Oaxacan producer Mezcal Vago. The basement bar also offers signature cocktails that pair mezcal with savory flavors like corn, pistachio, poblano chile and even red cabbage. Private mezcal tastings are available by reservation.
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Cabinet Mezcal Bar
New York City
There are plenty of NYC restaurants with great mezcal lists—Oxomoco, Claro, Cosme and La Lonchería, just to name a few—but none are so singularly committed to the spirit as the Cabinet. With possibly the largest mezcal selection outside Mexico (L.A.’s Madre is also a contender here), you’ll find tiny-production mezcals from little-seen agaves, and even a range of vintage mezcals, one dating back to 1990. (Mezcal, like wine, can change in the bottle.) Start with the generous happy hour from 5 to 8 p.m. for a mezcal flight and tacos before settling in for the night. And make sure to check the website for its list of frequent classes and events.
Clavel Mezcalería
Baltimore, Maryland
Clavel’s minimalist but warm interior—Scandinavian with a dash of industrial—keeps the focus on the food and drink. The creative, spirit-forward cocktails and tasty pan-Mexican menu (with tortillas made from corn that’s nixtamalized in-house) from Sinaloa-born chef and co-owner Carlos Raba are a daily draw here. Remarkably, all mezcals are a modest $12 per pour, even from bottles that retail for well over ten times that. Mezcal aficionados, though, should reserve a spot in the tasting bar, which offers deeply educational two-hour tastings of several little-seen mezcals, including many that were toted back from Mexico by the owners themselves. Even better: 10% of tasting-bar sales go directly to help uncertified mezcal producers.
Espíritu
New Orleans, Louisiana
Tucked away on a quiet street just ten minutes’ walk from French Quarter chaos is this ode to Oaxacan food and drink. The entire staff are certified as Level One Mezcaliers by the Mexican government and have spent time on palenques (mezcal farms) in Oaxaca. The operation only stocks brands with a focus on sustainability and that highlight and compensate fairly their producers. Customers can enjoy theme nights with special guests, customized flights and small half-ounce pours so that even a casual visitor can sample several mezcals without worrying about the next morning.
La Doña Mezcalería
Denver, Colorado
Located behind the popular restaurant Adelita’s Cocina y Cantina, La Doña calls itself a “mezcal eatery,” serving mezcal-friendly street food with a smartly curated mezcal selection and mezcal-forward cocktails in a seductive space illuminated with a golden glow. Michoacán-born chef-owner Silvia Andaya has put together an extensive mezcal list that prioritizes quality over quantity, focusing on sustainable practices and female distillers and brand owners. A bargain Taco Tuesday is followed by half-price Mezcal Wednesday. (Note to other bars: Let’s make “Mezcal Wednesday” happen more often.)
Mama Rabbit
Las Vegas, Nevada
This flashy spot is named for Mayahuel, the Aztec goddess of agave, who gave birth to the Centzon Tōtōchtin, 400 rabbit godlings that she nursed with pulque (agave sap) from her 400 breasts. The rabbits were known for inebriation and mischief-making, which is exactly how one might describe visitors who work through one of the largest selections of agave spirits in the country, much of it devoted to mezcal. While gamblers can partake in slots or table games next to the bar, ordering is less of a wager, since single-ounce pours for as little as $6 let you sample an assortment to find your favorites.
La Viuda Negra
Dallas, Texas
The team from Dallas’s screamingly popular taco spot El Come Taco opened this sexy, subtly kitschy and rustic-chic mezcal speakeasy, whose entrance can be identified by the namesake black widow (viuda negra) in a wedding dress beckoning you to enter. The intimate space allows guests to explore the offerings at length with the servers, including cocktails that lean toward savory ingredients and don’t obscure the spirits. A shared kitchen with El Come Taco means bar bites that might include ingredients like huitlacoche (corn fungus), cow’s feet or veal brains, along with more standard options like an excellent beer-battered fish taco.
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Las Perlas
Austin, Texas
The illuminated towers of agave spirits make Las Perlas look more like an art gallery than a speakeasy, setting the stage for an evening of epiphanies. Cross-category drinkers will appreciate that it shares space with a whiskey bar and a rum bar, each of which have wide-ranging selections, including Mexican expressions. La Perlas (the name nods to how mezcal producers can tell a spirit’s alcohol content by assessing the bubbles, or “pearls,” that appear when shaken) also hosts Spirit Society ATX, which offers weekly educational tastings with distillers and brand ambassadors. It’s a screaming bargain at just $15.
Madre West Hollywood
Los Angeles, California
You’ll be impressed by the mezcal selection on the drinks list when you sit down, but that’s just the tip of the iceberg at Madre. Ask for the “Extensive List” and spend the rest of the night reading up on over 400 labels, many of which are rarely brought into the U.S.—including ten private-label bottlings exclusive to Madre. Still, owner Ivan Vasquez is committed to small family producers and eschews corporate brands at his four locations. His commitment to Oaxacan tradition extends to the interior design, the serving pieces and, of course, the extensive menu of terrific mostly-Oaxacan traditional dishes with many ingredients imported directly from the gastronomically-acclaimed Mexican state.
Mezcalería Oaxaca
Seattle, Washington
Mezcalería Oaxaca was one of the country’s first mezcal bars when it opened in 2004 as a five-seat companion to a Oaxacan restaurant in Seattle’s Ballard neighborhood. Because so little true mezcal was distributed in the U.S. at the time, owner Graham Graham (yes, that’s really his name) established direct relationships with mezcal producers and brands, perhaps occasionally skirting existing regulations to get mezcal in mouths. Now a long-established bar with a massive mezcal selection (and still attached to a delicious restaurant), Graham’s connections are still evident in the many rare and older bottlings. Make sure to ask if there are any off-menu options.
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Mezcalería Las Chupacabras
St. Louis, Missouri
You’ve got to love a kid-friendly mezcal bar. The little ones can sip Mexican sodas and aguas frescas while soaking up the vivid colors and murals on the sprawling patio of this former P.F. Chang’s, while the adults wind their way through the mezcal list (with a designated driver, of course). Mezcal newbies can try a mezcal margarita or beergarita in 24 flavors like soursop and prickly pear, or one of the signature mezcal cocktails served in a jícara (hollowed gourd), volcanic stone or poured over a snowcone. The “Especialidad de la Casa” menu section features classic Mexican dishes like mixiotes, mole poblano and tortas ahogadas.
Mezcalito
San Francisco, California
A soaring ceiling and mirrored walls against raw wood and vintage fixtures gives Mezcalito an urban loft-meets-log cabin vibe. It’s a subtle reference to the tension between modernity and tradition that makes the mezcal world so compelling. You can personalize your mezcal experience here with private tastings for up to 18 people, customized mezcal flights and a locker program to house your own bottles, which comes with the added benefits of event invitations and exclusive table reservations. Look for generous daily specials and happy hour bargains.
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Tahona Bar
Tahona’s lofty main space equally celebrates mezcal (in innovative cocktails that include mezcal-based versions of classics like the Penicillin, Last Word and Negroni) and chef Adrian Villarreal’s food, which is both steeped in tradition and locally sourced. Dishes like local fish in chintextle (chile paste), miso, white beans and green peas in a mezcal beurre blanc would fit in perfectly at Mexico City’s finest restaurants. Those wanting to go deeper into mezcal, though, should book a guided tasting around the communal table in the tasting room, or at the attached 10-seat speakeasy Oculto 477, which feels imbued with the spirits from El Campo Santo, a historic cemetery located just on the other side of its wall.
Published: January 23, 2024
