Ay dios mio! It’s finally here! From March 5th until the March 18th Oyamel will be having their tequila and mezcal festival. Complimentary tastings, featured cocktails, and special dishes created to compliment the spirit. What more could you ask for?
On the docket for tonight: Del Maguey. Hopefully they’ll have my FAVORITE mezcal of all time: Del Maguey Minero.
For those of you who don’t know mezcal is a spirit made from the maguey plant (a form of agave plant) usually from the Oaxaca region of Mexico. But unlike tequila it is aged in barrels for a smokey flavor (similar to whiskey in that sense). Mezcal had a big year in 2011 in the U.S. and has since started to become more of a mainstay at the more sophisticated cocktail bars in DC as well as other major cities. For the best spots in DC to try mezcal you should try Oyamel (obviously) and also Casa Oaxaca in Adams Morgan.
If you like the flavor of tequila but hate the harshness (or you’ve just had a bad experience with it as many of us have) you should still give mezcal a chance. You’ll feel like you’ve graduated from the high school that is tequila and went straight to the Ph D program that is mezcal.
