Where to Drink the Best Mezcal in Austin

First things first : Mezcal is not tequila , so do n’t shoot it , do n’t bestow lime and salinity . It ’s a complex and endearing smell that ’s best revel neat . Mezcal has come a prospicient way from the days when each bottle of golden liquidness stop a solitary moth larvae ready to be devour on a drinking daring . Today , in a full Puerto Rico 180 , mezcal is covet by our res publica ’s top bartenders and is base on every ( good ) cocktail menu in the country . Austin is no elision . Here ’s what you demand to know about mezcal and where you need to drink it .

So, what exactly is mezcal?

Mezcal is a distilled flavor made from the agave flora , a succulent which is typically big and spiky . The agave ’s piñas are trimmed , roasted , and land before being placed into wooden fermenting tanks and later make pure at least twice through atomic number 29 still or clay pots .

Traditionally , the spirit hails from Oaxaca , although there are other regions it is discover . There are copious amount of agave varietals with different flavors that can be used to make mezcal . The combining of the terroir ( dirt , topography , and mood ) , type of still used , and producer results in near - infinite compounding . “ Most people look smokiness and glowering , earthy notes , ” says Billy Hankey , owner ofKing Bee Loungeand former atomic number 82 barman ofSecond Bar + Kitchen , “ but that there are so many varietals of mescal that flavors can range from bright and herbaceous to funky … like blue cheese stinking . ”

Austin’s fondness for mezcal

We inquire Hankey , who first took placard of the smoky spirit and started serving it in Austin ’s cocktail bars , for the source of the local surge . “ Mezcal ’s popularity in Austin has been growing for a while now . Vivo , Cantina El Milamores at Takoba , andBar Illegalhave had a focussing for a farsighted while ; not to bring up people like Bill Norris , Adam Bryan , Ben Craven , and many , many other mixologist who ’ve used mescal in cocktail for over a decade … I am try not to reveal our age . ”

Austin bar menus featuring mezcal

“ Many bars these days are train a selection of mezcal . The trend has really taken hold , " says Hankey . These eight bars range from distinctive best - cocktail - legal community contender with a knack for various beverage programs on down to dedicated mezcalerias . Oh , and just like at traditional mezcalerias , do n’t be surprised if the drunkenness is accompanied by sal de gusano ( dirt ball salt ) or sal de chapulin ( grasshopper salt ) on orange slices . These may voice gross , but are totally not ; it ’s just salt with short brown specks .

King Bee Lounge

Billy Hankey and Colette Dein are two of the nicest and most well-read bar owners in town . They also encounter to have a nicely curated accumulation of mezcal . appropriate Billy to advocate one ( or four ) to you and mind to him wax poetic on the appendage , the region , and the tasting notes . “ When you ’re drink mezcal , find out what varietals are used in the production of that bottling and the process by which it was made , " says Hankey . " All that entropy is generally printed on the bottle . Also , seek to be aware of who is farm the mezcal and their chronicle . Is it a major booze party or a family ? ”

Techo Mezcaleria & Agave Bar

Upstairs from Mi Madre ’s is the cool small mezcal barroom from the same possessor as the Tex - Mex restaurant . Here you could enjoy the smell neat or in one of its cocktails . Mezcals ferment well in just about any cocktail ( Old Fashioneds , Negronis , etc . ) as long as it ’s balanced . Try the smart , herbal Verdito made with mezcal , absinthe , basil - serrano , and quicklime juice with agave .

Mezcalería Tobalá

This versed bar carries a broad selection of wild - multifariousness mezcals including Mexican-American , madrecuixe , arroqueño , tobala , ensamble en olla de barro , and some uncommon espadin , and is served two ways : guests can ordain a half - pour ( 3/4 oz ) in a clay copita , or a full pour in the traditionalveladoraglass . Downstairs at Whisler ’s , the well mezcal , El Silencio Espadin , is showcased nicely in the Oaxacan Prayer ( El Silencio Espadin mezcal , Cocchi Rosa , Licor 43 , lime bitterness , and acid orthophosphate ) .

Cantina El Milamores at Takoba

Right around the recess from Takoba ’s master entrance is Cantina El Milamores . It has a gravid carte du jour of Mexican starter and cocktails , including many made with mezcal , like the mezcal Old Fashioned . It also has seven very reasonably priced mezcal flights , like the agave varietal wine ( $ 12 ) which comes withcopitasof Tepeztate , Sierra Negra Mezcalero # 4 , Madre Cuishe Wahaka , and Espadin Alipus San Baltazar .

El Naranjo

Not only is El Naranjo household to some of the best inner Mexican culinary art in the city , but it has a killer selection of mezcal and other agave - distilled life ( including tequila , sotol , and bacanora ) . Try Fidencio ’s Tobalá , which is foraged from idle agave , or the mouth-watering , piquant Wild Karwinskii from Real Minero Largo – regarded as one of the finest mezcal manufacturer .

La Condesa

La Condesa is THE Downtown hotspot for modernistic Mexican food for thought and perilously pleasurably cocktails , like the DÍa de Los Muertos No . 2 ( Alipus San Juan mezcal , Cointreau , Lillet Blanc , lemon ) . feel adventurous ? tell the $ 45 pour of Del Maguey Pechuga , which is distilled with a chicken white meat suspended inside the still in ordering to balance the mezcal ’s yield flavors .

VIVO

It ’s backbreaking to believe that the go - to Tex - Mex eating house for luncheon with co - proletarian or weeknight dinner with the fam would have such an impressive selection of mezcal , but it really does . Over 30 feeding bottle from distillers like Del Maguey , Alipus , and Los Nahuales make VIVO a bona fide destination for mezcal devotee . For a brisk take on a margarita , seek the Haz Me Pronto ! made with Los Nahuales Reposado mezcal , Ancho Reyes , tamarind , honey syrup , clean lime , and a Tajin brim .

Bar Ilegal

assail out the mezcal landscape painting , just behind Clive Bar , Bar Ilegal is the flyspeck cottage serve everything from mezcal mules to flights of the smoky spirit . Keep in mind , it is only open on weekends . Consider redact a few back with the traditional goner that ’s chip in when drink mezcal : " Para todo mal mezcal , para todo bien tambien , " which translates to “ for everything bad , mezcal … for everything good as well . ”

Techo Mezcaleria & Agave Bar