While mezcal may no longer be a secret in the United States, beholden to experts and aficionados, it’s still relatively misunderstood, or loosely associated, as 'tequila’s younger cousin.' This lounge in South Beach, Miami hopes to change that.
Mezcalista bar has over 200 bottles of mezcal to choose from — Photo courtesy of Moxy Miami South Beach
“Mezcal is not smoky tequila,” says Ashly Levi, mezcalier and bartender at Mezcalista, at Moxy Miami South Beach, tracing the mezcal name to its Nahuatl origins, where the words ‘metl’ and ‘ixcalli’ translated to cooked agave. “The saying goes, all tequilas are mezcal, however, not all mezcals are tequila.” Levi credits this to the fact that mezcals can be made from over 30 different agave varieties, whereas tequila can only be produced from one variety, the blue Weber agave, also referred to as agave tequilana. With 212 mezcals and counting, Mezcalista exists to showcase the nuances of the spirit and the versatility of its predominantly smoky, sometimes fruity profile in cocktails.
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“We have curated high-end, low production expressions while culling large production mezcals that aren’t as refined,” says Alan Drummond, co-owner and founder of Coyo Taco Group, the brand behind Mezcalista. Drummond, a mezcalier (a mezcal-trained expert, likened to a sommelier for wine), adds that all the mezcals are hand-selected and directly imported from Mexico.
The speakeasy-esque lounge and tasting room is tucked behind Como Como restaurant, a part of The Moxy Hotel in South Beach. Since it’s quite literally off the beaten path with a concealed entrance, the dimly-lit, velvet-clad bar immediately gives off a sexy, veiled vibe as it welcomes guests without judgment into the world of mezcal – something Drummond says is entirely unique for Miami, as guests have access to high-end lounges throughout the city, but none with this specificity of a singular offering, while is also “combining sophistication with a theatrical flair to create a one-of-a-kind experience.”
Add mezcal to a cocktail or sip a specialty recipe — Photo courtesy of Moxy Miami South Beach
The lounge opens in the evening for cocktail hour, when you can order mezcal by the ounce, sip on a specialty cocktail or arrange a private tasting to explore the flavor range of the spirit, prior to the lounge transforming to a Miami party with a rotating live DJ.
Levi explains that during cocktail hours, guests are welcomed with an amuse-bouche and mezcal. From there, specialty cocktails – each made with a different mezcal – include a side-tasting of the mezcal for guests to try on its own, in hopes for them to better understand its complexities individually, as well as how it complements other ingredients in a cocktail.
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“I love to ask guests what aromas and flavors they get as they sip. It's interesting to hear how everyone has a different answer, and in the end, there are no wrong answers,” says Levi, who also leads the private tastings should guests want to delve further into mezcal production, history and its differences between tequila and other agave distillates. Levi emphasizes that outside the tasting room, the entire mezcal selection is available for purchase by the ounce pour to create your own tasting in the lounge or for use in your preferred cocktail (for Levi, that’s a mezcal negroni).
“Two years ago, I felt like I needed to ask my guests if they had mezcal before when ordering our mezcal cocktail,” explains Levi on the rise in mezcal’s popularity. “It was common to hear ‘no’ and [I] most likely had to swap it out for tequila.” Now, Levi says Mezcalista only offers two tequilas, and mezcal is likely to be found in at least one cocktail at most bars throughout the nation.
The veiled entrance to Mezcalista — Photo courtesy of Moxy Miami South Beach
Though Mezcalista’s quantity of mezcal stands out as a mezcal-focused bar, the selections of mezcals are also niche, like the Mezcalosfera bottle, made in small batches of less than 200 liters per batch and exported from a mezcal bar in Oaxaca City. Aside from spotlighting unique brands and small production, Levi enjoys diving into the role of terroir in mezcals, comparing it to the role of terroir in vintage wines.
“The distillation process may be the same within a brand, [but] each batch is going to be slightly different,” says Levi. “Anything from precipitation during the years of maturation, the surrounding vegetation and altitude can affect the agave’s sugar content and flavor profile, which then plays into the final taste of the mezcal.”
Finally, even if you aren’t as acquainted with mezcal, Drummond explains that the lounge is for you, too, to learn to love the spirit. Levi encourages novice mezcal drinkers to 'kiss' the mezcal as you sip it; swirl it around your mouth like a fine whisky and use your sense of smell to decipher aromas and flavors that may resonate.
“I like to say I have over 200 flavors of ice cream behind me to give you an idea of how different and unique each bottle is,” concludes Levi. Mezcalista is open Thursday through Sunday, 8 p.m. to 2 a.m.