Seven Best Mezcalerias In Oaxaca You Have To Visit

(TLDR)

Oaxaca has so many Mezcalaria Oaxaca to choose from. In this article, we have picked the best seven that are popular for their food and beverages, friendly staff, online reservations and general service. These include Mezcaloteca, Mezcalaria Cuish, El Destilado, Mezcalogia, In Situ, Archivo Maguey, and Sabina Sabe. We've also discussed the concept of Mezcal Mixology.

(Introduction)

Are you in Oaxaca Mexico and you are wondering where to go to for a dinner night or a shot of mezcal?

Worry no more. Mezcaleria Oaxaca are the best places to enjoy Mexican food and agave spirits as well as other modern delicacies like chips and pork. It's all about how wisely you'll make your decision. From competent staff who are happy and available to serve you with world-famous margaritas, the list of Mezcaleria Oaxaca that we have compiled for you has the most popular and authentic Mezcaleria Oaxaca.

Why The Fuss About Oaxaca?

Oaxaca is a magical place with all sorts of arts, good vibes, fantastic cuisine, and most especially the mezcal. This Mexican state is the capital of the most misunderstood and complex liquors. Most of the mezcal in Oaxaca are only produced in the approved regions using specific agaves.

If you get to Oaxaca and are looking for the best place to find your favorite mezcal, you can visit the following Mezcalerias and try new cocktails. Once you go to the mezcaleria Oaxaca, you will gain the fundamental knowledge that will help you understand and enjoy the Mezcals for your entire stay in the region. Their vibe is very serious, and it is a quiet place with an all-wood interior that will give you the best drinking experience.

The Best Mezcalarias Oaxaca

1.      Mezcaloteca Mezcaleria

This is an appointment-only mezcaleria Oaxaca, and it is prevalent in the entire state of Oaxaca. It is one of the best stops for anyone visiting Oaxaca. Once you are in the mezcaleria, they will guide you through whatever you want, whether 3 or 6 pours. Also, if you want something specific such as a ski mountain, you can still ask because there are those enjoyable for experts and others for novices. You can also ask for their alcoholic puntas, which has a very high alcohol content of over 60%

 Mezcaloteca deals with mezcal producers throughout the villages in Oaxaca. It is among the pioneering brands that include all the information on production on the front label of the bottles. Recently, they arguably took off the production town's name and the other names of the Mezcaleros from the labels. They import some of their mezcals into the United States under the Mezcalosfera label. They have a lot of bottles, and you will always be lucky to find your favorite.

 At La Mezcaloteca, across the streets of Oaxaca city, there are bizarre plants that include some agave varieties. The region is highly biodiverse because of the climates ranging from tropical to high desert. This climate is key to the mezcal, although history claims that the drink originated from the further north region.

According to Moises Avila, who is Mezcaloteca's tasting room associate, Oaxaca is Mexico's most important agave region. Almost 80% of the species are from this region. During bottling, the team labels the bottles with the names of the mezcaleros that produced them. Other details also include the alcohol levels (always more than 45%), the agave used, and the time of bottling.

Mezcaloteca also acts as a negotiant operation, and its agents search for family-owned brands in the countryside. Once they find the brands, they bottle and sell for them. In Mezcaloteca, you will also find reference books, knowledgeable servers, visual aids, and maps to make the experience more educational.

You can try out their delicious cooked agave flesh that tastes somewhere in between sweet potato and sugar with a honey flavor. From that, you can feel the artisanal work of the copper still and the ancestral version of the bamboo pipes and clay pots.

You will also get a chance to try out four versions of the spirits. The traditional, high-octane version, the more exotic version with cocoa flavors, or the pechuga version, involves steaming raw rabbit or turkey meat above the spirit during distillation.

2.      Mezcalería Cuish 

Mezcalería Cuish lies in the middle of the city, and it is also one of the best mezcalerias to check out. It is always a preference for those who love mezcals and is also popular for the specialized mezcaleria Oaxaca location. They offer about 10 to 15 mezcal varietals which they source from various mezcaleros in Oaxaca. They have multiple sizes of bottles, 250ml bottles, 500ml bottles, and 750ml bottles.

You will also find specialized tasting directed personally by Mezcaleros Masters. They often share stories about the various processes involved in the production of their mezcals and the land. Through tasting the different types of agaves, they intend to explore how vital mezcal is to the communities in Oaxaca. That is why their processes are 100% traditional and handmade as per the customs in Oaxaca.

3.      El Destilado Mezcaleria

The main aim of El Destilado is to provide the best mezcal and Mexican food like taco in the whole of Oaxaca in a casual and accessible environment for the visitors and locals alike. Here you will find mezcals like 5 Sentidos, which many mezcal lovers prefer.

Both the mezcal brand and the restaurant belong to Jason Cox and his partner Joseph Gilbert, and they are coming up with unique mezcals in the market. The labels on the bottles are artistic, and they depict the palenques of the producers of the mezcals.  

4.      Mezcalogia Mezcaleria

Nuestra Soledad and El Jolgorio own this ideal, candle-lit, and woodworked bar. This is the best place to drink El Jolgorio mezcal at a very affordable price with beautiful labels. The bartenders are always welcoming, and they are from different countries coming to Oaxaca to become mezcal experts.

Aside from the El Jolgorio mezcal, the bar has a lot of cocktails that you can try. If you are a fan of pulque, then this is the place to find your drink. The live and mellow music also makes the atmosphere very serene, and it is the best place to wrap up at night after a long and busy day.

Mezcalogia's logo features a rabbit, the moon, and a horse. The rabbit symbolizes the mezcalero. The moon stands for the consumer, while the horse represents the agave.

5.      In Situ Mezcaleria

It is very rare to find a bar as dedicated to mezcals as In Situ is. The walls of In Situ have linings of a collection of all the spirits in Mexico. The author and the editor of the mezcal books have created an unadorned and pared-back space that promotes the mezcal culture. Only the author knows the ages of the mezcals in the bar, and they are selected from different mezcaleros in Oaxaca.

Recently, they had imported their mezcal into the US under the name Farolito. You can ask for recommendations from them and tell them the agaves that you enjoy the most. If you do not find enough mezcals in this bar, you can try out their cocktails and some of their best Mezcaleria Oaxacan beers. They also offer takeaway bottles. Any serious drinker should make an effort and visit the bar. 

6.      Archivo Maguey Mezcaleria

Archivo Maguey is next door to In Situ mezcaleria, and they both have upbeat, celebratory vibes. Archivo Maguey have their own mezcal producers in Oaxaca from which they source their mezcal. Just a single drink at Archivo Maguey mezcaleria Oaxaca will take you into Oaxaca.

Once you enter the bar, you will find a cocktail bar with a Hierba Blanca (an Oaxacan bar) seal. This Oaxacan bar uses mezcal in its preparations, and it uses herbal elements to complement the drinker's experience. In the menu, you can ask for either Changochela (beer, cardamon salt, mezcal, and lemon) or Jefita (strawberry, vanilla syrup, Pichometl Mixtec mezcal, and lemon). These two will easily raise your appetite. Their menus cater for any visitor who is not familiar with the agaves, and it has a section describing the various flavors. Every mezcal on their many has a symbol that shows their flavor profiles, and you can always enjoy the Mexican food such as tacos tortillas as well as dance in this comfortable bar. During the weekends, there is always a live band or DJ playing booming music, and this is the place to have your party in Oaxaca.

7.      Sabina Sabe Mezcaleria

Sabina Sabe has several rooms with a large number of mezcal products. On display, you will always find the most enticing bottles that urge you to have a taste of their mezcals. In addition to the exceptional local drinks, the team also uses the mezcals to develop different compelling cocktails by incorporating an array of ingredients. The art throughout this fantastic and comfortable venue was the work of a Mexican artist, Alejandro Magallanes. At Sabina Sabe, you will always find mezcal, basic Oaxaca foods, cocktails, and cerveza, and it is also the best place to try out some of the expensive bottles at very affordable prices.

Mezcal Mixology

The perfect way to enjoy mezcal is by drinking it straight. It has a shapeshifting ability that adds nuances to the cocktails and has fostered riveting mixology scenes in downtown Oaxaca. At the forefront is Sabina Sabe. Its walls alternate from exposed brick to bright green that tightly holds the liquor shelves. The bartenders mix the refreshing drinks with mezcals, ginger beer, hoja santa, and cucumber. Another mixology is the deep-red Jamaican that contains Ancho Reyes, cinnamon, and mezcal. You can pair these concoctions with huitlacoche gratin and potato dishes or the Oaxacan ricotta with blue corn ravioli and grasshopper sauce.

The Bottom Line...

Well, if you have never been to any of these Mezcalerias in Oaxaca or the tasting rooms, then you are really losing a lot.

If you are a new mezcal lover, we have a complete guide that will see you become confident in your journey to expertise. You will always find glossaries that identify the textures and flavors of the agaves, so you should not be worried about choosing the wrong drink. 

Apart from these Mezcalerias in Oaxaca, the city has several private tasting rooms, some associated with brands like NETA or Vego. Others are related to different producer associations and collectives. However, you can only visit most of the private tasting rooms by invite, and if you are lucky enough to get one, you must never hesitate to go.

FAQs

Do the Mezcalerias Oaxaca provide glossaries?

The different Mezcaleria Oaxaca have glossaries indicating the agaves' textures and tastes and symbols that identify the various mezcals.

Do they have cocktail mixology?

At the mezcaleria Oaxaca, you will always find the best mixology and the best ways to pair cocktails. However, the best way to take mezcal is to drink it straight.