Tequila/Mezcal

La Gritona means "woman who screams" and is made by a company of women. One can only join them in shouts of joy over this creamy, smooth, elegant highlands reposado with aromas of salty caramel corn. Light in body, and a light touch in aging, which allows

This spends 18 months in barrels with slightly heavier char than the repo, resulting in spicy wood-oil aromas that transform into caramel-toffee-cocoa notes in the mouth. This is one to savor on its own, and notice how it changes in the glass over time.

The ArteNOM line showcases the unique crafts of master distillers and their regional expressions. We chose the 1579 by Felipe Camarena for its delicate aromatics and approachable complexity. Bright citrus aromas plus a velvety texture. Sweet fruit, carame

Destileria Real de Minas in on their 11th generation of mezcal distillers, so they really know what they're doing here. They use mesquite for the smoking and take some of the char off the barrels for a more refined flavor profile. It's smooth and round

If this is your first time trying mezcal, the Mina Real is a great place to start. It's steamed instead of smoked but still aged in pine barrels so it's not quite as smoky or peaty as some other mezcals. It's also a little bit sweeter with really nice p

Nuestra Soledad is owned by a 6th-generation Oaxacan family that sources mezcals from different towns in the region. 100% Espadin, it's ripe, with tropical fruit, caramelized agave, and mineral flavors, plus a very light woodsmoke. An exotic sipping mezc

It's an association of families (unión) that makes this mezcal, which, though reasonably priced, pays the makers fairly and stresses sustainability--a big issue in agave growing now. Made from farmed Espadin and wild Cirial agaves, this has a light sweet

Tequila Ocho thinks of tequila almost like wine--they are the first distillery to give their tequila a vintage year and the first to designate single agave fields. This opens up the idea of tequila terroir--each vintage is a unique product of the landscap

Here's a liter of the favorite of many bartenders--organic, 100% blue agave, aged in used Jack Daniels barrels. You can taste the fresh agave, but the barrels add some spice and a roundness to the texture. Why is it so light? No caramel coloring is added.

A liter of organic tequila from 100% estate-grown lowland blue agave. It has a delicate, herbaceous flavor--you can taste the agave (tastes like artichokes). Great for sipping or mixing. Made by the former mayor of Tequila. Arette was a famous race horse.

A gorgeous organic tequila aged 6 months in new American oak with a light char (not using bourbon barrels preserves the flavor of the agave). The agave is lowland estate, harvested at a relatively old 10 years. Look for a bit of the artichoke note of the