Best Mezcals of 2024 to Drink Neat and in Cocktails
The best mezcal is a great summer spirit to enjoy neat or in cocktails. It's made from agave, which most people associate with tequila. But before tequila ever became the behemoth it is today (last year, it overtook whiskey as the second most popular spirit in the U.S. after vodka), mezcal was Mexico's main spirit.
Mezcal predates Spanish colonial rule of Mexico. But it's not only rich in Mexican national history, it’s also incredibly delicious and diverse. With about 90 percent of the world’s mezcal coming from the state of Oaxaca, the bulk of that mezcal originates from the town of Santiago Matatlan, nicknamed the "Mezcal Capital of the World.” The town is mostly populated by Zapotec people, indigenous to this part of Mexico, many of whom are the stewards of this ancient spirit.
Upon visiting this town, I learned much of what goes into creating a notable bottle of smoky mezcal along with some important words within the industry. For example, “maguey” are agaves, “palenques” are the mezcal distilleries, “mezcalerias” are the storefronts where people sell mezcal (in bottles and in glasses), and “maestro mezcaleros" and "maestra mezcaleras” are the sommeliers of the mezcal industry.
These individuals were born into the mezcal tradition and have ancestral knowledge about the mezcal production process, passed down from parent to child. With the increased effects of global warming crippling the growth of agaves across Mexico, buying ethically sourced and, ideally, Indigenous-made mezcal is more important than ever.
While not all of the companies on this list are Zapotec-owned, all of them directly support the Zapotec people in the mezcal industry, who keep this spirit alive for generations to come. Here's our list of the best mezcal brands, including our top pick, Real Minero Largo. And if you're interested in more spirits, read our other best-of lists, including the best bourbon, vodka for a martini, dark rum, and gin.
Best Mezcal at a Glance
Best Mezcal: Real Minero Largo
Best Mezcal Under $50: Lopez Real Espadin
Best Sipping Mezcal: Rey Campero Mexicano
Best Mezcal for Margaritas: Doce Espadin
Best Mezcal for Cocktails: El Rey Zapoteco Espadin
Best Limited-Edition Mezcal: Mezcal Tosba Warash
Best Mezcal for Parties: El Jolgorio Tepeztate
Best Mezcal for Beginners: Nuestra Soledad Collection
Best Floral Mezcal: Meztlan Cuishe
Best Resposado Mezcal: Gracias a Dios Espadin-Reposad
Best Mezcals Brands of 2024
Best Mezcal: Real Minero Largo
This family-owned brand has produced artisanal mezcal in Santa Catarina Minas, Oaxaca, since the 19th century. Currently run by brother-sister team Edgar Angeles Carreno and Graciela Angeles Carreno, Real Minero produces a number of mezcals, including some unique finds. While it's harder to come by, I recommend Real Minero Largo as the best mezcal overall. With notes of chocolate, cinnamon, and fresh fruit, this mezcal is surprisingly light on the palate and perfect for sipping.
Best Mezcal Under $50: Lopez Real Espadin
Lopez Real is a Zapotec-owned, family-run company that produces one of the best mezcals under $50 you'll find outside of Mexico. Smooth, simple, and slightly smoky, Lopez Real Espadin is emblematic of the style.
Best Sipping Mezcal: Rey Campero Mexicano
Founded by Romulo Sanchez Parada, this family-owned mezcal brand is based in Oaxaca, Mexico. Its Espadin is more likely to be found in stores, but I recommend looking online for the more unique offerings. For example, Rey Compero Mexicano, which is made from the Mexicano variety of wild agave, is minerally, woodsy, and has a peppery bite at the end.
Best Mezcal for Margaritas: Doce Espadin
Courtesy Image
Woman-owned brand Doce is also partially Mexican-owned and has a great relationship with maestra mezcelera Margarita Blas, whose own mezcal, Palomo, is available at specific locations in the United States. Doce makes its mezcal in Santiago Matatlan and Espadin is our pick for the best mezcal for margaritas, as well as other mezcal and tequila cocktails.
Best Mezcal for Cocktails: El Rey Zapoteco Espadin
This Zapotec-owned brand is one of the oldest artisanal mezcal brands produced in Oaxaca. While this mezcal is in the lower range for ABV at 45 percent, El Rey Zapoteco Espadin is still high in flavor and great for mixing into cocktails. And, at under $50, this bottle is one of the most affordable on the list.
Best Limited-Edition Mezcal: Mezcal Tosba Warash
Mecal Tosba is one of the only brands making mezcal out of warash agave. It has refreshing, bright tropical notes. If you can get your hands on a bottle of Mezcal Tosba Warash, consider yourself very lucky.
Best Mezcal for Parties: El Jolgorio Tepeztate
People tend to love tepeztate agave, regardless of how experienced they are with mezcal. Flavor-wise, think vegetal and musky, with notes of green peppers. Tepeztate agaves can take up to 25 years to mature, so there are a lot of layers to this mezcal, but it’s not overwhelming. El Jolgorio Tepeztate is approachable for beginners and will always be appreciated by more experienced drinkers.
Best Mezcal for Beginners: Nuestra Soledad Collection
Nuestra Soledad Collection is a package of six different kinds of Espadin mezcals. While many consider Espadin to be a one-size-fits-all mezcal, this collection showcases how location and cultivation can create notable and delicious differences between mezcal’s most popular agave. Plus, each bottle is on the affordable side, so less experienced mezcal enthusiasts don’t have to sweat about making a bigger purchase as they experiment.
Best Floral Mezcal: Meztlan Cuishe
Courtesy Image
Mezcal made from wild agaves is difficult to find in the United States, especially if you’re looking for an ethically sourced spirit. Cuishe is one of my favorite wild agaves because of its light palate comprising flavors of chamomile and citrus (mainly orange and lime). Meztlan Cuishe was created by fourth-generation maestro mezcalero Ignacio Gutierrez, who's now teaching his son his ancestral mezcal traditions.
Best Resposado Mezcal: Gracias a Dios Espadin-Reposado
Gracias a Dios is a Mexican-owned brand that's cultivated a relationship with Oscar Hernández, Indigenous mezcal producer and fourth-generation maestro mezcalero, and his team. Oscar created Gracias a Dios Espadin-Reposado, which is lovely and rich on its own, but can also be mixed into cocktails. A good espadin reposado will have notes of nuts, caramel, and vanilla, and this is no exception. Gracias a Dios also works with a number of hotels in Mexico, including Andaz Mayakoba in Quintana Roo, Mexico.
What's the Best Way to Drink Mezcal?
According to Zapotec community members, the only true way to drink mezcal is neat. No ice, no additives, just mezcal. While there are traditional cups for mezcal ranging from half a coconut shell to copitas (which translates to “little cups”), what you drink your mezcal with matters much less than the company you drink with.
This spirit is not meant to be chugged, taken in shots, or drank quickly at all. Instead, it’s supposed to be sipped and shared with heartfelt conversation. Mezcal cocktails are a newer invention that came about when travelers started drinking mezcal and wanted it to taste sweeter. While it's untraditional, mezcal cocktails are becoming more popular and are erupting as a growing trend in the cocktail world.
What's the Best Mezcal Bar?
Mezcal Desde la Eternidad has the best mezcal selection in the world; consider it a library of mezcal. Zapotec- and family-owned, this mezceleria (a storefront and bar for mezcal) offers over 30 varieties of mezcal that you can only find in Santiago Matatlan.
It covers rare, wild agave blends, like 14 Hierbas, which is a medicinal mezcal infused with local herbs (and just so happens to be the sweetest mezcal I’ve ever tasted), and an Ensamble blend with jabali and tepeztate agaves.
Mezcal vs. Tequila
Mezcal is like the older sibling of tequila. Both spirits are made in Mexico from agaves and are highly popular in the United States, but one definitely came before the other. While all tequila is made from one kind of agave (blue agave), mezcal can be made from over 20 kinds of agaves, creating a much wider variety of flavors.
Most people are familiar with mezcal made from Espadin, since close to 90 percent of all mezcal is made from this one kind of agave, which creates its signature smoky flavor. But finding artisanal mezcal from wild agaves is a rare find.
What to Look for When Choosing the Best Mezcal
Monica Bautista Cortés lives in Oaxaca and is the global brand ambassador at Casa Cortés, an Oaxacan-owned spirits company. When it comes to identifying how to find the best mezcal, Cortés believes you can learn a lot about a brand from the bottle.
For mezcal newbies, look for labels that say 100-percent agave and use words like “artisanal,” “artesanal,” or “ancestral.” These words describe the care and quality of the production of the mezcal. When a label just says “mezcal” that most likely means there was more industrial production used in the making of the spirit. When talking about green flags for a mezcal label, she also shares that seeing the name of the mezcalero/a who made the bottle, the kind of agave used, and where the mezcal was produced all point to a well-crafted bottle.
For more experienced mezcal drinkers, Cortés has a few more tricks on how to identify a particularly special bottle.
“Rub a little liquid on your hand,” she says. "The smell you should be left with at the end should be cooked maguey notes and it shouldn't be sticky." Your nose shouldn't burn when you smell it. Instead, the aroma should be complex and have depth. “It’s like an onion,” she says. “You have to peel the layers of the mezcal.”
Within those layers, there should be at least three distinct flavor markers of a good mezcal: one at the beginning, middle, and backend. She also recommends looking for an ABV between 45 to 55 percent, as this alcohol level brings out the best qualities of a mezcal.
Why You Should Trust Us
I lived in Playa del Carmen, Mexico, for much of 2023, where I learned about the complexities of Mexican spirits and food. During this time, I connected with Liliana Palma, the founder of Zapotec Travel (an Indigenous tourism company in Oaxaca), and planned an extended trip to Tlacolula and Santiago Matatlan that changed my life. While there, I met with several Zapotec maestra mezceleras and their families, learned the pre-colonial history of mezcal, tasting countless glasses of artisanal mezcal.
I wrote about my findings, experience, and ongoing research in several publications including TripAdvisor, Going, Wine Enthusiast, and Men’s Journal. One of my articles about mezcal titled “Indigenous Women Working in Mezcal Are Ready to Be Recognized for Their Work” for Wine Enthusiast is currently nominated for the Spirited Award for Journalism by Tales of the Cocktail.