I Spent a Week Tasting Tequila in Mexico – And Rated These Bars

I recently returned from a wild week in Mexico exploring the mezcal and tequila scene – a trip which ran the gamut from spit-and-sawdust mezcal palenques in the Oaxaca mountains to the high glamour of Mexico City Art Week launch parties. It’s a while since I was last there and I was dazzled by what I ate, drank, heard, and saw.  

As you know, the country’s biggest spirited export, by far, is tequila – but Mexico produces a wealth of other agave spirits too including mezcal, raicilla, bacanaora, and the mezcal-like sotol. So much choice can be overwhelming, but a good ...