With National Mezcal Day coming up on 21 October and Halloween parties being carefully curated for the following week, there are two dates in the calendar this month which might encourage you to fine-tune your cocktail recipes and perhaps be bold enough to try something different.
And with a predicted half of all UK households now owning a cocktail shaker, it is time to crack open the mezcals and tequilas for a night of chest-warming drinks as we step into the autumn months.
New to mezcal? Here, with slush syrup provider, Snowshock, we explore mezcal, its growing popularity, four tasty cocktail recipes that offer the perfect way to sample the earthy, smokiness of this spirit.
What is Mezcal?
Mezcal is a distilled spirit made from a variety of agave plants. Mezcal and tequila, a type of mezcal itself, offer strong 38-55% ABV. Mezcal can be made from 40 different varieties of the agave plant, whereas tequila can only be made from the Blue Weber agave.
Due to this, mezcal has a variety of flavours, from sweet and fruity tones to smoky and earthy ones. This makes it perfect for creating fascinating cocktails as it offers a broad range of flavour pairings.
Mezcal is the oldest spirit to be distilled in South America, and as such, has very specific methods of production. These methods are classified as ancestral mezcal and artisanal mezcal. Artisanal mezcal involves slow roasting the heart of the agave plant in pit ovens built with volcanic rock for a few days to a week – this gives it a signature smoked flavour. However, it depends on the producers’ preferences whether the hearts are charred or not, altering the flavour with each new batch. The hearts are then crushed and fermented with water. At the same time, ancestral mezcal is a much stricter process, which rules out the use of machined crushing and consists of the fermentation taking place in clay pots with the fibres of the plant to increase the earthy taste of the spirit.
The popularity of Mezcal and Tequila
In the year running up to September 2021, over one and a half million bottles of tequila were sold. This was an increase of 36% from the previous year and shows promise for the growing taste for tequila and other mezcal spirits. In February 2022, these sales had risen by 16% compared to the same week in 2021, resulting in the tequila market being worth £140.6 million.
And in 2020, the production volume of mezcal rose by 9.8% to meet this growing demand.
With this increased demand for mezcal drinks, we have even seen the creation of bars, such as Hacha in London, dedicated to serving all drinks agave.
Four delicious mezcal cocktail recipes to test out at home
1. “Monster” Mezcalita verde cocktail
You will need:
50ml Mezcal
250ml water
Agave syrup
A pineapple
Parsley
3 juiced limes
Half a jalapeno
A cucumber
How to make it:
Start by blending the pineapple pieces, peeled and diced, a sprig of parsley, lime juice, and jalapeno together with the water. Strain out any pieces and add agave syrup to sweeten, depending on your preferences. Place 50ml of this concoction into a cocktail shaker and add the mezcal. Shake over ice before straining into glasses. To add an extra Halloween touch to this, consider decorating with monster themed garnishes or adding extra jalapeno to individual glasses and make a game out of it.
2. Frighteningly Frozen mezcal Paloma
You will need:
120ml Mezcal
120ml grapefruit juice
45ml lime juice
30ml honey
A cup of ice
Salt
A lime or grapefruit slice for garnish
How to make it:
Placing the mezcal, honey, grapefruit and lime juice into a shaker, shake until the honey is thoroughly dissolved. Place this into a freezer for 4-10 hours. Then remove and place in a blender with ice to make the perfect slushie. Garnish with your preferred fruit.
Top tip: to make this fit for a Halloween party, add a splash of grenadine or red food colouring to give it a devilish colour.
3. Once upon a thyme in Mexico
You will need:
30ml Mezcal
20ml Tequila
10ml Agave
15ml lime juice
Fresh raspberries
Thyme
How to make it:
Enjoy a drink with a theme and bring this into your Halloween party as you dress for that “Once Upon a Time” feel. Bring all ingredients into a shaker and shake it until all are combined and the raspberries have separated. Then strain into a glass. This red drink will look perfectly at home for any Halloween spread.
4. Jessica rabbit cocktail
You will need:
30ml Mezcal
20ml Tequila
20ml lime juice
20ml pineapple juice
10ml agave syrup
Strawberries
Cherry tomatoes
Ice
A sprig of mint
How to make it:
You could even make a mezcal cocktail centred around the fancy dress. Put two strawberries, two cherry tomatoes, the agave syrup and lime juice into a cocktail shaker and crush the ingredients together. Once they have combined, add the pineapple juice and spirits to the mixture. Shake hard so that all ingredients come together before straining into a martini glass. Garnish with a cherry tomato, or for an extra Halloween treat, carve the cherry tomato into an eyeball and have it float in the drink to scare your guests.
Whether you are looking for the best drink to impress your guests or want to test the limits of their heat tolerance, mezcal cocktails offer a variety of flavours. Combine it with trusty tequila for extra strength and when Halloween arrives, serve it up with ghoulish garnishes!