The fervor for mezcal, tequila and different agave spirits has reached a fever pitch in the US, and as curiosity within the class continues to speed up, so does the variety of agave-centric bar openings from coast to coast. It’s by no means been simpler to create a mezcalería-style program stateside that includes a lengthy listing of bottles, however ask any hardcore agave aficionado about how the expansion of the class is threatening its conventional roots, and also you’ll get a lecture sooner than you possibly can say “salt-suck-lime.” The class is mired in political, financial and environmental points, which has prompted some savvy bar house owners to take a extra aware strategy to acquiring, selling and promoting these spirits to curious drinkers.
Many bars across the nation are going the additional mile on this quest. At locations like Barcoa in Phoenix, the house owners and employees journey to Mexico to actively pursue a deeper training in regards to the advanced methods that gas the class. Cosme in New York Metropolis and Madre in Los Angeles have academic programming baked into back-of-house coaching, and most often this training extends to the general public, through tastings, menu design, flights, lessons and business meet-and-greets. And others, like Bar Sótano in Chicago and Fern Bar in Kansas Metropolis, Missouri, goal to thoughtfully curate backbar collections that help and promote producers who’re working to maintain heritage practices alive within the face of rising pressures to industrialize. The next 10 mezcal bars examine all of those packing containers, after which some.
