Mezcal is the often ignored cousin of Tequila
– a distilled liquor made from a type of agave, with a strong smoky flavor. I
first had Mezcal at a bar in Portland. The bartender said it was like tequila,
only smokey, and I like tequila and I like smokey, so I gave it a try.
I won’t say it was love at first taste, in
fact I didn’t like my drink at all. But I liked the idea of myself as a person
who like atypical things, so Mezcal joined the ranks of my signture liquors.
Eventually my taste buds caught up with my
ego and I got to love mezcal. You can imagine my excitement when I learned that
Tijuana is actually a great place to experience this liquor in all its
wonderful forms – there are even bars like La Mezcalera and El Tiniebloe Mezcal
room that are dedicated to it!
This is a catalogue of every way I tried
Mezcal in Tijuana.
La Justina
LA Justina is my favorite bar in Tijuana for cocktails. It is almost always where I begin my night with some fancy drink before heading elsewhere...
With lavender and watermelon
With cucumber, smoked bay leaf and rose petals
With grapefruit and thyme
Bartender’s choice
Mezcal Bars
I love La Mezcalera but never stay long. They play of a lot of trance and techno which I hate, and it gets very crowded with hipsters as the night goes on.
With tamarind at La Mezcalera
With cream in a flight at La Mezcalera
EL TInieblo is a tiny speakeasy that feels like a time machine. Loved the ambiance.
With hibiscus at El Tinieblo
Random Bars
With tamarind and Cine Tonola.
A fantastic bar on the third floor of the cinema with stunning views and excellent cocktails.
As a shot at Dandy del Sur
Classic shot at the oldest bar in Tijuana....
With Chamoy at Loki café. My friend's go-to place.
Fancy Restaurants
With lime and soda in Verde y Crema
With absinth, Aperol, St. Germain, and bitters at Nortico, a speakeasy at Oryx Capital.
With tropical fruit, tangerine, lemon and salt at Mision 19 - th best restaurant in Tijuana.
Across the border...
So I know this is supposed to be a post on Tijuana, but I didn't want to ignore the great Mezcal margeritas I had in San Diego. In a Margarita with salt in San Diego