Mezcal – like Mexican food and Tequila – is on the rise. Whilst it’s increasingly used in Palomas and Margaritas, it would be a mistake to think of it as just a cousin of Tequila. The latter is made from just one plant – blue agave – whilst there are around 30 varieties of agave used to produce mezcal. Each plant has its own distinctive phenolic compounds, is grown on different terroirs and distilled in different vessels.
‘Mezcal is probably the one spirit category that can be compared to wine and that has a lot of similarities with natural wine specifically,’ says Carina Soto, whose company Destilado imports artisanal mezcal to London. A liquid cherished for the small-scale craftsmanship that produces it and the sense of place it represents, mezcal should be sipped and appreciated neat, as well as mixed into cocktails.
Still, it can’t be detached from Tequila entirely. The rising popularity of agave spirits in the UK generally can be traced back to the opening of Green & Red’s in 2006, a bar that set out to introduce London to Mexican cuisine from Jalisco, the heartland of Tequila. Alongside Café Pacifico, La Perla and Crazy Homies, the bar began shifting the perceptions of Tequila beyond its infamous reputation as a nightclub shot, instead celebrating it as a diverse spirit with a deep tradition. ‘It was truly the stepping stone to what became a proper movement,’ says Davide Segat, assistant bar director at Nomad London, home to Side Hustle, who worked at Green & Reds.
Through education and smart marketing, Tequila has earned broader respect, paving the way for an admiration for mezcal that’s still fresh; mezcalerias now seem to be opening more frequently than pubs in London. Segat has already noticed a change in customers. ‘We have a huge regular base,’ he says, who ‘ask for recommendations and want to learn more about it [mezcal].’
With Mexican cuisine enjoying a boom in popularity around the world, it’s no surprise we’re seeing more of mezcal, with one of London’s hottest new openings, Fonda, serving some own-label mezcals and putting the spirit at the centre of its cocktail menu. Drinks like the Heirloom Tomato Michelada and Fig Leaf Batanga are impressing customers as much as their nixtamalized corn tortillas.
However, with mixologists increasingly wowed by the potency and complexity of mezcal, there are excellent mezcal-based cocktails available in places where the spirit isn’t the primary focus. Be sure to try a Bambat Potion if you find yourself at East London Thai-restaurant Somm Saa or a Vetiver Negroni at Tayēr + Elementary, an award-winning cocktail bar that only uses agave spirits in its Negronis. It’s worth exploring mezcal wherever you have the opportunity but if you’re wondering where the best places to drink mezcal in London are, below are eight spots that put the spirit at the centre of their drinks menus, often with food to match.
Eight of the best places to drink mezcal in London
Side Hustle
Covent Garden
Located within the Nomad hotel is a vintage-style bar with dark wood, jade green walls, eclectic art, warm lighting and the sounds of reggaeton. The best mezcal cocktails are the Mezcal Margarita and the smooth, savoury and rich but still vibrant Panamexicano. The extensive agave list has some rare bottles, with each mezcal served alongside a choice of freshly made juices in beetroot-based sangrita or tropical, herbaceous verdita. The food is excellent and isn’t to be missed. Order from the extensive ‘maiz’ (corn) section, with highlights including the lobster tostada, smoked chorizo empanada and pork carnitas tacos.
Kol Mezcaleria
Marylebone
Michelin-starred Kol offers a mezcal pairing alongside its tasting menu but its downstairs at the dimly lit, immaculately designed mezcaleria that agave spirits take centre stage. The cocktail list plays into Kol’s different flavour profiles, with the Sour and Old Fashioned the highlights. The brilliant own-label mezcals are worth exploring but the list is expansive, and includes helpful explanations of different agave plants. Accompany your drinks with at least one of the menu’s bovine hits in wagyu tostada and beef shortrib empanada. If you have a sweet tooth, don’t miss out on the ‘hot and cold’ mezcal and white chocolate-based cocktail, which is a dessert in itself, but is even happier alongside the pork crackling churro.
Equal Parts
Hackney
Michael Sager and Carina Soto have created one of the best cocktail bars in the city, with Soto’s Destilado mezcals given room to shine and available by the glass, alongside other mezcals. The general aim is to showcase less smoky varieties, with the mezcal-based cocktails representing the spirit’s fruity and vegetal tones, rather than being a vessel for Mezcalian smokiness. Try the Colarado if you’re a negroni fan or opt for the Meteora Fizz (pictured) if ‘refreshing, floral and green’ sounds more up your street. The sound system is superb, so sip on some silky Sierra Negra from Destilado to get yourself in the mood for some deep listening.
View this post on Instagram
Hacha
Dalston & Brixton
Agave spirits are the name of the game at Hacha, which won UK Specialist Bar of the Year 2022 and 2023, and is in the World’s 50 Best Bars Discovery list. The Mezcal Mirror Margarita is a drink of stunning electricity, precision and depth, and though Tequila-based, the award-winning Paloma will expand your notion of the drink’s possibilities. The bar is also a place to sip on some mezcal. There’s a rotating selection of 25 agave spirits lined up royally behind the bar, with a diversity of mezcals representing different plants and regions.
View this post on Instagram
Zapote
Shoreditch
Some of the best modern Mexican food in London, with a drinks programme and setting to match. The cocktails are excellent,and the staff are on hand to advise you on any agave spirits you wish to explore, including as pairings with the food. Start with a mezcal and Tequila Margarita or mezcal Paloma to have with their fish and seafood courses, and then move onto some mezcal for the meat, with the Lost Explorer 8 Years Old Espadin an ideal match for the suckling pig with red cabbage and ancho chilli. Madre Mezcal’s Ensemble with the chocolate, Tequila and cherry ganache makes for an immense finale.
Viajante87
Notting Hill
Award-winning head bartender Danilo Frigulti showcases his passion for mezcal at this bar. The mezcal selection is, naturally, excellent – with a focus on demonstrating the diversity of the drink, from Dal Maguey’s grassier Espadin, to fruity, spicy and smoky Tepeztate from La Medida, and more floral and complex Tobala from El Ray Zapoteco. The level of craft going into any one cocktail is meticulous – including the infusion of mezcal with rabbit for the ‘Pecuca Que?’ – and the Mole Manhattan is a must-order; it’s fresh but deep, with a long, smoky and spicy finish that is certainly reminiscent of its namesake. Order some pleasingly lime-heavy guacamole alongside.
View this post on Instagram
No. 23
Fitzrovia
Carousel’s new cocktail bar and mezcaleria features a corn-husk art piece and an energetic Latin American playlist blasting out salsa, latin soul, and cumbia. Employing a smart way to introduce people to agave spirits, classic cocktails are given an agave-twist using seasonal cold-pressed juices and infusions. Lost Explorer Espadin provides the base of most cocktails and is most intriguing utilised in the Old Fashioned and Espresso Martini, but the winner is the Negroni, with Cynar and mezcal a match made in heaven. There’s an extensive agave list, with highlights including the Neta 010/132 and Bruxo Tobala no 5. As for the food, how about some dried chapulines (grasshoppers)? If you’re not feeling that brave, the ceviche tostada and totopos (corn crisps) with pumpkin seed mole are good bar snacks.
View this post on Instagram
Nine Lives
Bermondsey
A dimly lit basement bar with live DJs, Mexican food and plenty of ways to drink mezcal. They do a fresh, slightly smoky, mezcal Paloma which, naturally, should be ordered with the Paloma ceviche. For a more boozy option, try the Sweet Re–Leaf, which makes a happy match with the Baja fish tacos. The best thing about the mezcal offering are the flights, representing brands like Del Maguey, Ojo De Dios and house favourite Los Siete Misterios. This is an excellent way to experience a taste of more premium mezcal without breaking the bank. Go with the latter, which will cost you £24 for three mezcals in the range – a bargain when you consider it includes the magnificently textured, layered Coyote – a bottle that costs around £150 in the shops.
