Should You Do a Flight or Pick One Bottle?
By James Colino, Founder of Mezcal Culture
Recently, I changed the way I drink mezcal.
The change stems from frequenting bars that have extensive agave collections.
You know the ones.
Beautifully backlit bars showcasing full lines of the most available brands.
A thick, leather-bound book presents page after page of tequilas, mezcals, and other agave spirits.
To the untrained eye, these books are overwhelming and rarely offer any assistance to someone looking to experience mezcal for the first time. Or the 50th.
So what should you do? Order a flight? Or stick to one bottle?
Confused by so many options, most people just pick something. Anything. Only to find out that it’s out of stock. The leather-bound book was out of date!
Frustrated, customers ask for a recommendation from the bartender. She says, order a flight. So they do.
Not a bad choice. It’s a great way to figure out what you like. But for me, a flight has a time and place.
Instead of sampling multiple spirits in a sitting, I’ve been acting more like a wine drinker lately.
When you drink wine at a restaurant, you typically ask for the wine list. You pick a color (red or white), find on your go-to grape, and choose a price point you’re comfortable with.
It’s not uncommon to try something new, but it would be rare to switch wines mid-dinner.
This approach allows you to fully appreciate one single wine. It allows your pallet to fully adjust while the flavors evolve in your mouth. And it ensures a consistent taste experience over the course of dinner.
With mezcal, you don’t get that full experience when you’re sipping multiple one ounce pours in flight. But that’s been my habit for years.
Lately though, I’ve been been more selective. I spend less time scanning the agave spirits list and more time talking to the bartender about what’s actually on the shelves. I ask what the other mezcal regulars have been drinking.
And then I choose one bottle.
Over the course of my visit I’ll have two or three, 2oz pours of the same brand and expression. Sometimes more. Okay…usually more. :)
This allows enough time for the spirit to breath. For my pallet to unlock. And for all the sleeping flavors to wake up and present themselves. You simply can’t get that when you’re sampling multiple options. Mezcal is just too strong and each sip overwrites the one before.
At this particular visit, I chose a Mezcasiarca Mexicano. I won’t share how many pours I had but I will say that by the time I was done, I knew this bottle inside and out.
I could articulate the layers of flavors and, more importantly, I knew if I wanted to have a bottle of it on my shelf at home.
I also knew that when I sipped this mezcal again, I would remember it. It would transport me back to the time and place when I first had it. That memory is something you never get from a flight.
To be clear, I’m not saying don’t do flights of mezcal.
Trying different things is a critical part in any journey of discovery. I will still do flights. Especially when I’m looking for something new. Or I’m in a place that has brands or expressions I’ve not had before.
And to be more clear…Amá in Philadelphia does have an extensive agave-spirits program. And their leather-bound agave book is up to date. But I held back from sampling more than one mezcal, even though I wanted to try them all.
Sometimes less is more.
If you’re ever in Philadelphia, drop into Amá. The agave list is strong, the food is next level, and the vibe is just right. I reviewed this Mezcasarca in a recent newsletter edition. You can find it here.
Keep going
Mezcal has more to learn than any spirit I know, and I love that. If you want a head start:
Decode every term on a mezcal menu in the Mezcal Culture glossary.
Find the bars that do it right on our list of the best mezcal bars.
Taste both side by side at a mezcal or tequila event near you.
Wondering what goes into the bottle? Read What Is Mezcal Made Of?
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James Colino is the founder, chief editor and Chief Mezcal Officer of Mezcal Culture. He holds a Level 1 Mezcal Certification from the Agave Spirits Institute and can be found visiting mezcalerias across the world, host tastings at home for friends, or and working with bars on their agave programs.