…IN THIS EDITION

...2025 Gift Guide for Mezcal Lovers
...Pechuga Is For Thanksgiving!
...Featured Event: Oaxacan Food and Wine Festival
...Cocktail of the Month
...Upcoming Mezcal Events

Finish your holiday shopping early! Find the perfect gift for the mezcal aficionado in your life in our 2025 Christmas Gift Guide. It features a curated list of everything from books to gift sets to stylish merch and highly sought-after limited-edition bottles.

Pechuga Mezcal is the ultimate holiday showstopper. The most unique and flavorful of all mezcal expressions, it's a great conversation starter AND it pairs well with turkey! —an ancestral spirit uniquely distilled with seasonal fruits, spices, and some form of protein (like a turkey breast!). This blend creates a creamy, elegant, and complex texture perfect for special occasions. Find out more about this tradition and explore some options to buy a bottle for the holidays below...

Before supermarkets or convenience stores were a thing, a tendajón was a small grocery shop selling everything you needed, from food to medicine to mezcal.

At this year's Oaxaca Food & Wine festival, Chef-owner Andrea Sanchez Lopez from Tendajón is hosting a lunch that starts with a personalized mezcal tasting from Casa Chagoya followed by a 3-course meal in this cozy, authentic spot smack in the middle of Oaxaca centro.

While classic hot chocolate is a children's treat, the addition of Mezcal and Ancho chili liqueur makes this drink adults only! It offers the universally comforting warmth of hot chocolate while appealing to sophisticated palates. Courtesy of Mezcal Ilegal

HOW TO MAKE IT...

INGREDIENTS (HOT CHOCOLATE MIX):

• 3 cups water

• 1 cup milk or alternative milk

• 1 bar chocolate (Ibarra)

INGREDIENTS:

• 1.5 oz Ilegal Joven or Reposado

• 0.5 oz Ancho chili liqueur

• 2 oz hot chocolate mix

• 0.5 oz agave nectar

• 1 dash Angostura bitters

INSTRUCTIONS:

• Add ingredients to a pot and bring to a boil. Let boil until chocolate dissolves and let cool.

• To coffee mug: add Ilegal Mezcal, agave, chili liqueur and bitters, fill with chocolate mix and garnish with cinnamon stick.

ATTRIBUTION:

Recipe: Mezcal Ilegal​
Origin: Mezcal Ilegal

…PUT YOUR PHONE AWAY AND GET YOURSELF OUT TO A MEZCAL EVENT!

Over 100 agave-themed events in November! Here’s just a few…

New York, NY
​Don Fulano Tequila Tasting: The Art of the Agave.​
​Sat | Nov 22 | 4:30p - 7:30p

Pittsburgh, PA
​Three Years of Mezcal​
​Thu | Dec 4 | 3p - 10p

Washington, DC
​Ace Beverage: In Store Tasting - Libelula Tequila​
​Sat | Dec 6 | 6a - 5p

🔎 Find 100+ agave-themed dinners, tastings, happy hours, festivals, bar crawls, and other exciting events @ mezcalculture