17 Bar-Worthy Mezcal Cocktails to Make at Home
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Mezcal is special stuff, and you don’t need to make elaborate mezcal cocktails to appreciate the agave spirit’s layered, complex flavor. But if you do feel like making a mixed drink at home, you’re missing out if you don’t have a bottle of mezcal on hand. Once you’ve got one, the sky’s the limit. While it’s delicious on its own, we also love to pair mezcal with fresh citrus (or pineapple!) or savory vegetables. It’s lovely in a spicy drink and in a stirred, brooding one. The mezcal cocktail recipes below offer a range of our favorite options to sip with whomever you’ve invited over for drinks.
Read more from our friends at Bon Appétit: How Is Mezcal Made?
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Stevie Stewart1/17Breakfast Daisy
Many mezcal drinks start with classic cocktails and just swap in the smoky spirit—that’s how we got the mezcal negroni and the mezcal margarita. This riff from Al Sotack goes further, beginning with a margarita formula and then getting even more aromatic, inspired by the flavors of the morning meal. Instead of Cointreau, you’ll use grapefruit liqueur, plus a simple syrup made with Earl Grey tea instead of hot water. Garnish each round of these mezcal cocktails with grapefruit slices dipped in salt.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Judy Haubert2/17Redheaded Saint
Ginger beer, raspberry, fresh lime, and tequila come together in this summer refresher. There’s just a touch of mezcal in this drink, but it makes all the difference.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Michelle Gatton3/17Oaxaca Old Fashioned
If we had to select just one essential agave-spirit-based cocktail to try, it would be this riff on the old-fashioned, made with reposado tequila, mezcal, and agave nectar.
Photo by Emma Janzen4/17Mezcal Mule
If you love ginger beer drinks—and who doesn’t?—then you’ll adore this fresh spin on the Moscow mule. Using mezcal instead of vodka means a much more flavorful beverage.
Photo by Lizzie Munro5/17Naked and Famous
Make this equal-parts cocktail once, and you’ll have the recipe memorized. Which is a good thing, since you’re going to want to drink it all the time.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Judy Haubert, Prop Styling by Anne Eastman6/17Hot Lips
This jalapeño-spiced drink, made with pineapple and a little vanilla, is a lesser-known gem that bartenders love. Even though it’s made with fresh lemon juice, you won’t use your cocktail shaker here; instead, you stir the drink for an unusually velvety texture.
7/17Everything Good Cocktail
Having a preprepped batch of cocktails on hand means you can bring out the bottle or jar and have a fancy drink with no last-minute effort. Mezcal and chocolate are incredible together; this recipe adds in orange liqueur. Serve a chocolate bar to nibble on the side.
Photo by Ren Fuller8/17La Pina
Smoky mezcal, fresh pineapple juice, serrano chile, and cilantro make for a wonderfully well-rounded, refreshing drink from Amá: A Modern Tex-Mex Kitchen. If you don’t have a juicer, you can simply muddle and strain some pineapple chunks. The pineapple leaf garnish is much more striking than a standard lime wedge—and it’s a bit reminiscent of the agave plant.
9/17Sforzando
While many of the drinks on this list are bright and citrusy, mezcal has range. Bartender Eryn Reece created this smoky variation on the Manhattan. Instead of sweet vermouth, Reece uses a combination of dry vermouth and Bénédictine liqueur; in place of Angostura bitters, she uses chocolaty mole bitters. Don’t skip the orange peel garnish.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Judy Haubert, Prop Styling by Anne Eastman10/17Hot & Heavy
You love hot honey on your pizza, your chicken, and your cheesy tomato toasts. Now go try it in your drink.
Photo by Eva Kolenko11/17Killer Bee
This spin on the Bee’s Knees comes from Nopalito in San Francisco (and its cookbook by the same name). The mezcal adds a savory note that really works with the earthy honey.
12/17Marrakesh Express
In this mezcal cocktail from The One-Bottle Cocktail, fresh pomegranate juice shines, with a backdrop of savory harissa heat.
Photo by Kelly Puleio13/17Infinity Pool
If you have a juicer at home, put this savory and refreshing celery and mezcal drink into tonight’s happy hour plans. A bit of Lillet fills it out nicely, and smoked salt makes it even better.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Judy Haubert, Prop Styling by Anne Eastman14/17Bow & Arrow
Part mezcal, part bourbon, this cinnamony sour with pineapple and fresh lime juice is all delight.
15/17New Spain
Instead of making a Penicillin that uses peated scotch for smokiness, this recipe leans on mezcal and nutty amontillado sherry for a related—but not quite identical—flavor profile.
Photo by Emma Janzen16/17Division Bell
Tart, bitter orange kisses roasted agave in this cocktail from New York bartender Phil Ward, which appears in Emma Janzen’s book, Mezcal: The History, Craft & Cocktails of the World's Ultimate Artisanal Spirit.
photo by Paul Elledge17/17Mezcal Margarita #2
We couldn’t give you a list of the best mezcal cocktails to try without including a riff on the classic margarita. This version is nice and earthy, with added depth thanks to some hearty dashes of orange bitters. You can serve with a salt rim if you like—and a festive spread of Mexican antojitos like sopes and memelas.
Looking for more drink ideas? Jump to our list of tequila cocktails, including our favorite Paloma recipe.
