A Muddled Thought

Originating in the Mexican village of San Luis Del Rio, Sombra Mezcal is one of those spirits that leaves an impression on you from the time you have your first sip. Since that first time I tried Sombra Mezcal it has become one of my favorite agave based spirits to work with in cocktails.

Recently I started thinking about why this is. With so many mezcal options out on the market now, what makes Sombra so special? When all is said and done, it simply comes down to the guys behind Sombra doing everything right.

Started by a master sommelier, Richard Betts, a wine maker, Charles Bieler, and an art collector, Dennis Scholl each step in the process to create Sombra from hand picking and slowly baking the agave, to fermentation and the final step in production process, the distillation is completed with perfect finesse.

This results in an end product that leads in with aromas of sweet baked agave. Past these magnificent aromas is a mezcal that impresses with that first sip, when it greats your palate with a smoky introduction. These smoky characters continue to shine, without ever overshadowing luxurious notes of vanilla, fresh basil, and hints of black pepper.

With each sip of Sombra you can’t help but feel it’s a spirit that’s as close to untouched as you can get from an agave field.

Sombra’s an exquisite example of a mescal that plays amazingly with other spirits in cocktails.

That Smokin French Vixen
¾ Cointreau Noir
1 ¾ Partida Reposado
¾ Sombra Mezcal
1 oz Espresso Syrup
1 Dash Mole Bitters

That Smokin French Vixen. A Combination of Cointreau Noir, Partida Reposado, Sombra Mezcal and Espresso Syrup.

The Two Minute Standoff

Muddled Lime rind
2 Barspoons Sugar
3/4 Sombra Mezcal
1 3/4 oz Mejor Blanco
Top with Mexican Grapefruit Soda

The Two Minute Standoff. A combination of Sombra Mezcal, Mejor Tequila, Muddled Lime Rind, and sugar. Top with Jarritos Grapefruit Soda

Curious Little Amelie
2 oz Grapefruit Infused Sombra Mezcal
¾ Chambord
Barspoon Lillet Blanc
2 Barspoons Agave Nectar
1 Dash Grapefruit Bitters
Shake
Serve up
Serve with Grapefruit Zest

Curious Little Amelie. A combination of Grapefruit Infused Sombra Mezcal, Chambord, Lillet Blanc, and Agave Nectar.

What’s the first thing that comes to your mind when you think Mezcal?
Is it just smoke and a harsh almost unbearable flavor? Well not all mezcals are created equally. Del Maguey is working to change your perception of mezcal to something that can be sipped that hides a rich variety of flavors as opposed to something that should be shot at the end of the night.
So much in fact that the slogan of Del Maguey is “Sip it. Don’t Shoot it”.

Del Maguey uses a process involving roasting the hearts of the agave(otherwise known as maguey) over hot stones in a pit that’s located in the ground and covered with soil. Once this process is completed, the agave is then made into mash and is fermented in wooden vats and subjected to a series of two distillations in copper or wood-fired clay stills.
Each variety of Del Maguey mezcal bears the name of the Mexican village it originates from. As each bottling originates from a different village using a process that can be traced back to the 16th century, bottlings of Del Maguey are only available in small quantities This makes each sip more enjoyable when you think to yourself how lucky you to be enjoying a product of such high quality.

So now we move on to the fun part. Tasting the Del Maguey mezcal.
We decided to take a look at two of Del Maguey’s products.

First up is the Del Maguey Crème De Mezcal.

Del Maguey Crème De Mezcal

This bottling is incredibly unique as it combines unfermented agave syrup(Miel de Maguey) and a mezcal originating from San Luis Del Rio.
When tasting it neat you’re introduced to notes of sweet yet smokey caramel , citrus, espresso and minor hints of cocoa.

With such a copious amount of flavors as well as the perfect balance between sweet and smoky, Del Maguey Crème De Mezcal just calls out to be used in cocktails.

So we decided to try it out and came up with the “Sunny in Seattle”.

Sunny in Seattle

1/2 oz Del Maguey Crème De Mezcal
½ oz Espresso Syrup
1 ½ oz Cruzan Black Strap Rum
Fresh Lime Juice from half of a lime
1 Dash Peychaud Bitters
2-3 Regans Orange Bitters
Garnish with Burnt Orange Zest

A combination of Del Maguey Crème De Mezcal, Black Strap Rum, and Espresso Syrup.

Next we took a look at Del Maguey’s Chichicapa Mezcal.

Del Maguey Chicicapa

Introduced by Del Maguey in 1995, it originates from the village of Chichicapa. The village of Chichicapa is located in a valley surrounded by mountains with a desert climate that is filled throughout with banana trees, guava and other tropical fruit which adds to the profile of the soil used in creating the Chichicapa Mezcal.

Hints of smoke throughout each sip, yet it doesn’t overwhelm the rest of the spirit and allows you the chance to taste other flavors. Sweet, with hints of sweet agave, that ends with a note of refreshing mint.

This is a stronger spirit than the Crème De Mezcal, and if not sipped straight it would work well when paired with spicier components such as peppers, and could also be balanced with ingredients such as Aperol or Grand Marnier.