Sharing a drink is inherently an act of neighborhood. Whether or not with associates or strangers, lifting a glass creates connection in moments of each pleasure and sorrow. It was this notion of togetherness—of making a shared expertise—that partly impressed the newly launched Manojo Mezcal. Even the identify itself, a portmanteau of mano (hand) and ojo (eye), actually interprets to “a bunch.” The founders selected it to characterize abundance.
A collaboration between celebrated Mexican chef Enrique Olvera and 4 of his longtime associates (Alex Ferzan, Gonzalo Gout, Thomas McDonald, and Nes Rueda), Manojo Mezcal goals to be an approachable expression appreciated by each connoisseurs and novices. Oaxaca’s San Luis del RĂo by husband-and-wife mezcaleros Joel Velasco and Felicitas Hernández made the mezcal from espadĂn agave. They used artisanal strategies like horse-drawn tahona for crushing, open-air fermentation in wood vats, and copper nonetheless distillation.
I sampled Manojo Mezcal at a communal dinner desk. We shared cocktails and neat pours of the spirit amongst platters of duck carnitas and energetic dialog. The mezcal is certainly supremely drinkable—fulfilling in cocktails to make sure however finest by itself. Sweetly earthy in aroma with a touch of smoke, the style is recent and vegetal with flavors of inexperienced pepper, savory herbs, and mint, rounded by a mild sweetness. It’s a spirit suited to sipping over a number of hours with good firm. $49.99, manojomezcal.com
