Suburban bars look to mezcal to quench drinkers' thirst for something new

Tequila may be the first drink that comes to mind for Cinco de Mayo celebrations, but this year you should consider giving another Mexican spirit a try. Mezcal, which is also made from agave plants, has been making its way onto the menus of suburban bars and restaurants as they try to satisfy drinkers' thirst for something different.

Truco Tacqueria & Margarita Bar in Mount Prospect unveiled a new menu on April 24 that includes four cocktails made with Scorpion mezcal. La Grandota resembles a margarita, blending the spirit with cucumber, cilantro, lime juice and orange liqueur, while the Oaxacan Sour features mezcal mixed with ancho chile liqueur, tamarind, lime juice, orange bitters, grapefruit beer and egg white. The bar also offers about a dozen versions of the spirit that can be tasted without the mixers.

“Most of the Mexican cantinas and bars do their cocktails with tequila,” said Truco brand manager Rudy Masri. “We wanted to have a niche, something different. Some of the customers ask for a good quality mezcal neat or on the rocks.”

Bien Trucha Group, which owns A Toda Madre in Glen Ellyn, Quiubo in Naperville and Bien Trucha in Geneva, stocks about 30 varieties of mezcal at each of its restaurants, with the varieties often rotating depending on supply.

“We like finding small-batch tequilas and mezcals to challenge guests,” said Bien Trucha Group beverage director Patrick Timmis. “While mezcal is becoming more prevalent in the scene today, it is still very foreign to a lot of guests. We really like focusing on mezcal cocktails to try to get people to try something new instead of coming in and ordering their fallback tequila.”

Options include the Mezcaloma, a blend of grapefruit juice, lime, mezcal, blood orange liqueur, soda and salt meant to resemble a paloma, which Timmis said is the most popular drink in Mexico, beating out the margarita. The Ahuacatl, an avocado margarita that's a longtime favorite from Bien Trucha, is made with tequila with a spray of mezcal on top.

“The aromas and flavors work really well with the creaminess of the avocado in the cocktail,” Timmis said. “Mezcal is a really unique spirit. There's so much variety. We really like showcasing those qualities that each bottle can provide and creating accessible cocktails to get guests to take that leap and give it a shot.”

Mexican restaurants aren't the only spots adding mezcal to their menus. Naperville's Craftsman by Two Brothers' spring menu features the Up in Smoke, which blends a floral and sweet version of the spirit with agave syrup, Aperol, apple cardamom shrub, Luxardo cherries and habanero bitters. The bar has also used mezcal in twists on a negroni and old-fashioned. Head mixologist Don Jewell said that mezcal has been on the rise for the past few years, driven by people like him who fell in love with the spirit, which typically combines the sweetness of agave with smoky flavor.

“I was blown away,” he said. “I was always about craft beer and whiskey. I enjoy scotches and then I heard of mezcal.”

Brian Krockey, director of food and beverage for Zorba at the Hotel Arista in Naperville said that he's seen demand for mezcal from educated drinkers who order it straight and sip it the way they would a single malt scotch or fine bourbon or whiskey.

“A lot of them like to understand the full flavor of the mezcals that we offer and the different taste patterns,” he said. “Some of the mezcals have hints of honey, vanilla, ginger, cinnamon, banana and tangerine.”

Because mezcals' flavors are so diverse, shaped by the variety of agave used, and different distillation and aging methods, Timmis said he conducts regular training seminars for his staff and provides tasting notes to guests so they'll know what to expect.

“I believe the term smoky is grossly overused,” he said. “That's not always the case. There are certain mezcals that have more earthy qualities, high minerality or maybe aren't smoky at all but are really smooth and clean. It's an interesting spirit because it's got those bright, citrus flavors you find in a lot of Mexican cocktails, but it can also serve in a lot of classic cocktails. Mezcal old-fashioneds and negronis are popping up everywhere because it really is a versatile spirit.”