Mezcal is Oaxaca's smoke-roasted agave spirit from 30-plus agave varieties, produced at small palenques across the Valles Centrales and Sierra ranges.

Mezcal is the smoke-roasted agave spirit of Oaxaca, with pre-Hispanic origins refined under Spanish colonial-era distillation. Santiago Matatlan east of Oaxaca is the World Capital of Mezcal, with more than 200 registered palenques. The 2026 Feria Internacional del Mezcal runs July 17-28 and the Mezcaloteca on Reforma is the appointment-only library tasting room with 100-plus family-producer mezcals, opened in 2010.

Where to eat Mezcal in Oaxaca

7 editor picks for Mezcal in Oaxaca, ranked by editorial score. All Oaxaca signature dishes · Mezcal across every city.

Make it at home

Serves 15 minEasy

Ingredients

  • 50ml mezcal joven (Espadin recommended for cocktails)
  • 25ml fresh lime juice
  • 20ml agave syrup
  • Sal de gusano (worm salt) for the rim
  • Orange wheel

Method

  1. Rim half a coupe glass with sal de gusano.
  2. Shake the mezcal, lime juice and agave syrup with ice 12 seconds.
  3. Strain into the coupe.
  4. Garnish with an orange wheel.

Editor tip. For a true mezcal-only tasting, pour 15ml neat at room temperature and sip slowly; ice and citrus mask the smoke.