Tacos and margaritas on the fifth of May are no more Mexican than green beer in the middle of March is Irish. But if you're looking to put a shot of authenticity into your celebrations this Saturday, you should really consider making it mezcal day. More

Mezcal is our friend tequila's older, mysterious, and poorly understood brother. People have a lot of misconceptions about mezcal (no, it doesn't contain mescaline) but it's worth taking a minute to see what this stuff is really all about. Let's learn a bit about how mezcal is made from roasted agave and what's up with that worm you sometimes see in the bottle. More

Our trek through the world of spirits takes us today to Western Mexico, more specifically to the state of Jalisco and the mid-sized town of Tequila. Perhaps for some of you, the very sound of the word tequila makes your stomach churn and your cheeks flush with shame, but there's far more to this beverage than shot after shot at a college bar. More

Whenever you start to yearn for the sweet scent of the grill, salvation is only as far away as the closest bottle of mezcal. Sombra ranks particularly high on the list of potable proxies for, or delicious additions to, a sunny charcoal tending session. More

Once relegated to the lower end of the liquor world, mezcal is now enjoying a resurgence in popularity as artisan varieties of this Mexican spirit became increasingly available in the U.S. This week's New York Times features a tasting panel exploration of some of the better mezcals now available; here's a closer look at this once-declasse spirit. More

Tequila sales skyrocketed earlier this decade as liquor companies began producing and distributing greater quantities of premium tequila, but mezcal is typically a small-batch spirit with a great diversity of flavor based largely on the village where it was produced. More