When Johnny Curiel was pulling collectively the spirits program for Mezcaleria Alma, “it was necessary to us that 100% of it was Mexican, from our wine to our sake to our vodka to our gins, tequila, palmilla and pox,” he says. The result’s a set of bottles that you simply’d be hard-pressed to search out at most U.S. bars.
Regardless of the title, Mezcaleria Alma’s backbar goes far past the namesake spirit. “To me, mezcal and tequila are straightforward [to get people to try], however we wish to present the excellence of Mexico and the wonder that our tradition has—not solely from Jalisco or Oaxaca,” he says. “If you happen to go to Chihuahua, Sonora, Chiapas, anyplace, there’s one thing that they produce that shall be wonderful or acquainted to any individual.”
The gathering, Curiel notes, is in fixed evolution. He and the bar’s management group have taken journeys to Mexico and are available again having tried new spirits or visited thrilling producers, which he then works with importers to carry stateside. “I used to be simply in Mayakoba, and I attempted Comiteco, one other agave spirit, for the primary time ever,” he says. “We’re already in dialog with [an importer] to carry it [here].”
With so many attention-grabbing spirits—a lot of that are new to me—I wished to listen to about what Curiel considers the standouts on the mezcaleria, one among our Finest New Bars of 2025. Listed below are 5 that he feels symbolize this system.
