Eight Places to Drink Mezcal on October 21. Here's What to Order at Each One.
National Mezcal Day lands on a Wednesday this year. Eight South Florida bars and restaurants worth knowing — from a Brickell Key waterfront flight to a Coconut Grove rooftop to a Wynwood cocktail that goes by Main Character Energy.
Part of our ongoing curation of what it means to live, love, and play in the Magic City.
National Mezcal Day is October 21. South Florida has more than enough reasons to mark it properly. Eight spots — Brickell Key to Coconut Grove to Wynwood — each with a specific cocktail worth ordering.
The Mexican at Brickell Key is doing a Mezcalita Flight: three signature cocktails in one sitting. The Dragon Rosada leads with dragon fruit. The Jardín de Humo brings honeydew and basil. The Flor del Desierto closes with desert pear and a marigold finish. The waterfront setting does the rest.
Upside in Wynwood is pouring the Main Character Energy — 21Seeds Orange and Union Mezcal, blueberry water, crème de banane, lime, and agave. The name is earned. The 8,500-square-foot space spans two floors with three bars and an expansive outdoor section, which makes it a reasonable place to spend a Wednesday night.
Bakan, also in Wynwood, takes the long view on mezcal. The menu explores regional Mexican flavors through traditional techniques, and the agave and tequila selection is one of the more serious in the neighborhood. If you want to go deeper, the Agave Social is an ongoing hands-on margarita class where guests make the Bakan Clásica alongside passed bites. Each edition is tied to a seasonal moment.
Koko by Bakan in Coconut Grove is the sister restaurant — same commitment to regional Mexican cuisine, house-made tortillas from nixtamalized corn, wood-fired preparations, and an extensive mezcal and tequila list. Different neighborhood, same standard.
Level 6 Rooftop in Coconut Grove is pouring the Beso de Fuego: Patrón Reposado, passionfruit, fresh lime, jalapeño, and agave. Sweet heat and citrus, six floors up, with the views to match. It's technically a tequila cocktail — but the agave spirit is the point either way.
American Social on the Miami River has the Smoke Signals — Mijenta Blanco, Mezcal Amarás Verde, Paradisse Fassionola Liqueur, spicy agave, citrus, and cucumber, finished with a citrus salt rim. Smoky, spicy, and bright in the same glass.
Bayshore Club in Coconut Grove is raising a glass with Smoke on the Harbour: Espolòn Reposado, Rosaluna Mezcal, Grand Marnier, agave, lemon, and lime. The depth of reposado and mezcal together with bright citrus and a touch of sweetness — best appreciated against the waterfront backdrop.
Beauty & the Butcher in Coral Gables closes the list with Deep Roots: Rosaluna Mezcal, beet, chamomile-infused Cointreau, fresh lime, and egg whites. Earthy, floral, silky — a cocktail that takes mezcal somewhere most mezcal cocktails don't go. Worth the trip to South Red Road.
The PGM Edit
National Mezcal Day is Wednesday, October 21. Eight spots, eight cocktails — pick one or work through the list.
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