Say hello to your new best friend. This unaged or “joven” mezcal has long been a favorite speed-rack (that well at the bar with the good stuff ordered over and over) pour among bartenders for its price and quality. Del Amigo is produced by master mezcalero Enrique Jimenez – the same distiller behind the famed Fidencio Mezcal – in the village of Santiago Matatlan in Oaxaca. Made from 100 percent estate grown espadín agave that is roasted for five days over black oak in a stone-lined earthen pit, it’s then fermented with wild yeasts in open-air vats before being double distilled in a wood-fired copper pot. With its classic smoky richness and notes of bright citrus fruits, toasted almond and coconut, it packs everything you want from an unaged mezcal inside a hefty one liter bottle. Sip it neat with traditional orange slices and worm salt or use it in any mezcal-forward cocktail. Possibly your new BFF. TIP OF THE TONGUE Tired of your run-of-the-mill Negroni? Try swapping gin for mezcal: In a cocktail shaker or mixing glass filled with ice, combine 1. 5 oz of mezcal, 1 oz of Leopold Bros. Aperitivo, 1 oz Vya Sweet Vermouth. Stir with a bar spoon until blended and well chilled. Strain and pour into a cocktail glass with ice. Garnish with an orange peel.
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