From sultry mezcalerias pouring rare bottles to sleek tasting rooms, dive into this flavour-packed corner of Mexican drinking culture.
If Mexico is the homeland of mezcal, then Mexico City is your launchpad into the world of agave-based brilliance. Whether you’re a newcomer or a seasoned spirit aficionado, discover the spots to sip, swirl and savour an education in all things mezcal.
Just steps from Plaza Rio de Janeiro, Brujas is a great starting point for navigating the capital’s mezcal scene, offering a bold, female-forward approach to agave spirits and herbal mixology. Ranked No.44 in North America’s 50 Best Bars 2024, Brujas serves cocktails that feel almost alchemical. Try the Shepherdess, made with bacanora, cotija cheese, and dark rum, or La Matlazihua, which uses espadin and grasshopper brine. The mezcal list leans classic, so if you're going neat, ask for a cenizo or tepeztate. Either way, make Brujas your first stop into the city's spirit centre.
Tlecān
@tlecan
Tlecān pays homage to Mexican spirits and local flavours with a thoughtful agave distillates programme led by Eli Martínez Bello – winner of the Altos Bartenders' Bartender Award 2025. The Roma Norte hideaway combines a deep respect for regional spirits with knockout drinks such as the Margarita Kauil (mezcal, manzano chile, apricot) and the Martini Papantla (vanilla vermouth, bitters, mezcal magic). Sundays and Mondays are quiet and popular with those in the know: no surprise it cracked the No.3 spot on North America’s 50 Best Bars 2025.
This underground, candle-glow tasting room – reservation-only and maxing out at six guests – is the kind of place you enter as a curious drinker and leave as an evangelist. The team has travelled across Mexico for years, hand-sourcing rarities such as sotol, lechuguilla, bacanora and other off-the-grid spirits from tiny, ethical producers. Tastings are deep, unhurried, and almost sacred – a true immersion into Mexico’s distilling heartlands.
Located in chic Polanco, Ticuchi is the agave and mixology offshoot from Enrique Olvera, whose work at Pujol earned it the No.5 spot on The World's 50 Best Restaurants 2022 list and a spot in the inaugural extended 51-100 list of North America’s 50 Best Bars at No.82. The space hums with quiet sophistication: atmospheric lighting, standout service and showstopping drinks such as the Sirena de Tierra (mezcal, marigold liqueur). The spirit selection champions lesser-known producers from Oaxaca to Sonora, with the custom-distilled Pechuga Ticuchi a true standout.
Bosforo
@bosforomezcaleria
A shrine for mezcal obsessives, Bosforo has long been the beating heart of Mexico City’s agave underground. Tucked away in the Centro Histórico, this low-lit dive bar is a dimly-lit, deliciously mysterious hangout, with a chalkboard list of rare, small-batch spirits sourced from Oaxaca’s most sought-after microregions, including Santa Catarina Minas, Ejutla, Miahuatlán and Chontal. Seek out a punchy lineño or a high-proof espadin if you're feeling brave: this is essential mezcal pilgrimage territory.
Mis Mezcales
@mismezcalesgaleria
This tasting salon is the refined cousin to its original bottle shop in Oaxaca. Set in an Art Deco gem, Mis Mezcales Galeria offers guided, flight-style tastings that are as informative as they are delicious. Expect four mezcals, plenty of cultural context and a gentle education in terroir and tradition. The perfect intro for mezcal rookies or a tune-up for the already converted.
Café de Nadie – No.47 on North America’s 50 Best Bars 2025 – blends mezcal, music and mixology into an intoxicating, neon-tinged night out. Here, you’ll find inventive drinks (espadin with avocado oil and kale), a sharp brand-centric spirits list (aim for Real Minero or La Locura), and DJ sets that reach into the early hours. Industry folk and creative types flock here for good reason.
Late 2024 saw the arrival of Oaxacan brand Real Minero’s first Mexico City tasting room, set into a moody corner of Roma Norte. The reservation-only space offers a guided flight of four mezcals, and a cheeky surprise to close. The Ángeles family, mezcaleros from Santa Catarina Minas, have kept its traditions close since the 19th century, bringing their legacy to CDMX. Can’t make it to Oaxaca? This is the next best thing.
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