Confetti wasn’t the only thing in the air during the Fiesta festivities last week. Mezcal is having a moment as well, with tastings from Zomoz Mezcal at Loquita’s Old Spanish Days party and from Amarás Mezcal at Dusk Bar in the Drift Hotel.
Dusk also had a menu of Amarás Mezcal–driven cocktails as specials for the celebration, many of which are on the “Classics con Agave” section of their regular menu. I tried most of them (with a little help from my friends), and here’s the rundown on how this quickly growing in popularity spirit plays well with others.
The traditional Fiesta Margarita, classically made with tequila, adapted well to the mezcal, adding just a touch of smoky earthiness to the lime and agave refreshing taste.
Another classic tequila cocktail, and one of my go-tos, the Mezcal Paloma was bright and zesty, and the grapefruit juice, lime, and soda brought out some of the fruity notes from the mezcal.
A twist on the classic three ingredient cocktail (gin, Campari, and sweet vermouth), the Summer Negroni at Dusk switched out the gin for mezcal and used Cocchi Americano (a fortified wine) instead of vermouth. Honestly, the Campari is such a dominant flavor in this one that it drowned out the mezcal for the most part. If you like a negroni, you’ll like this one.
The Dusk Old-Fashioned, made with Amarás Mezcal, tamarind demerara, and bitters, was a much tarter Old-Fashioned than the traditional version with whiskey, bitters, sugar, and an orange twist. It took a few sips to get used to, but the smokey, slightly tropical flavors of the mezcal blended well, especially as ice melted a bit. Ultimately, this was one of my favorites.
The Paloma, however, was probably my favorite of the day. I’m looking forward to returning to Dusk soon and trying their Naked and Famous libation, which combines mezcal with Aperol, Chartreuse, and lime for what’s sure to be a colorful and fruity cocktail. Agave flights are also on their regular menu, with three tequila selections (A Good Run, El Jefe, and Dealer’s Choice) and three mezcal selections (Big Smokey, Smooth Moves, and The Weird Ones), which is more than enough for me not to wait until next Fiesta to return!
Dusk Bar at Drift Santa Barbara is located at 524 State Street. See drifthotels.co/santabarbara/eat-drink for more information.
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