Going Gaga for Agave

Tequila Sunrise: The Rosa Rita

• 2 oz. Uni organic anejo tequila
• 1 oz. hibiscus tea
• ½ oz. organic agave syrup
• ½ oz. fresh-pressed lime juice
• 3 drops rose water (optional)
• Gray and black salt blend for rim
• Grapefruit slice for garnish

Combine ingredients in a shaker with ice and shake well. Strain into a salt-rimmed glass filled with fresh ice and add garnish.

The small-batch, handcrafted, organic Uni Tequila brand is owned by Jupiter local
Metta Risdal.

Mezcal Mania: The Cool Hand Luke

• 2 oz. Cuentacuentos mezcal
• 1 oz. pressed cucumber juice
• ¼ oz. freshly squeezed lime juice
• 3 dashes celery bitters
• Tonic water
• Tajin for rim
• Cucumber spear or celery leaf for garnish

Fill a tajin-rimmed Collins glass with ice and combine the first four ingredients, then top with tonic. Garnish with a cucumber spear or celery leaf.

Small-batch mezcal distiller Cuentacuentos curates artisanal mezcals, often from wild agaves across the state of Oaxaca.

Tequila vs. Mezcal

The main difference between the two spirits is that mezcal can be made using up to 50 different varieties of agave including espadín, tobalá, and tepeztate, while tequila is made with only one—the blue Weber agave. It’s the piña of the agave plant, the round stem that looks like a pineapple, that’s used to make the spirit. Once harvested, the piña is cooked to soften its fibers, and the sugar derived from its starches is used in the distillation process. And here lies another difference: tequila traditionally cooks the agave by steaming it in above-ground ovens, while most mezcal roasts its agave in wood-fired, underground rock pits, which often lends the distinctive smoky notes associated with the spirit. Another vital distinction: most tequilas use commercial yeast; mezcal ferments naturally during the fermentation stage. Finally, the two spirits are produced in different regions of Mexico. Tequila’s production is limited to Jalisco and parts of five other states, whereas mezcal, although largely made in Oaxaca, can be produced in a total of nine Mexican states.

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