New Jersey Restaurant Set to Receive Guinness World Record for Largest Collection of Tequila and Mezcal

An hour's train ride south of New York City in the town of Metuchen, New Jersey, the recently opened Meximodo restaurant claims to offer customers the world's largest selection of tequila and mezcal. With over 1,000 bottles of agave spirits available on demand, the restaurant will be formally presented a Guinness World Record on July 24 — National Tequila Day — to commemorate its achievement. At first glance, Meximodo's geography may not seem like the perfect fit for an expansive agave library. As of 2022, New Jersey was the 15th-largest consumer of tequila in the U.S., sitting millions of cases behind heavy hitters like California, Texas and Florida. Metuchen, known for its tight-knit community of artists and commuters, boasts a residential population of just under 15,000. Despite its cozy surroundings, Meximodo is setting its sights on a liquor collection of gargantuan proportions. The restaurant is the brainchild of Le Malt Hospitality Group, a proprietor of luxury hideaways across the tri-state area including Le Malt Lounge, Le Malt Royale and Le Malt Imperiale. Meximodo is its first establishment to trade tan leather couches and American bistro cuisine for refried bean dip and Day of the Dead murals.

“As we built our tequila and mezcal list for Meximodo and saw the number of bottles increasing exponentially, we realized that we had the potential for a world record," Le Malt owner Saurabh Abrol told New Jersey Monthly . "We are thrilled to have Guinness World Records confirm this achievement!”

So what of the spirits themselves? Browsing the restaurant's liquor list , you'll find industry regulars like Casamigos, Don Julio and Fortaleza alongside a suite of lesser-known brands and up-and-comers. The mezcal list boasts just about every agave varietal under the Mexican sun, while a "miscellaneous" section features niche offerings of sotol, bacanora and raicilla alongside a healthy assortment of liqueurs and rums. Each spirit is earmarked with a four-digit number as if you were requesting an ancient volume from your local librarian.

“There’s a good 20 or 25 [liquors] that are on the spicier end or have a really jalapeño, habanero type of kick. There’s tequilas that you know — and then some small batch distillates that you don’t. And those are just as interesting, too, so we invite everybody to come in and discover," TJ Pingitore, senior vice president for Le Malt told The Spirits Business in Janurary .

Celebrating its upcoming Guinness World Record ceremony, Meximodo will host an aptly named 1,000 Agaves Party on July 24 to commemorate the "historic event." [newsletter-promo]