đŸ«— Cup Type Matters

Mezcal Lounge Tasting Room
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How you drink mezcal can matter just as much as the mezcal you’re drinking. There isn’t a “right” way, different cups just serve different purposes.

Some are traditional (used by mezcaleros and their communities based on availability),
some boost the sensory experience (used by flavor-focused people),
and some are just readily available to consumers (used in restaurants or at home).

Traditional:

  • Clay Copita - These little cups are made from clay, and can be glazed giving a shiny smooth surfac, or unglazed with a soft porous surface. Glazed copitas work as well as glass to contain the mezcal, while the unglazed versions “drink with you”, slowly soaking up the liquid and becoming heavier during use. Copitas can be made from almost any material, including stone or glass.

  • Vaso Veladora - These are small glass cups lined with vertical ridges. They often have a cross on the bottom, indicating their traditional use as candle votives during religious ceremony.

  • Jicara - These are hollowed out gourds whose hard shell is cut in half for a cup-sized dome. They are also known to “drink with you”, slightly soaking up the mezcal and retaining its aromas once dry.

Sensory-Enhancing:

These cups are designed with maximizing the quality or purity of the tasting experience. They are shaped with an opening smaller than the bowl where the liquid rests, to channel the aromas and intensify the experience. They’re also made of glass, which is inert (doesn’t chemically interact with the spirit) and allows you to visually examine the spirit.

  • Glencairn - The global spirits industry standard for spirit tasting, popularized by whiskey.

  • Jarrito - A relative newcomer made by Chisholm Trailcraft, one of the first tasting-focused glasses made specifically for mezcal.

  • Tequila Tasting Glass - The tequila industry standard for tequila tasting, which can also be used for mezcal.

Restaurant Standard:

Most people will try new spirits for the first time in one of these ways. Doing so isn’t a mistake, it’s cultural. These are the easiest ways for most people to try mezcal and other spirits.

  • Shot Glass - A restaurant industry standard meant for fast pours and even faster consumption. They hold liquid, but they won’t benefit a mezcal tasting.

  • ‘Rocks’ Glass - Another restaurant industry standard, this time with room for ice. Their straight-walled shape won’t benefit a mezcal tasting, nor would the addition of ice which waters down the alcohol and chills the palate, making it less sensitive.

  • With a mixer - A drink “with a mixer” is any spirit drank with a simple ingredient added, like sodas or juices. Popular examples include gin and tonic, vodka cranberry, or rum and coke. Mezcal goes great with soda water, pineapple juice, or grapefruit juice.

  • In a Cocktail - Cocktails focus on the combined flavor of the base spirit mixed with other ingredients. Mezcal is the cheapest “smokey” spirit when a bartender is considering flavors for a standard cocktail. My favorite mezcal-subbed cocktails are a Last Word, Jungle Bird, and Paloma.

What’s your favorite type of cup or way to drink mezcal?