Del Maguey Vida Mezcal Margarita (Served Up)

Deconstructed Drinks is reader-supported. When you buy through links on this site, I may earn an affiliate commission at no cost to you. Learn more.

If you love margs and Old Fashioneds, a Mezcal Margarita might just be your new jam.

Smoke and citrus make for a surprisingly good couple.

What's the deal with this recipe?

This mezcal margarita recipe takes everything you love and expect from a traditional marg, but it takes it to another level with a note of smoke, and a more robust sweetness from the agave nectar.

The savory Mexican seasoning, Tajin, adds a pleasing hit of spice with each sip. Careful not to snort this stuff.

What is Del Maguey Vida Mezcal?

When I first got introduced to the divine existence of mezcal, Vida was the first expression I got to try. Its full name, if you will, is Vida de San Luis del Rio from the Del Maguey brand.

San Luis del Rio is the village in Mexico where it's made.

The Vida label is a great entry point to mezcal in terms of price, wide availability, and quality. It's a solid choice for making cocktails with mezcal.

What does it mean, served up?

When a drink is served up, it means it's served in a coupe with no ice. The liquid is held "up" above the table.

No ice means the cocktail's flavor will remain relatively the same because the ice won't dilute the cocktail.

Directions

1️⃣ Chill your coupe.

2️⃣ In a cocktail shaker, add fresh lime juice, agave, and mezcal.

3️⃣ Discard ice from coupes, and rub lime along the lip.

4️⃣ Then dip into a plate with tajin.

5️⃣ Add ice to the cocktail shaker, then shake until chilled.

6️⃣ Strain

Video Recipe

Food pairing

I strongly believe that when drinking cocktails, they should be the main event, not a side to a dish.

My favorite thing to munch on with drinks, is canned seafood. We’re not talking about  $3 cans you’ll find at any grocery store.

We’re talking about $10 to 20$ cans of  high quality seafood that get better when it’s canned with a marinate or its own juices. It's an affordable luxury.

Shown in the video are canned mussels and octopus from Wixter Market in Chicago—but they can be purchased online.

On-the-rocks variation of this recipe:

One more thing about mezcal....

The mysticism of Mezcal

There's a lot of mythology and tales surrounding mezcal. While a lot of it is fiction, it undoubtedly adds to the allure.

But there's one thing that remains fact:

A good Mezcal is an artisanal and cultural product of the Earth by way of maguey plants in Oaxaca, enduring years of sun and rain.

You are drinking culture and tradition—one that spans almost four centuries of tradition from families in Mexico. Therefore, in my humble opinion, it should be used and consumed with reverence.

*This article contains some affiliate links. If you purchase via these links, I get a very small kick which helps me make more content. All at no cost to you.