Drink of the Week: Ojo de Tigre Mezcal

Photo: Courtesy of Ojo de Tigre

October 30, 2020

Every year around the end of October I think about the time I visited Oaxaca City during Día de los Muertos. Many beverage traditions mark the occasion, including the sipping of mezcal. After seeing how much love surrounds these celebrations, I’ve started picking up a copita as a reminder to savor the good things in life every time November 1 rolls around. This season, I’m sipping Ojo de Tigre, the newest release from Casa Lumbre, which also makes Ancho Reyes, Montelobos, Abasolo and Nixta.

The lively mezcal is a blend of two types of agave—about 80 to 85 percent cultivated espadín from Oaxaca and 15 to 20 percent cultivated tobalá from Puebla. Both agave varieties are cooked traditionally in underground pits and allowed to ferment with natural yeast before being blended together and bottled in Oaxaca. A lightweight but lovely sipper, I delight in the cool cucumber vegetal green pepper notes that open up every sip, ending in a dry cinnamon and dark, dusty chocolate flavors. At 40 percent ABV (a touch lower than many mezcal distillates) the new-to-America ensamble is a soft and friendly gateway into the mezcal category for those curious to explore. $30.99, totalwine.com

Emma Janzen

Emma Janzen is an award-winning book author and journalist who reports on global drinking cultures for outlets including The New York Times, PUNCH, The World’s 50 Best Bars, and more. The recipient of two James Beard Foundation awards and two Tales of the Cocktail Spirited Awards, she co-authored The Way of the Cocktail with Julia Momosé, The Bartender’s Manifesto with Toby Maloney, and The Bartender’s Pantry with Jim Meehan; authored Mezcal: The History, Craft & Cocktails of the World’s Ultimate Artisanal Spirit; and has contributed and consulted on other texts including The Oxford Companion to Spirits and Cocktails by David Wondrich and Signature Cocktails by Amanda Schuster. She currently serves as the Midwest Academy Chair for The World’s 50 Best Bars and has been included in the Drinks International Bar World 100, an annual list of the industry’s most influential people, since 2023.