Xicaru Silver, Reposado, Añejo, and Pechuga Mole Mezcals
I also picked up all the Xicaru variants I could find, as I’ve never actually had mezcal before, so we have the classic silver, “rested” reposado, and aged añejo; plus the most intriguing pechuga mole, which is the silver subjected to a final distillation with mole negra and dressed chicken suspended in the vapor cone of the pot still. I cannot think of any other liquors distilled with chicken.
Xicaru Silver
Smells of smoked agave, smoked Gouda, and smoked bacon. The taste is fruity with flavors of strawberry, watermelon, and kiwi. The finish is long with almost no burn, featuring notes of smoked meat, smoked agave, and toasted bread. Overall this is fantastic! Smooth, savory, and just the right amount of smoke. Very sippable, but I expect mixable as well. 40.5%ABV
Xicaru Reposado
Smells of fresh lumber, with subtle pine and cherry wood underneath. The taste is bright with flavors of pear, green apple, buttered croissants, and citrus. The finish is long and warm with no burn, featuring notes of toasted oak, smoke, lime peel, and bitter herbs. Overall surprisingly much less smoky than the silver, but very well rounded and the toasted-not-charred oak adds a welcome level of complexity. 40%ABV
Xicaru Añejo
First, I must note that visually this is virtually indistinguishable from the reposado. Smells quite similar as well; fresh cut lumber, pine, sawdust. The taste is fruitier with flavors of green apple, white grape, kiwi, melon, and lime. The finish is long and warm with no burn, featuring notes of oak, smoked agave, tobacco, and a hint of vanilla. Overall it is mellower and more nuanced than the reposado, but also fairly similar, with the stated difference in ages being “months” to “1 year.” I guess if you just plan to mix it, save yourself $10 and go with the repo. If you want a nicer sip, spend the $10, but I’m not sure if it’s really necessary. 43%ABV
Xicaru Pechuga Mole
Smells of barbecued chicken, smoke, and a subtle sweetness from the mole. The taste is bright and savory with flavors of mole, smoked chicken, honey, and bbq sauce. The finish is long and warm with no burn, featuring notes of charred chicken skins, smoked agave, and chili powder. Overall this is a most intriguing spirit! I enjoy the savory nature and the mole/chicken notes add more than I expected. I do however wonder if this is a sipping spirit only with the nuance of the savory flavors being easily overpowered in a cocktail… 46%ABV
COCKTAILS
“Smokin’ Paloma” featuring San Pellegrino Pompelmo Soda
Silver
Very smoky, in aroma and flavor, with a strong flavor of smoked meats and rauchbier with grapefruit underneath.
Reposado
Smoky yet restrained, and with hints of fresh cut lumber under the grapefruit. Refreshing yet complex.
Añejo
Smoky but more restrained than the repo, and with noticeably more oak. Also, similar to the añejo tequila, seems somehow sweeter.
Pechuga
Smoky and complex, it is a little less smoke forward than the silver, and surprisingly the smoked chicken and mole flavors do come through in this cocktail. The effect is subtle but very unique.
Overall, if I had to choose a favorite, it’d probably be the reposado, mirroring my preference with the tequila.
Simplified Paloma featuring Polar Pink Grapefruit Dry Soda
Silver
Crisp, refreshing, and smoky. Notes of smoked bacon underneath but surprisingly well balanced.
Reposado
Smooth and refreshing with notes of fresh cut lumber, lime, grapefruit, and smoke. A very well rounded and delicious drink.
Añejo
Smooth, fruity, and oaky with subtle notes of smoked agave underneath. Complex and nuanced.
Pechuga
Smoky and fruity with a noticeable flavor of smoked chicken. Somewhat imbalanced.
I’m going to have to choose the reposado here.
Mezcal Margarita on the rocks featuring Torres Magdala Orange Liqueur
Silver
Smoky, sweet, savory; a most intriguing cocktail, both refreshing and complex with a perfectly balanced smokiness.
Reposado
Fresh cut lumber, smoke, agave, lime. More wood and smoked meats in the finish; the orange is just a whisper in the background.
Añejo
Smoky, oaky, and complex, here the wood and the smoke vie for dominance while the citrus works behind the scenes to round out the cocktail.
Pechuga
VERY savory with smoked agave and mesquite underneath. Lime and bitter orange peel in the finish, but most of the sweetness is hidden beneath the smoky bbq chicken flavor. I figured the pechuga flavors would get lost in cocktails, but it seems to be the opposite with them actually being amplified.
I gotta go with a tie between silver and añejo here. The smokiness in both is perfectly balanced against the other flavors.
BONUS Mezcal Margarita with fresh sliced jalapeño added
Mostly the same with a little extra tingle, except for the pechuga: extra savory AND fruity with the mole and bbq chicken notes really being accentuated across different parts of the tongue, and the jalapeño adding an extra tingle around the edges. A most exciting discovery!
BONUS Mezcal Margarita featuring Pierre Ferrand Dry Curaçao
Silver
A nice balance between orange, lime, and smoky agave, floral lavender notes underneath.
Reposado
Orange and toasted oak forward with smoked agave and brown sugar in the finish.
Añejo
Loads of smoky oak flavor and hints of orange peel.
Pechuga
Doesn’t really change much surprisingly; savory, smoky, salty chicken and mole with smoked agave and lime underneath finishing with just a touch of orange.
BONUS Mezcal Margarita featuring Cointreau
Smoke and lime segues to smoke and agave; no orange flavors that I can detect.
BONUS Mezcal Margarita featuring Grand Marnier
Smoky lime and orange blossom up front, smoky agave and orange peel in the finish. Very well balanced and complex, pechuga in particular has accentuated mole notes.
BONUS Tommy’s Mezcal Margarita
Silver
Smoky sweet with smoke up front, lime in the finish and agave throughout.
Reposado
Fresh cut lumber and agave up front with lime and agave in the finish.
Añejo
Savory, smoky, woody agave up front, woody agave lime in the finish.
Pechuga
Savory salty lime up front with savory salty smoky agave chicken in the finish.
Silver
Orange juice with a balanced smokiness and silky smooth body to start, cherry wood smoke by the end.
Reposado
Orange and smoked agave with a hint of lumber, fresh cut cherry wood in the finish.
Añejo
Orange and smoky charred oak with hints of agave underneath, smoky maraschino cherry at the bottom.
Pechuga
Smoked chicken and orange juice initially, an odd but not unpleasant combination, notes of smoked cherry wood and bbq in the finale.
BONUS Difford’s Version
The smoky agave flavor is able to punch through the orange juice and take center stage here, balancing out the flavors from the OJ, which seems to be more synergistically amplified by the lime and orange liqueur. The smokiness carries through to the grenadine with a richness reminiscent of the cherry in a smoked Old Fashioned cocktail. All in all much better than the tequila version, and in my opinion, the best version of a Mezcal Sunrise.
Batanga featuring Caffeine Free Diet Coke
Silver
Agave and lime amidst a sea of smoka-cola; nicely balanced and enjoyably complex.
Reposado
Smoky agave, lime, lumber, and cola.
Añejo
Lime and cola up front, oak and subtly smoky agave in the finish.
Pechuga
Lime, smoked chicken, and cola with more smoked chicken, agave, and a hint of mole in the finish.
Mezcal Martini featuring Dolin Dry Vermouth
Silver
Pinot Grigio and smoked agave with a dry lemony finish. Not as complex as the tequila martini made with sweeter vermouth blanc.
Reposado
Smoky Pinot Grigio and agave with a lemony, lightly woody dry finish.
Añejo
Smoked agave, lemon, oak, Pinot Grigio, hints of smoked bacon.
Pechuga
Smoked chicken; citrusy, chocolatey mole; notes of white grape smoked pear, and Brazil nuts in the finish. Complex and balanced, definitely my favorite of the 4.
Mezcal Manhattan featuring Noilly Prat Rouge Vermouth
Silver
Smoked ham, agave, cherry, and a touch of bitters. Not bad, the smokiness fills in all the holes from the missing oak, though it is a bit unrefined without the extra aging.
Reposado
Smoky agave and fresh cut cherry wood with cherry, Pinot noir, and bitters in the finish. Better than the silver but just barely.
Añejo
Charred oak, smoked agave, bourbon cherries, herbal bitters and a touch of cognac at the end. An exquisitely decadent cocktail that truly stands out as something unique.
Pechuga
Salty, savory bbq chicken, cherry, bitters, red wine. Honestly this one is kind of a surprising miss. The flavors are all over the place and never really seem to harmonize.
Silver
Smoky sweet agave with a touch of citrus and spice. Again, surprisingly good for an unaged spirit and a nice balance between sweet and smoky.
Reposado
Refined smokiness, agave, subtle oak, bitters, lime. Smoother but not objectively better than the silver.
Añejo
Smoky agave, oak, sweet agave, bitters, a touch of lime. Honestly apart from a stronger oak presence, and perhaps just barely an overall smoother body, it’s essentially the same as the reposado.
Pechuga
Smoked chicken, agave, mole, bitters, lime. An odd balance of bitter, sweet, smoky, and savory, but it’s balanced well and not a bad drink, just a bit incongruous.