New Mezcal Bar in San Miguel de Allende!
El Carajo Mezcaleria: Good Mezcal, Comfortable as it Gets
Sunday, April 9th, 2023, 11:49 AM: I get a message from my friend Chandler, telling me there’s a new mezcal bar in town.
Sunday, April 9th, 2023, 3:36 PM: I’m there.
Chandler, a successful insurance agent, had told me he knew the family from Patzcuaro, Michoacan, and thought I’d like to know they’d just moved to San Miguel de Allende and opened up a mezcal bar. Cecilia and I were watching stuff on TV very comfortably. Was there any reason I needed to go that day?
None whatsoever.
So I went.
My friend Taylor messaged to ask if I had any plans, so he ended up joining me at El Carajo Mezcaleria San Miguel de Allende. This place could have just been owned by posers, right? But no, señor. The word “pretentious” is a Oaxacan Kilometer away from what you’ll find here. Owner Omar and his 15 year old son Emilio were there to greet us. The family had just moved to town and opened up two days prior!
At this point I find no reason to belabor the only important question: what was the mezcal like?
First on the menu was Omar’s very own “San Miguel” Espadín. Did he name it in advance of moving here to San Miguel? No. Turns out he holds the actual San Miguel (Saint Michael) as a very powerful entity—not only as the protector of the church, but also as it relates to negocios, or business. I didn’t ask him if that was a primary reason he relocated to San Miguel de Allende, but considering the reverential tone in which he spoke of the saint, it may well have been. In fact he still owns another mezcal bar in Patzcuaro—which is actually called Mezcaleria San Miguel.
He told me his Espadín is produced in Santiago Matatlán, Oaxaca, which as you probably know is also called The World Capital of Mezcal; in fact we were just there a couple of months ago. Haven’t addressed that yet in my series, but I’ll get to it. Just thought I’d take a little time out to mention Omar’s new place first.
Anyhow it was totally solid. Just about as good as you’d expect: definitive Oaxacan Espadín flavor and character at 45% ABV. And 50 pesos will get you a one ounce shot; double that will get you a two ouncer. I don’t see how you can go wrong in these parts.
But then came the Madrecuishe from Y’dob a producer from Miahuatlán, Oaxaca. Hell, I’ve been writing about our visit to that region in the past couple of Mezcal Maniac articles, and this one was very similar to those we tasted while there. Outstandingly earthy and 48%.
I don’t think I’d ever heard of Agave Barreno until fellow mezcal lover Craig Thompson mentioned one to me a couple of months ago, suggesting we try it at a favorite Oaxacan bar. It was good there—and it’s good here at El Carajo! From what I understand this is yet another Karwinskii, and it’s known to grow primarily in the Miahuatlán area. I found it similarly tasting of tierra, while perhaps a bit more refined and subtle, yet still at 48%.
It seems like most of the Tepextates I’ve sampled in the past year have been edging to the softer side, but not Y’dob’s. This baby was just a smidgen more aggressive I thought. And you should know I LIKE aggressive! A touch more raw tasting, it along with the Madrecuishe was a favorite of the afternoon.
Okay, so I don’t usually like Cupreatas. What can I say? They just don’t usually do it for me, and I’ll confess—although El Carajo’s Cupreata is decent, it was my least favorite of the visit. However, I’m guessing if you’re a fan of it, you’ll probably like this one too. But in case you think I’m being too stubborn, let me tell you about the big surprise I had this very same day…
I tasted a tequila that I…liked. 🫢
You read right. Yes, I’ve mentioned a few I’ve enjoyed in the past, but for me the product of the Agave Azul has needed to be of a higher grado in order to get my attention. Not with the Amatiteña Tequila Blanco Omar poured me that day. At only 42% I just found it so enjoyable. While somewhat softer than I’m used to, there was an accompanying essence I thought reminiscent of mint, but both Taylor and Cecilia experienced differently. Omar then brought out the 49% version from Amatiteña. Even better, yes, but with the same flavor. He also gave me tiny sips of their Reposado and Añejo. You know I’m not a fan of those, but damn it: they were worthwhile as well!
I knew it wasn’t a fluke. In checking the Tequila Matchmaker site, both the expert panel and the community in general give the 42% an 84 and the 49% an 87: that’s higher than any of the others I’ve looked into—except for Cascahuin Plata.
Freaky hell. Can you believe I went to a new mezcal bar, but ended up buying a bottle of tequila? It’s true. I just had to let Cecilia try it.
So it was great Sunday. I both found out about a new mezcal bar in town and got to go and enjoy it. The other options of course come at a higher rate than the Espadín, but I assure you are not expensive at all. And while I’m not a Cupreata lover, I was surprised that every single other distillation I tried, I found excellent.
So this was just a stop-down before proceeding with the documentation of our trip to Oaxaca recently. I’ll get back to that soon. But I invite you to go sip at El Carajo Mezcaleria. It’s at Calzada de la Estación 25 on what I consider the edge of Centro here in San Miguel de Allende. I know I’ll be going back to hang out with Omar and Emilio myself.
And, shoot, if you’re coming to San Miguel anyway, let me know about your trip too. Maybe you can come for a tasting at my place—or just meet up somewhere.
Till then: salud!