London Mezcal Week returns on 15th– 21stJuly, a whole host of events, talks and parties await.
Now in its third year, London Mezcal Week is the event for all the Mezcal lovers out there, Melanie Symonds (Quiquiriqui) and Thea Cumming (Dangerous Don) have teamed up with trade partner Enotria and have a whole lot in store.
Based at TT Liquor in Shoreditch the week builds to the two day long tasting festival at the end of the week. More details on the weeks events below but first up let’s have a look at the Tasting Festival.
Tasting Festival – Friday 19th & Saturday 20th (2pm until 8pm)
Over 60 agave spirits will be showcased, including Mezcal, Tequila, Sotol, Bananora and Raicilla, from over 35 brands across the two days, making this one of the largest collections of agave spirits in Europe.
A series of guided tastings and insights will be offered from visiting Mezcaleros and some of the leading lights and experts in the industry. Guest speakers over the 2 days include:
Gabriela Moncada – Agave brand ambassador from Speciality Brands
Christian Shrader – Owner of Agavera in Berlin
Jon Darby – Mezcal Appreciation Society and owner of Sin Gusano
Cristian Bugiada & Roberto Artusio – La Punta in Rome and European mezcal brand ambassadors from the CRM
Carlos Moreno & Carlos Mendes – Mezcal producers
Jesse Estes – Brand ambassador of Ocho Tequila
Eduardo Gomez – Owner of Tequila and Mezcal Festival
Jon Anders & Romain Lobet – Brand ambassadors for Del Maguey mezcal
Tickets are £35 per person but there is a 3rd off for industry attendees, simply sign up to the TT Liquor Industry Group here
Melanie and Thea have also kindly given us 4 tickets to give away, details of which can be found at the end of this article.
At the end of each day a bar will be taking over the TT Liquor Cellar Bar to show off their skills. On the Friday La Punta are flying over from Rome to serve up their mezcal and tequila specialities. Saturday sees much-loved Bournemouth hotspot Ojo Rojo take over the reins.
Launch Dinner – Monday 15th July
When it comes to kick off in style it doesn’t get much better than this. Ex-Noma Mexico head chef Santiago Lastra will be opening the festival with an exclusive mezcal cocktail paired food tasting, in collaboration with London Essence Company.
Santiago will soon be launching his new restaurant Kol in London but you can get a sneak peek with four dishes from the menu being exclusively previewed and matched with four mezcal cocktails.
Tickets available here
Women In Business Talk – Wednesday 17th July
Dangerous Don Mezcal will be getting behind fellow female founders to celebrate women in the drinks industry, teaming up with Wonder Works to present “the art of getting sh*t done – stories of female brand owners”; an exclusive insight into a little talked-about part of the drinks business.
Led by event co-founder Thea, the unique event will see an afternoon of candid discussion and debate take place between women in the drinks business who run successful brands. Staying true to the form of the celebratory week, a range of mezcal cocktails will be on offer throughout the afternoon, too.
Reserve your place here
Kino Vino Movie Screening & Supper Club – Thursday 18th July
The return of film and food dining experience Kino Vino to TT Liquor who, after last year’s sell out supper-clubs, will join forces once again for a film, food and cocktail Mexican supper-club feast with agave spirit pairings.
The evening will start with a refreshing welcome drink, before a special screening of the Mexican coming-of-age road trip classic Y Tu Mama Tambien. Afterwards, guests will dive into a Mexican inspired four-course feast created by guest chef, the wonderful Pao Carlini, all paired with cocktails created by TT Liquor’s team of skilled mixologists.
Menu highlights will include poblano pepper tamales with tomatillo sour cream and pork belly with mole negro, bananavo, rice and pickles whilst drinks are designed to perfectly compliment the bold flavours on show. After the conclusion of the feast, guests are invited to stay on in TT Liquor’s atmospheric Cellar Bar where DJs will play until late.
Tickets are priced at £65 per person and are available here