Dani Tatarin spent twenty-five years behind a bar before she moved to Mexico and founded Gota Gorda. She knows cocktails. She also knows that the best mezcal is best sipped neat. These recipes are for the occasions when mixing is the right choice — and they are designed to showcase the spirit, not bury it.
The Mezcal Negroni
The simplest substitution and one of the most effective. Replace gin with mezcal in a classic Negroni and the drink transforms: the smoke replaces juniper, the agave adds depth, and the Campari’s bitterness becomes a conversation rather than a monologue.
30ml mezcal (Espadín Capón works beautifully) · 30ml Campari · 30ml sweet vermouth
Stir with ice, strain into a rocks glass over a large cube. Orange peel.
Smoke & Honey
A Dani original. The honey softens the spirit; the lime lifts it. Simple and elegant.
50ml mezcal · 20ml fresh lime juice · 15ml raw honey syrup (1:1 honey to warm water)
Shake with ice, strain into a coupe. No garnish needed.
The Oaxacan Spritz
Low-ABV, refreshing, and deceptively complex. Good for a long afternoon.
30ml mezcal · 20ml Aperol · 15ml fresh grapefruit juice · top with soda water
Build over ice in a tall glass. Grapefruit wedge.
“The rule with mezcal cocktails is the same as the rule with mezcal: less is more. Two or three ingredients. Let the spirit do the talking.”
— Dani Tatarin
A Note on Mixing
Use the entry-level expression for cocktails — Gota Gorda’s Espadín Capón is ideal. The wild agave expressions (Tepextate, Tebequil, Jabalí) are too rare, too distinctive, and too good to mix. That is not snobbery. It is simple economics and common sense.