Spirits Mezcal 12 Mezcal Cocktails to Get You in the Mood for Summer By Food & Wine Editors and Nikki Miller-Ka Nikki Miller-Ka Instagram Twitter Website Nikki Miller-Ka has written about the intersection of food and culture for Food & Wine since 2021. She has been writing for 15 years as a food blogger, recipe developer, and regular contributor to numerous publications.Expertise: Southern cuisine, African-American foodways, snacks.Experience: Nikki Miller-Ka is a food writer with experience as a private chef, butcher, baker, and biscuit maker. She has been a television host and executive producer, recipe developer, researcher, reporter, and guest blogger for various media outlets in the Southeast. After graduating from culinary school, Nikki began her writing career as an editorial assistant at the Greensboro News & Record. There, Nikki honed her editorial and research skills; developed her food blog, Nik Snacks; and became a contributor to Go Triad, Relish, Winston-Salem Monthly, and 1808 Greensboro. She is a member of the James Beard Foundation's Restaurant and Chef Committee for the Southeast, and is a nationally ranked food competition judge. Food & Wine's Editorial Guidelines Updated on March 14, 2022 Share Tweet Pin Email Trending Videos Photo: Victor Protasio With warm weather on the way, it's time to crack out the warm-weather cocktails that inspire memories of beach vacations and good times with friends. These mezcal cocktails play on the vast range of flavors that the spirit offers, with something for literally everyone, so grab your favorite bottle and start experimenting. From a Smoky Mezcal-Fig Sour to a reinvented version of the classic Margarita and a super-chill Watermelon-Cucumber Cooler, read on for more fantastic mezcal cocktails that bring out the best made with the smoky, agave-based spirit. 01 of 12 Tia Mia © David Malosh Ivy Mix, co-owner of Leyenda in Brooklyn, riffs on a mai tai with smoky mezcal. The name of the drink (an anagram of "mai tai") pays homage to a friend to whom she used to serve drinks in Guatemala. 02 of 12 Tide Is High © David Malosh New York City tiki specialist Jane Danger mixes up this tequila-and-mezcal pina colada variation. Instead of coconut cream, she swaps in homemade cashew cream for a toasty, savory flavor. Alternatively, use store-bought cashew milk, preferably pressed from a juice bar. 03 of 12 Smoky Mezcal-Fig Sour Victor Protasio This cocktail from 2021 F&W Game Changer Ashtin Berry rounds out smoky mezcal with spicy-sweet fig-ginger syrup and bright lemon juice. Mezcal is still the dominant flavor in this barely sweet drink that lets the liquor shine. Go to Recipe 04 of 12 The Palomaesque Cocktail The Paloma is a classic Mexican cocktail made with lime juice, tequila and grapefruit soda. Scott Baird, the mixologist who created this drink for Comal in Berkeley, makes his version with smoky mezcal, fresh grapefruit juice and Cocchi Americano, the sweet Italian aperitif wine. get the recipe 05 of 12 Ginger's Lost Island Tina Rupp Bryan Dayton's mixture of cardamom, cinnamon, ginger liqueur, and smoky mezcal pairs well with many dishes with respect to sweet, sour, salty, spicy, and bitter flavor profiles of many cuisines. 06 of 12 Cucumber, Salt & Smoke Mezcal, made from fire-roasted agave, provides the smokiness in this unusual Pisco Sour update. The cucumber is fresh and herbaceous, and even though the cocktail contains simple syrup, a pinch of salt makes it more dry than sweet. While the shaken egg white adds a dramatic foamy head, the drink is equally delicious without an egg white. 07 of 12 Tamarind-Mezcal Sour Photo by Greg DuPree / Food Styling by Margaret Dickey / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen Smoky mezcal and savory bitters are rounded out by sweet-tart lemon juice and tamarind puree in this punchy cocktail. Add pineapple fronds, edible flowers, sliced star fruit, and orange peel, for a tropical-themed garnish. get the recipe 08 of 12 Mezcal Negroni Victor Protasio This riff on the classic gin and Campari cocktail has an earthy richness courtesy of smoky mezcal. Carpano Antica Formula vermouth is full-bodied and flavored with herbs and spices, lending dry, barely sweet flavor to this Negroni. Cocchi Americano and a generous citrus garnish bring a light, citrusy bite. get the recipe 09 of 12 Mezcal Margarita Victor Protasio Smoky mezcal brings depth to a classic margarita. A combination of slightly sweeter Combier and mildly bitter Cointreau balances the floral orange notes in the drink. Double the Cointreau if Combier is unavailable. get the recipe 10 of 12 Watermelon-Cucumber Cooler Victor Protasio Sweet watermelon juice complements the clean, refreshing notes in mezcal. If you can't find store-bought watermelon juice, blend chunks of fresh watermelon and strain through a fine-mesh sieve. 11 of 12 Wicked Games © Lucas Allen This pineapple-and-ginger-flavored cocktail—inspired by a modern Vietnamese meal—contains pear brandy and mezcal for a kick of flavor. 12 of 12 Maguey Sour © Tina Rupp Maguey is another name for agave. Roasting the heart of the plant in an earthen pit (as opposed to steaming or baking it, which is done for tequila) is what gives Mezcal its smoky flavor. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit