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Author: jhuang@nettheory.com
Organizations We Support
We support and contribute to a number of groups working to affect social change for the better. Apart from fundraising contributions, we host volunteer trips and mentorship programs. Please reach out to question@ilegalmezcal.com for more information. Thank you for your help in supporting these organizations!
Letter from the Founder, John Rexer
We believe that at the door of your business your values should be exemplified and defended.
Ilegal Mezcal — the company — was founded in Guatemala. Ilegal Mezcal — the liquor — is made in Oaxaca, Mexico by Oaxaqueños. The company is comprised of Mexicans, Guatemalans, Mexican Americans, an El Salvadoran American, a Venezuelan, an Ecuadorian, New Yorkers, Californians, an Alabamian, a Philadelphian … people from an array of ethnicities, cultures, and sexual orientations. We live, work, and play across borders.
We are too keenly aware of the issues of immigration, the refugee crisis, gender discrimination, racism and xenophobia. Climate Change affects the future of agriculture, food supply, water resources, air quality, economy, health care, migration, and human rights. These issues impact us, our friends, and our relatives.
Demonizing groups of people will not solve any of this. Nor will building walls, whether brick by brick or sound bite by sound bite. Violence is certainly not the answer. Finding commonality, exercising compassion, sharing an other’s custom, fighting for human dignity, engaging in civil discourse — these are good first steps.
Since the company began we have supported and contributed to a number of groups working to affect social change for the better. Below is a list of organizations we support.
Through the 2019 profits of our apparel shop and team fundraising efforts, Ilegal raised over $50,000 for numerous charity and community organizations. For 2020, in addition to our fundraising efforts, a percentage of our gross sales up to $100,000 will be donated to charity. Thank you for your support.
Sincerely,
John Rexer and The Entire Ilegal Mezcal Gang
Bees Knees
1.5 oz Ilegal Mezcal Joven
0.5 oz Hot Honey
0.75 oz Lime
Add ingredients to shaker and shake. Strain into stemmed glass/coupe. Garnish with dehydrated lemon.
More mezcal cocktails and recipes
Buy Mezcal & Cocktail Kits
American Mandala by Don Patron
ARTIST STATEMENT:
The posters and graffiti I chose to recapture and preserve for American Mandala are heavily altered cryptograms. They are the manifestation of the images drastic change from their original state of display due to Weather , Human interaction , and mechanical systems all collaborating within the art that is chosen for exhibition.
The Depth capacity of these displayed illusory forms are a reflection of society’s archetype and psyche. These images express the corresponding rhythm of structure, the commonality of mankind, and that which has the resilience to endure from that which fades in energy and passes.
The sacred still exists in the choreography of our city, upon its ever changing hieroglyphic surfaces, life in urban settings survives in the consistent movement of energy resurfacing as mandalas that will and will not be, a testament to our own shifting impermanence.
ASCoT Awards 2022 | Double Platinum
Ilegal Mezcal Joven has been awarded Double Platinum in the ASCoT Awards, blind-tasted and scored for appearance, aroma, taste, and finish.
Double Platinum: Outstanding, earns top marks from all judges. Highest award level
Tasting Notes: “I’ll be finding out what this one is after the awards are revealed; I can really get behind this joven!”
Ilegal Mezcal moves to recycled glass bottles
“We measure success at Ilegal not just by cases sold, but also by our partners and environmental initiatives we can enact,” said founder John Rexer.
The new bottles will be made by family-run business Fusion y Formas, which recycles 10,000 tons of glass annually at its facility in Jalisco, Mexico. “We share the same vision with Fusion y Formas to build sustainably and scale responsibly, while maintaining quality above all else,” Rexer added.
RS Recommends: The Best Mezcal Brands to Drink Right Now
#1. Ilegal Mezcal Añejo
Looking to sample an aged mezcal? Go for this Ilegal Añejo. And if you’re curious about the brand’s name, there’s a good story. The founder of Ilegal, John Rexer, used to smuggle mezcal from Mexico to his Bar, Café No Sé, in Antigua. After realizing how good the stuff was, Rexer went legit with the foundation of Ilegal in 2006.
Why Mezcal Deserves Your Time and Respect
“The idea with Bar Ilegal is to bring a lifestyle to mezcal fans in the U.S.,” says Gilbert Marquez, Ilegal’s Global Brand Ambassador and a first-generation Mexican-American (and former bartender, punk rock musician and current part-time hatmaker). “We pop up at local venues in 13 U.S. cities and bring a taste of Ilegal through inventive cocktails, live music, on-site tattoo artists and more — it’s a way to experience the birthplace of Ilegal and create a memorable time for consumers with varying levels of mezcal knowledge.”
Which might be the smartest way to introduce a mezcal to the masses — associate it with good times. There’s a reason Ilegal touts itself as the “no. 1 most recognized mezcal,” as it’s probably one of only a handful of brands that casual drinkers could name.
Less visibly, Marquez and Ilegal also host several trade events for bartenders and other drinks professionals — having respected mixologists tout mezcal and use it creatively is certainly a tried and true way to bring recognition to a category.
Still, even with solid growth, the Ilegal team doesn’t have grand visions of mezcal becoming a dominating force in the drinks world — their production methods won’t allow it.
5 Best Smoky Mezcals
This delectable dram is dry and robust, with wafts of smoke on the finish that coat your throat. Another unaged offering, this bottling is best enjoyed neat. While it works in cocktails—and was technically designed to be used in them—we find that its peppery, wet stone complexities are best represented when there’s nothing else to distract from them.