Through our merchandise sales and fundraising efforts, we have raised money to assist various organizations in the following areas: Education, Undocumented Youth & Immigration Reform, Women’s Reproductive Rights, Wildlife Animal Protection, and LGBTQ Advocacy.
The Hernandez brothers, Armando and Alvaro – are fourth-generation mezcaleros from an indigenous Zapotec family. They learned the craft from their father, Silverio. Today they run Mal de Amor, one of Matatlán’s largest distilleries, or palenques.
Sharing the story of Ilegal and the Hernandez brothers to the 60 Minutes audience is a humbling reminder of how far we have come, and our heightened responsibility to preserve the traditions of handcrafted mezcal in Oaxaca.
Demand for mezcal was low for years, but interest and sales have soared. The vast majority of the spirit is made in Oaxaca, Mexico, where family-owned distilleries dot the landscape.
Cecilia Vega travels to Oaxaca and meets the Mezcaleros laboring to quench the world’s thirst for Mezcal. The handcrafted Mexican spirit, made from agave, has seen exponential growth in popularity and production.
Chill a coupe or cocktail glass by filling it with ice water while you mix.
In a shaker, combine the mezcal, fresh lime juice, and simple syrup. Fill the shaker with ice and shake vigorously for about 15 seconds until well chilled. Discard the ice water from your glass. Strain the mixture into the chilled glass. Garnish with a lime wheel or twist.
Opened by John Rexer in the early 2000s, Café No Sé has become the beating heart of an international music scene in Antigua, Guatemala. This is the original home of Ilegal Mezcal + the first mezcal bar opened outside of Mexico.
Bar Ilegal is an experiential outpost of Café No Sé, and Ilegal’s 2023 tour celebrated 20(ish) years since the opening of our legendary home. In 2024, Bar Ilegal has activated across Arte Agave, Forest Hills Stadium, Anti Social Camp in NYC, and the Rockaway Hotel. In July, the Bar Ilegal team descended on to New Orleans for Tales of the Cocktail.
The party was among the most attended at Tales, and had people talking the remainder of the week. Ilegal set a new event record at Jolie for the most cocktails served in a night, SUSU blew the doors off, 54 guests walked away with fresh flash tattoos, and the evening ended in essential New Orleans fashion, with — what else — a burlesque show.
Opened by Ilegal founder John Rexer around 2004, Café No Sé has become the beating heart of an international music scene in Antigua, Guatemala. This is the original home of Ilegal Mezcal + the first mezcal bar opened outside of Mexico.
This year, we are thrilled to be celebrating Café No Sé’s notorious history by bringing music, mezcal, and tattoos to bars, music venues, and trade shows across the U.S., beginning April 6 in Brooklyn, NY.
2024 DATES
APR 6 – McCarren Parkhouse, Brooklyn MAY-OCT – Forest Hills Stadium, Queens [link] MAY 31 – Arte Agave Miami [link] JUN 7 – Arte Agave Chicago [link] JUL 23 – Tales of The Cocktail, New Orleans [link] AUG 8 – Montauk [TBD] SEP 6 – Arte Agave DC [link] SEP 13 – Arte Agave New York [link] SEP 20 – Arte Agave Austin [link] SEP 27 – Arte Agave ATL [link] OCT 5-6 – Del Mar F&W Festival, San Diego [link] FEB 13-19 – Arizona Cocktail Week, Phoenix [link]
Opened by John Rexer in the early 2000s, Café No Sé has become the beating heart of an international music scene in Antigua, Guatemala. This is the original home of Ilegal Mezcal + the first mezcal bar opened outside of Mexico.
Bar Ilegal is an experiential outpost of Café No Sé, and Ilegal’s 2023 tour celebrated 20(ish) years since the opening of our legendary home. After an amazing year circling North America, beginning in Oaxaca and ending in New York City, the Ilegal team snuck in one more celebration in January, a few weeks behind schedule, in the always welcoming Mexico City.
DJ Paurro set the mood for a very stylish crowd, as they tried our Mezcal Margaritas, Spicy Palomas, Negronis, and neat mezcal pours. In the room just off the bar, we were honored to have our talented friends Lapiztola join us from Oaxaca to screen print custom t-shirts for our fans. At 9PM, SUSU took to the stage, and all bets were off. Liza and Kia prowled across the pricy furniture and its inhabitants, whipping the crowd into a frenzy.
Announcements for our 2024 Bar Ilegal Tour are coming soon. Next up for our team is the Paste Magazine East Austin Block Party, showcasing 60+ bands across four stages, March 13-15. RSVP here for more information.
Combine ingredients in a cocktail shaker and shake vigorously. Double strain into a coupe glass to remove any ice and solids. Garnish the drink with a twist of orange peel.
In a mixing glass, combine ingredients and stir until the mixture is cold. Strain the cocktail into a glass. Garnish the drink with a twist of orange peel.
Opened by John Rexer in the early 2000s, Café No Sé has become the beating heart of an international music scene in Antigua, Guatemala. This is the original home of Ilegal Mezcal + the first mezcal bar opened outside of Mexico.
Bar Ilegal is an experiential outpost of Café No Sé, and the 2023 tour celebrated 20(ish) years since the opening of our legendary home. After stops in Oaxaca, Miami, Chicago, New Orleans, Atlanta, Austin, and Los Angeles, Ilegal Mezcal made its final stop at Public Records in Brooklyn, and the vibes were off the charts.
The party was expansive, covering the entirety of the property. It held three separate bars, with classic mezcal cocktails featured downstairs, the Musician’s Breakfast outside (complete with Ilegal bottle ice sculpture), and pitch perfect aged mezcal cocktails upstairs in the not-so-secret Reposado Room.
Guest artist Jimmy doled out 42 flash tattoos in the front room, while Classy Screens executed screenprinted t-shirts to the masses in the garden. Watson Soundsystem kept things fun and dancey in the main room, SUSU blew the doors off at 9pm, and then most guests ventured up to the Repo Room, where vinyl DJ Mickey Perez was expertly spinning a playlist of diaspora-spanning dance tracks to finish out the evening.
Opened by John Rexer in the early 2000s, Café No Sé has become the beating heart of an international music scene in Antigua, Guatemala. This is the original home of Ilegal Mezcal + the first mezcal bar opened outside of Mexico.
Bar Ilegal is an experiential outpost of Café No Sé, and the Bar Ilegal 2023 tour celebrates 20(ish) years since the opening of our legendary home. Following stops in Oaxaca, Miami, Chicago, New Orleans, Atlanta, and Austin, the Ilegal Mezcal team made its way out to the Arts District of LA, and our friends at Everson Royce Bar.
Seemingly every one of our 550 RSVPs showed out, grabbed swag, ordered mezcal cocktails with Gilbert Marquez, and enjoyed a killer set from SUSU on the packed outdoor patio.
See how it went down in the gallery below, all pics by Sarah Craig.
