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.
Our Greenpoint HQ is now the New York home for the Paste Studio on the Road, and in 2022 our stage has hosted iconic artists and rising acts. On March 9th, 2022, acclaimed New York-based tenor saxophonist, composer, and bandleader James Brandon Lewis and his trio, graced our stage.
Check back for announcements of more to come with Paste Magazine, and discover more about our connection to music, including our Musician’s Breakfast series, here.
After years of bonding over our shared love of live music, we traveled with the Paste team to Antigua, Guatemala in December 2021, to produce the live-streamed concert series Paste Studio on the Road, at Café No Sé, Ilegal Mezcal’s original home. We then hosted a show at the stunning La Casa de la Ruina, featuring Gaby Moreno, David Aguilar, Silvana Estrada, Lau Noah, Kath Palma and SUSU.
Our Greenpoint Showroom is now the New York home for the Paste Studio on the Road, and in 2022 our stage has been graced by iconic artists like Gogol Bordello and John Oates (of Hall & Oates), and rising acts like Thick, Dead Tooth, and Lovechild. And at SXSW, we presented Paste Magazine’s 20th anniversary showcase, featuring 44 bands including Delta Spirit and Sunflower Bean, over four days at the Pershing in Austin, TX – pictures by Gabriel Walker in the gallery below!
Check back for announcements of more to come with Paste Magazine, and discover more about our connection to music, including our Musician’s Breakfast series, here.
The mezcal became popular very quickly. In 2006, John created the brand Ilegal, originally just to supply the bar. On the back of each bottle of Ilegal you will find it says “Originally produced for: Café No Sé, Mezcal Bar.”
Made from 100% agave, Ilegal contains no artificial colors, flavors, additives, or preservatives. Our practices reflect our commitment to sustainability and biodiversity in the Oaxaca region. Commitment to quality is apparent in every step of our process, from harvest to first sip.
But Ilegal Mezcal is more than a handcrafted liquor from Oaxaca, Mexico.
It is also a state of mind and a way of living. It’s about travel, personal freedom, spontaneity, and a sharing of experience. It’s about uniting people over a drink. It’s about connecting with the wild inside and outside each of us. It’s about keeping the rough edges and the human element. It is for people who prefer the texture of time-etched beauty rather than the gloss of processed perfection.
It’s also about standing up for what we believe is right. We are an activist brand that takes to the streets and walls to support freedom, human dignity, uninhibited creativity, and a habitable planet. We actively fundraise for causes we believe in. Our motto: fight for positive change, kick up some dust, drink an Ilegal.
We have seen the beauty of different cultures under one roof, and the potential of creativity and individuality when encouraged and ignited by a little mezcal. Bringing down borders is part of our everyday existence. We know that we are all in this together if we are to make the future better. We wouldn’t have it any other way. We welcome those who share our values to saddle up to the bar.
Handcrafted by fourth-generation mezcaleros in small batches in Oaxaca, Mexico, Ilegal Mezcal has a beautifully balanced profile, with a mouthful of agave and a hint of smoke. Our practices reflect our commitment to biodiversity in the Oaxaca region. Commitment to quality is apparent in every step of our process, from harvest to first sip.
Our Greenpoint HQ is now the New York home for the Paste Studio on the Road, and in 2022 our stage has been graced by iconic artists and rising acts. Slow Fiction, a rising NYC-based indie rock band, joined us on March 10th, 2022, playing original tracks including their brand new single, “International Cherry.”
Check back for announcements of more to come with Paste Magazine, and discover more about our connection to music, including our Musician’s Breakfast series, here.
Our Greenpoint Showroom is now the New York home for the Paste Studio on the Road, and in 2022 our stage has been graced by iconic artists and rising acts. On March 10th, 2022, we were honored to have John Oates (of Hall & Oates) and Guthrie Trapp play a handful of Americana and traditional folk songs at our Showroom, along with an acoustic rendition of the Hall & Oates classic “Out of Touch.”
Check back for announcements of more to come with Paste Magazine, and discover more about our connection to music, including our Musician’s Breakfast series, here.
Why elevate your agave and tequila collection with Ilegal Mezcal? Ilegal is made ‘Sin Prisa’ without rush or hurry using artesanal methods. Produced in small lots – each bottle is hand corked, labeled, and numbered.
Our practices reflect our dedication to biodiversity in the Oaxaca region. 100% natural, Ilegal Mezcal uses no artificial colors, yeasts, flavors, or additives. Just agave, sun, and time. Mezcal versus tequila, is handcrafted artisanally, and agave roasted in underground earthen ovens. Commitment to quality is apparent in every step of our process, from harvest to first sip.
Opened by Ilegal founder 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. We kicked off Bar Ilegal 2022 by posting up for 4 weekends at Washington Irving Inn (reopening as Hotel Lilien in Summer 2022). Ilegal Mezcal cocktails & food menus were provided by:
Bar Ilegal heads out on tour, starting in Jacksonville, FL on 3/15. Pics below by Sarah Craig, from our final weekend at the Washington Irving, which featured two raucous performances by the legendary SUSU!
Shop Ilegal Apparel to donate to organizations worth supporting. All profits are split between our community partners Team Brownsville, Los Patojos School, and No Us Without You.
In December 2021, Ilegal partnered with Paste Magazine to host a show at La Casa de la Ruina in Antigua – featuring Gaby Moreno, David Aguilar, Silvana Estrada, Lau Noah, Kath Palma and SUSU.
Check out photos from this event in the gallery below!
Bar Ilegal is an experiential outpost of Café No Sé. Opened by Ilegal founder 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.
Two pop-ups were held on September 20th and 21st at the Lincoln in Venice, California. Tattoos and live performances by SUSU – check out photos below, by Rene Banuelos.
