The 2025 edition once again took place at the fabulous High Noon in East Austin. 48 bands and artists graced our three stages this year, from veteran acts like Sunflower Bean, Baths, and Five Eight, to rising acts like Kat Cunning, fantasy of a broken heart, and Monobloc.
Party highlights also included live chainstitching by Jada & Jon, flash tattoos by Lindley Weaver, and Ilegal Mezcal tastings, neat pours, and signature cocktails crafted by Global Brand Ambassador Gilbert Marquez.
An Ilegal daiquiri with notes of roasted agave and plantains ~
Add to a cocktail shaker:
2 oz Ilegal Mezcal Reposado
1 oz house banana syrup*
1 oz fresh lime juice
Shake and strain with ice and garnish with cinnamon and a banana.
2 bananas, peeled and sliced in small pieces
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup water
1 tsp lemon juice (optional)
Combine the sliced bananas, sugar, and water in a saucepan over medium heat, and bring the mixture to a boil, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to low and let simmer for about 15-20 min, or until the liquid has thickened, then remove from heat and let cool for a few minutes.
Using a blender, puree the banana mixture until smooth. If desired, add lemon juice and stir to combine. Let cool completely before using in the cocktail.
~ A bold, spirit-forward cocktail ~
1 oz Ilegal Mezcal Reposado
1 oz Martini & Rossi Dry Vermouth
1 oz Dry Curaçao
Orange peel, for garnish
Add all ingredients in a mixing glass with ice. Stir until the mixture is cold. Strain the cocktail into a coupe glass. Garnish with an orange peel.
Add 1 cup of unsalted corn nuts to a blender and blend until the corn nuts are the consistency of course sea salt. Then mix into 5 cups of salt.
Add 3.5 oz vegan Achiote paste to 1 qt pineapple juice, and stir until dissolved.
2 oz Ilegal Mezcal Joven
1 oz achiote-infused pineapple juice
1 oz lime juice
0.5 oz agave nectar
Tortilla salt rim
Shake and strain into a glass rimmed with tortilla salt. Garnish with pineapple leaves.
1.5 oz Ilegal Mezcal Reposado
1.5 oz almond milk (or horchata)
0.25 oz Licor 43
0.5 oz agave nectar
1 dash cinnamon powder
Add all ingredients to a blender with 2 cups of ice and blend until smooth. Pour contents into a collins glass and garnish with cinnamon.
Nostalgia in a glass, inspired by Mercedes Castro’s Mexican anthem
1.5 oz Ilegal Mezcal Joven
0.5 oz lime
0.75 oz agave nectar
0.75 oz grapefruit
2 oz IPA beer
Add all ingredients to tin and whip. Shake with 2 ice cubes and dump into a beer glass with salt rim and fill with ice. Garnish with grapefruit peel.
Add 2 sticks of Mexican cinnamon to one 750 ml bottle of Ilegal Mezcal #Reposado and let sit for 6 hours
Add 1 cup of sugar to 1 cup of guava juice. Bring to a boil and boil until sugar is dissolved. Let cool.
2 oz cinnamon-infused Ilegal Reposado
3/4 oz guava syrup
3/4 oz fresh lime
Add all ingredients to a shaker and shake vigorously until chilled and strain into a coupe glass. Garnish with grated cinnamon.
2 oz Ilegal Mezcal Joven
2 slices of Poblano pepper
1 oz lime juice
0.5 oz agave nectar
Chipotle salt:
3 tsp chipotle en adobo purée
1 cup kosher salt
/ Mix Chipotle salt ingredients together and let dry.
Add ingredients to shaker and shake. Strain into stemmed glass with chipotle salt rim. Garnish with a Poblano slice.
3 cups water
1 cup milk or alternative milk
1 bar chocolate (Ibarra)
/ Add ingredients to a pot and bring to a boil. Let boil until chocolate dissolves and let cool.
1.5 oz Ilegal Joven or Reposado
0.5 oz Ancho chili liqueur
2 oz hot chocolate mix
0.5 oz agave nectar
1 dash Angostura bitters
/ To coffee mug: add Ilegal Mezcal, agave, chili liqueur and bitters, fill with chocolate mix and garnish with cinnamon stick.
1.5 cups Ilegal Reposado
1 gal apple cider
1 large orange, cut into 0.25″ slices
3 cinnamon sticks
4 star anise
1 tbsp whole cloves
1 tbsp whole allspice
1 in ginger root, sliced
/ Add all the ingredients (except mezcal) to a pot. Turn heat on low until warmed through, about 30 minutes. Add Ilegal Mezcal and serve. Makes 12.
