Why It’s High Time We Rename National Tequila Day to MEQUILA Day! By Tonya Hopkins aka The Food Griot…
Every July 24th, agave spirits lovers across the land raise their glasses to National Tequila Day…
But in 2025 the reality is that Tequila’s (more mature! yet shy) smoky sibling, Mezcal, is starting to steal her younger sister’s spotlight. And rightfully so (can you tell I’m the eldest? 😄) — which is why I’m proposing to rebrand today’s swift, shot-drinking holiday into a slower, smoother sipping one and call it Mequila Day instead!…
To not only recognize the fact that MEZCAL’s the original traditional agave spirit, but to actually respect that it came FIRST — before tequila —which had a very good run as the gateway grown-up’s agave drink for most Americans of age for decades now. Truth be told, mezcal transports us from just ‘grown-up’ to outright GLOW UP 🔥 [More on that in a minute…]
Did you know that, technically, all tequilas are mezcals?! Nope, it’s not the other way around. And Yes — there’s more to that story [join my Patreon, come to an upcoming mezcal /agave spirits tasting event or hire me for sumthin to learn more!] — but for now just trust me when I tell ya’ll: there’s no time like the present to swap out your shot glasses for “copitas” and look forward to slowing down to savor each subtly smoked sip 🥃. ..
ICYMI (In Case You Missed It) This past Sunday’s ⏰ 60 Minutes Mezcal segment (7/20/25) updated us:
For years, Mezcal sat in the shadow of its more popular fraternal twin tequila… but not anymore: The handcrafted smoke sparked spirit called Mezcal has “found its way into cocktail bars and Michelin-starred restaurants. No other liquor has seen a greater increase in production in the past decade. Nearly all mezcal comes from Oaxaca, made by family-run distilleries. Demand was low for years, but now it’s soaring"….….
Let that soak in.
Mezcal — sacred to Mesoamerican peoples for centuries — has found its way onto menus from Oaxaca to Oslo. It carries centuries of indigenous craftsmanship, ancestral techniques, regional terroir, and flavor profiles as wild and varied as the landscapes of southern Mexico itself 🇲🇽🏜️…
Cheers to MEQUILA DAY!
A time to toast to the artisans.
To honor the agave.
To taste the difference.
To respect the roots.
👆 Throwback: original event poster from that fab fun time I did my first Tequila & Mezcal talk & tasting at the Old Stone House of Brooklyn. .Hands down my fave of the “Sipping Series” Spirits Storytelling Sessions I hosted there—featuring 6+ flights of craft tequilas + traditional mezcals + a talk steeped in history and lore…
To be clear, I’m not cancelling tequila….
We can still give it love.
I’m just setting the record straight to show some respect to the “OG” original agave spirit— and on this Tequila-turned-Mequila Day — just making sure you don’t miss out on mezcal’s glow up moment. And without further ado, I present to you:
Exhibit A: Eléctrico Mezcal 💥
If you need proof that mezcal has graduated from smoky novelty to top-tier sipping spirit, look no further than the award-winning Mezcal Artesanal called Eléctrico 🏆⚡️: a timeless, subtly smokey spirit, beautifully crafted in San Baltazar Guelavila, Oaxaca by the Maestro Mezcalero, Cirino…. and lovingly brought to America by artist- entrepreneur, Kathleen Blackwell of Project Eléctrico, along with her partner and husband, Arthur Edstrom…
This year Eléctrico swept the 2025 L.A. Spirits Awards — winning FOUR major medals:
🥇 Platinum –3-Year-Aged Tobalá
🥇 Gold – Rare 5x-distilled Jabalí
🥈 Silver – Espadín Joven
🥈 Silver – Espadín distilled with Lemongrass
For the record: Every single bottle entered won BIG….
“Great mezcal is as special as the finest sipping spirits in the world,” says Maestro Cirino.
“These awards prove it.”
Crafted across generations, Eléctrico is small-batch, wood-roasted, copper-distilled, glass-aged … Not only following tradition — Eléctrico also honors and respects it, even as the mezcal category grows and evolves…
EXCITING NEWS! Stay tuned for upcoming announcements and tasting dates where you can not only try but also BUY these wondrous Eléctrico award winners at select establishments in Brooklyn as well as in the heart of NYC.
So go ahead and serve yourself a proper pour — while you’re at it be sure to mark Your Calendars for October 21st: National Mezcal Day! Til then:
🔥🥃 Viva Mequila Day!
🟥 : Got a Mequila moment of your own to share? Tag me @thefoodgriot and @electricomezcal + the hashtag #MequilaDay so we can repost your agave adventures.