In this groundbreaking and deeply personal book, Ron Cooper—a leading voice in the artisanal mezcal movement, and the person largely responsible for popularizing the spirit in the United States—shares everything he knows about this storied, culturally rich, and now hugely in-demand spirit, along with 40 recipes.

In 1990, artist Ron Cooper was collaborating with craftspeople in Oaxaca, Mexico, when he found mezcal—or, as he likes to say, mezcal found him. This traditional spirit was virtually unknown in the United States at the time, and Cooper founded Del Maguey Single Village Mezcal in order to import it. Finding Mezcal recounts Cooper's love affair with the spirit and the people who make it; its meteoric rise in popularity; and the delicate balance between sharing mezcal with the world and facilitating its preservation. Each chapter introduces a new mezcal, its producer, and its place of origin, while also covering mezcal production methods and the botany of the maguey (aka agave) plant, from which mezcal is distilled. Featuring 40 recipes developed for Del Maguey by chefs and bartenders from around the world, the book is copiously illustrated with photographs, as well as Cooper's artwork and that of his friend Ken Price, who illustrated Del Maguey's now-iconic labels.

Understanding Mezcal is a life's-work by renowned agave expert Jay Schroeder that, for the first time in print, puts all the pieces of the mezcal puzzle in one place. The groundbreaking book aims to serve as an encyclopedia of the mezcal world , examining the spirit from every angle including tradition, science, economics and biology. The snappy book, which Chef Rick Bayless calls a "must" , will put readers in the head of Schroeder as he dives deep into the world of the spirit while delivering reams of information in a light and humorous tone.

Sections Mezcal as a Term, Agave, Agave & Humans, Making Mezcal, Distillation, Agave Types, Economic Realities, On Tradition, The State of Tequila, and The Future. Understanding Mezcal is work that will set the bar for spirits writing moving forward. Much of the book, which features more than 70 hand-drawn illustrations by Mexico City-based illustrator Polly Jiménez, contains source material that has never before been published on the topic.

This is a bookshelf mainstay for any bartender who has a bottle of mezcal on the back bar.

Shortlisted for the 2026 André Simon Drinks Award

From tequila to mezcal, from spicy margaritas to sipping neat: this is the ultimate guide to drinking agave spirits.

Tequila and mezcal have never been so popular: from spicy margaritas to sipping them neat and Tequila, Mezcal & More is the perfect Christmas gift or stocking stuffer for the tequila fan in your life.

ONE OF FORBES' BEST WINE AND SPIRITS BOOKS FOR 2025

"A narrative that's genuinely rooted in place...with tasting tips and cocktail ideas." - Jessica Dupuy, Forbes

"There is a deep, earthy magic beneath the surface of these spirits, unveiled by Anna's equally magical photographs and stories. I will never again be able to drink, smell, or see mezcal without remembering the fire, sweat, and soul poured into it! A beautiful art form." - David Bayley, songwriter and lead vocalist for Glass Animals

'A beautifully written, and also beautifully designed, guide to the huge world of agave spirits, from someone who really knows it from the inside. Essential reading for enthusiasts and experts alike.' - Alice Lascelles

'A seminal book on Mexican spirits' - Matt Kepnes (@nomadicmatt), New York Times best-selling author of How to Travel the World on $75 a Day

'A narrative that's genuinely rooted in place...with tasting tips and cocktail ideas.' - Jessica Dupuy, Forbes

Mexico-based agave journalist and photographer Anna Bruce dives into everything you need to know about tequila, mezcal, bacanora, raicilla and sotol, the people behind the bottles and the many ways to enjoy your drink.

- Learn the difference between tequila and mezcal and what actually counts as an agave spirit.
- Understand how the making influences the flavor in your glass.
- Savor the spirit in a cocktail, neat or in a series of flights.

Complete with photography of Mexico and its signature spirits, alongside illustrations from Mexican artist Uriel Barragánc 'Bouler', this is the definitive guide to understanding and enjoying agave spirits.

Cocktails include: Agave Old Fashioned, Mezcal Mule, Desert Martini, Sonora Sunrise and Bell Pepper Margarita, Psychopomp, Paloma, Mexicano and many more..
Flights include: Aged Tequila, Derrumbes State-by-State Mezcal, Tequiliana and many more...

Winner of the 2024 James Beard Foundation's Award for Beverage Writing without Recipes

“A manifesto…[and] a positive spin on the future of mezcal.” —Florence Fabricant, New York Times

The agave plant was never destined to become tasteless, cheap tequila.

All tequilas are mezcals; all mezcals are made from agaves; and every bottle of mezcal is the remarkable result of collaborations among agave entrepreneurs, botanists, distillers, beverage distributors, bartenders, and more. How these groups come together in this “spirits world” is the subject of this fascinating new book by the acclaimed ethnobotanist Gary Paul Nabhan and the pioneering restauranteur David Suro Piñera. Join them as they delight in the diversity of the distillate agave spirits, as they endeavor to track down the more distant kin in the family of agaves, and as, along the way, they reveal the stunning innovations that have been transforming the industry around tequilas and mezcals in recent decades.

The result of the authors’ fieldwork and on-the-ground interviews with mezcaleros in eight Mexican states, Agave Spirits shows how traditional methods of mezcal production are inspiring a new generation of individuals, including women, both in and beyond the industry. And as they reach back into a rich, centuries-long history, Nabhan and Suro Piñera make clear that understanding the story behind a bottle of mezcal, more than any other drink, will not only reveal what lies ahead for the tradition—including its ability to adapt in the face of the climate crisis—but will also enrich the drinking experience for readers.

Essential reading for mezcal connoisseurs and amateurs interested in unlocking the past of a delightful distillate, Agave Spirits tells the tale of the most flavorful and memorable spirits humankind has ever sipped and savored.

Featuring twelve illustrations by René Alejandro Hernández Tapia and indices that list common and scientific names for agave species, as well as the names of plants, animals, and domesticated agaves used in the production of distillates.

Holy Smoke! It’s Mezcal! The Revised 2nd Edition is being acclaimed by leading experts in the mezcal world: “An excellent book on mezcal just got better!”, “This new edition goes deeper into mezcal’s history, culture, production and the agaves that make it”, “It is a gift to enter this wonderful world from the eyes of a writer who is passionate about mezcal and part of this great community”, and this “is a very thorough act of love!”

John McEvoy, the author of the popular blog Mezcal PhD (www.mezcalphd.com), revises his original work on this magical elixir. He looks deeper into all aspects of mezcal, brings it all to life with over 150 stunning pictures, and keeps it lighthearted and entertaining along the way. Holy Smoke! is far beyond a primer on mezcal. If you want to delve deeply into the world of mezcal and understand what ultimately ends up in your glass, Holy Smoke! is the book for you.

Among other things, the author explores the history of mezcal and how it differs from tequila, the hand-crafted production process that has been handed down from generation to generation, the wide variety of agaves which are used to make mezcal, the production process and how agave varietals impact the flavor, all the mezcal brands found in the U.S., mezcal cocktails with fifty tasty recipes, and the differences between tequila, mezcal, pulque, bacanora, raicilla, sotol and more. Holy Smoke! is rich with photographs, diagrams, charts and details galore!

Emma Janzen nos conduce por el fascinante universo del mezcal a través de su larga historia, el arte de su destilación y una guía en profundidad de los agaves silvestres más usados para su producción, y cómo contribuye cada uno de ellos con su particular matiz al sabor final. Ofrece además una cincuentena de recetas procedentes de una selección de los mejores bares especializados en mezcal.

What does Oaxaca actually taste like at 7 in the morning, before the tour groups arrive?
It tastes like blue corn pressed by hand on a clay comal, charcoal smoke rising through an indoor market corridor, and a cup of tejate that has been made the same way for a thousand years. This guide puts you at that comal on day one.
OAXACA TRAVEL GUIDE 2026 was written for the traveler who wants the real city, not the curated version. The one where you know which mezcaleria opens before noon, which colectivo reaches the village market, and which weaver in Teotitlan del Valle uses cochineal dye versus synthetic.
Inside you will find:

• Day-by-day itineraries for 5 days, 10 days, and 2 full weeks
• Market-by-market breakdowns covering Mercado 20 de Noviembre, Tlacolula, and the Thursday market most visitors never reach
• Mezcal distillery visits with specific producers, prices, and what to ask
• Monte Alban and Mitla explained without the history lecture
• The Oaxacan coast now just 3 hours from the city via the new highway
• Sierra Norte hiking through cloud forest most guidebooks ignore
• Day of the Dead attendance guidance that respects the communities hosting it

Every price is listed. Every distance is specific. Every recommendation is independent.
The traveler who reads this book arrives knowing. Pick it up before someone else at your guesthouse does.

Make over 100 quick and easy tequila and mezcal cocktails with only four ingredients or less!

From the best-selling The Home Bartender comes The Home Bartender: Mezcal & Tequila, featuring 100+ creative tequila-based cocktails. You don't need a thousand-dollar liquor cabinet to impress company at your next party! This carefully curated collection of creative and delicious drink recipes requires only four ingredients or less. This volume is dedicated solely to the magic of tequila and mezcal. With classic drinks like the margarita and paloma, and innovative concoctions inspired by the vibrant flavors of Mexico, each recipe is designed for home bartenders of all skill levels.

Inside you’ll find:

• Beautiful, full-color photography throughout the book
• Virgin variations on most drinks
• Simplified classics and innovative new libations
• And more!

There's something for everyone in this cocktail book—these recipes condense the intricate and time-consuming art of cocktail-making into a process manageable for even the most time-crunched mixologist. Raise a glass to the world of agave cocktails with The Home Bartender: Mezcal & Tequila.

The array of bottles is impressive, their contents finely tuned to varied tastes. But they all share the same roots in Mesoamerica's natural bounty and human culture.

The drink is tequila—more properly, mescal de tequila, the first mescal to be codified and recognized by its geographic origin and the only one known internationally by that name. In ¡Tequila! A Natural and Cultural History, Ana G. Valenzuela-Zapata, the leading agronomist in Mexico's tequila industry, and Gary Paul Nabhan, one of America's most respected ethnobotanists, plumb the myth of tequila as they introduce the natural history, economics, and cultural significance of the plants cultivated for its production.

Valenzuela-Zapata and Nabhan take you into the agave fields of Mexico to convey their passion for the century plant and its popular by-product. In the labor-intensive business of producing quality mescal, the cultivation of tequila azul is maintained through traditional techniques passed down over generations. They tell how jimadores seek out the mature agaves, strip the leaves, and remove the heavy heads from the field; then they reveal how the roasting and fermentation process brings out the flavors that cosmopolitan palates crave.

Today in Oaxaca it's not unusual to find small-scale mescal-makers vending their wares in the market plaza, while in Jalisco the scale of distillation facilities found near the town of Tequila would be unrecognizable to old José Cuervo. Valenzuela-Zapata and Nabhan trace tequila's progress from its modest beginnings to one of the world's favored spirits, tell how innovations from cross-cultural exchanges made fortunes for Cuervo and other distillers, and explain how the meteoric rise in tequila prices is due to an epidemic—one they predicted would occur—linked to the industry's cultivation of just one type of agave.

The tequila industry today markets more than four hundred distinct products through a variety of strategies that heighten the liquor's mystique, and this book will educate readers about the grades of tequila, from blanco to añejo, and marks of distinction for connoisseurs who pay up to two thousand dollars for a bottle. ¡Tequila! A Natural and Cultural History will feed anyone's passion for the gift of the blue agave as it heightens their appreciation for its rich heritage.

For the tequila curious and the tequila connoisseur alike, a complete, illustrated guide to one of the world’s most popular spirits

Time to put away the shot glass―tequila long ago left its spring break clichés in the dust. Today, it is not just a sophisticated global phenomenon but is poised to surpass vodka to become the number one spirit in the U.S. by sales. Which means there’s no better time for A Field Guide to Tequila, the new bible on this popular spirit.

Whether you’re already an aficionado who likes to slow-sip an artisanal extra-añejo or a margarita lover curious about your favorite drink and what makes it special, A Field Guide to Tequila takes you step by step into everything that makes tequila tequila, from how it came about, to how it’s made, to how to select, taste, and serve it. Beginning with the origin of every bottle of tequila―the unique blue agave (which is actually much closer, biologically, to a lily than a cactus)―it’s all here: The life cycle of the blue agave and the complex process of turning it into liquor (hint: There’s harvesting, steaming, roasting, and―still in use in one legendary distillery―working mules). The five classes of tequila, including the unfortunate myth of blanco’s inferiority. How to read a tequila label. The seventeen tequila producers to know and brands you need to explore, from giants of the industry like Patrón and José Cuervo to traditionalists, artisans, and innovators, including Tapatío, Siete Leguas, Ocho, G4, and Cava de Oro. The real deal with so many celebrity tequila brands, a phenomenon that started with Bing Crosby. How to set up a tequila tasting. A complete guide to tequila tourism, including dos and don’ts for visiting the town of Tequila, best times to go, essential stops, and a glossary of Spanish. Oh, and a recipe for a best-ever margarita, plus three other classic tequila cocktails, including the Rolling Stones’ favorite, the tequila sunrise.

With its striking visuals and appealing package, A Field Guide to Tequila is a go-to reference that felicitously also feels like a real gift book―and vice versa.