Best Bars To Grab A Mezcal At In Medellin

TLDR? There are some great mezcal bars around Medellin where you can try this smoky cocktail.

Medellin has a very happening nightlife. You can really feel the palpable electricity in the air when you hit the streets of its party districts on a weekend night. There’s a joie-de-vivre that’s hard to put your finger on.

One drink you can get at the many bars in Medellin is mezcal. Mezcal is a spirit derived from agave that has made an impact on cocktail and spirit culture worldwide. It’s got a distinctive smokey flavor and aroma that packs quite a punch on the flavor palette.

For the discerning spirit drinker, it’s quite irresistible. Here’s a small guide to some of the best bars in Medellin to grab a mezcal at!

Some Mezcal Background

Mezcal distinguishes itself from the most well-known agave spirit, Tequila, due to its very distinctive flavor. It’s also distinguished for the process that’s involved in distilling it from the Agave plant.

Mezcal is distilled from agave hearts that have been roasted before the distillation process. This is where the spirit’s smokey flavor comes from.

Traditionally it has been a drink confined to certain regions of Mexico like Oaxaca. But recently, the drink has recently found itself with a wider audience.

La Cruda

La Cruda is a higher-end Mexican joint in Poblado that serves up nouveau twists of classic Mexican cuisine. At night, it turns into quite the happening nightclub, with Medellin’s young and beautiful flocking to the venue to take a bite out of their night out.

The bar has a pretty killer cocktail menu, and a diverse set of tequilas and mezcals are available. You can buy some of these by the bottle or take them as a flight of shots that comes with citrus and Picante garnishes.

They have two trademark cocktails in particular that I found to be quite tasty. The first is El Amenecido, a zesty little number with several kinds of fruit and lemon twist.

The very tasty Speedy also features mezcal, orange juice, pineapple juice, and ginger beer. They’re all mixed into a fiery and passionate combination.

La Cruda is also one of the restaurants included on the Casacol VIP Black Card, so it has that going for it as well!

Address: Cra. 35 #8a-125, Medellín, El Poblado, Antioquia

Dos Santos Cantina

Right down the street from La Cruda is Dos Santos Cantina, a rip-roaring piece of the Poblado nightlife with food and beverages galore.

The cocktail menu is quite extensive and features a variety of drinks with all kinds of spirits. Their signature cocktail featuring mezcal is called the Nahual Espiritu Lobo. It’s a fierce combination of mezcal and bourbon garnished with honey and strawberries. Yowza!

Part of the culture surrounding Mezcal has to do with the fact that it’s a delicious spirit that you can slowly take little sips of. This is to fully take in the aromas and flavors of the beverage.

So any bar serving mezcal worth its salt (on the rim) would have an extensive list of quality mezcals that you could luxuriate in the flavors of.

Dos Santos has some of the world’s most popular Mezcals available. This ranges from the very popular Mezcal Union, as well as the critic’s favorite Siete Misterios.

And if you’re looking for some bites to complement your smokey beverage, they have a very well-rounded menu of Mexican bar snacks and entrees. This is for you to chow on while you kick back a couple of Nahual Espirito Lobos.

Dos Santos has the bonus of being plopped in the middle of a ton of other places to hang out in Poblado. You can position yourself to have a barrel of laughs at the dozens of other bars and restaurants. So whether you’re just starting your night or winding down.

Address: Cra 33 #7 – 165, Medellín, El Poblado, Medellín, Antioquia

Siete Pulgadas Small Bar

Mezcal goes down better when it’s drunk in an environment that’s as atmospheric, smokey, and moody as the drink itself. Nothing hits better than a good context for a good drink!

If you’re with me, you would probably enjoy hanging out at Siete Pulgadas Small Bar. It’s a Poblado joint that’s so cool it was placed in this blog’s list of the best speakeasies in Medellin.

Well, here it is again, showing everybody up with its great vibe and happening crowd. I found that the environment was slightly mellower than a lot of the other places to hang out in Poblado. So, if that sound like your cup of tea, then this would be a spot to keep in mind.

Siete Pulgadas has a very well-rounded menu of all kinds of drinks, and that includes a few choice Mezcals that pop up in a couple of the house cocktails.

The bar is very informal and also functions as a listening room, featuring a high-quality sound system. There are also occasional DJs who come through the place.

The last time I was staying in Poblado, Siete Pulgadas quickly became my first choice for my after-dinner, after-work, before the big night out, all kinds of excuses to go to their favorite hang out. So this place comes highly recommended.

Address: Cra 43C #10 – 60, Medellín, El Poblado, Medellín, Antioquia

Savoring the Smoky Flavor of Mezcal In Medellin

Medellin has a lot to offer to the wayward gourmand. Sometimes narrowing down what you’re looking for can help you decide from a variety of options.

I found that my mezcal drinking quest satisfied several priorities by allowing me to focus a bit on one specific spirit. As always, there’s more to explore, so until then, hopefully, this guide will lead you to some tasty Mezcal!

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