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Chef Enrique Olvera is launching a mezcal

The famed Mexican chef is launching his own mezcal

Manojo Mezcal
Manojo Mezcal

Enrique Olvera is a big deal in the culinary world. The renowned Mexican chef is the owner and head chef at the wildly popular haute cuisine Pujol in Mexico City, the ninth-ranked restaurant in the world. Having made a name for himself on the culinary world stage, he’s setting his sights on mezcal.

Manojo Mezcal

Manojo Mezcal
Manojo Mezcal

It’s called Manojo Mezcal, and its name combines two Spanish words: “Mano,” meaning hand, and “Ojo,” meaning eye. If you directly translate the word, it means “a bunch,” and co-founder Olvera and his team believe the name means “an abundance of friends and good times fueled by great mezcal.”

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Olvera and his team worked closely with famed husband-and-wife mezcaleros Joel Velasco and Felicitas Hernández. The duo has more than five decades of mezcal-making experience.

The brand’s first mezcal is Manojo Mezcal Espadín which made with a seven—to nine-year-old Espadin agave base. This creates an 86-proof, memorable, sippable mezcal with notes of minerality, herbs, orchard fruits, and a smooth, sweet, memorable finish. This mezcal is best enjoyed in a cocktail or neat with a slice of orange.

“Manojo Mezcal is meant to be enjoyed with friends, a celebration of life and our rich cultural heritage” Olvera, Manojo Co-founder and Creative Imagineer said in a press release. “We’re incredibly proud to introduce our first product, an Espadín, that’s versatile and easy to drink.”

Where can I buy it?

Mezcal
Marlon Michelle Corado/Unsplash

Manojo Mezcal is available in the US at manojomezcal.com and at select retailers for a suggested retail price of $49.99.

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Christopher Osburn
Christopher Osburn is a food and drinks writer located in the Finger Lakes Region of New York. He's been writing professional
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