QuiQuiRiQui Mezcal

QuiQuiRiQui Mezcal is an espadin mezcal joven made in Matatlan in Oaxaca, known in Mexico as the World Capital of Mezcal.

At first I was dubious about this, just from the bottle. It’s curiously old-fashioned, with typefaces that were last used in the Psychedelic Sixties. The name is the Mexican equivalent of Cock-a-Doodle-Doo (‘Ki-ki-ree-ki’), which is a strange name for a spirit, and the main redeeming feature was the illustration showing a cockerel stomping on a scorpion.

No self-respecting mezcal lover would ever try a mezcal with a scorpion or a worm in the bottom of the bottle. That was a marketing gimmick dreamed up by one company back in the 1950s, and should have stayed there. Good mezcal doesn’t need gimmicks.

QuiQuiRiQui Mezcal

And despite the bottle, this is a good mezcal. On the nose it has a very light and smooth scent, slightly sweet and flowery, like a meadow or a garden after some rain, a very sweet and fresh smell. It smells a little like a buttery chardonnay, with some vanilla creaminess, some lemon, and only hints of the smoke that mezcals are usually noted for. Here the smoke is well back in the mix.

This all comes through when you taste it, too, as does the alcohol at 45% ABV (90 proof). You also get the earthiness of the agave, which is typical for both tequilas and mezcals, and a dash of peppery spice, which lingers on the finish.

QuiQuiRiQui Mezcal in the UK

One interesting fact if you live in the UK is that this was the first mezcal to be imported there, back in 2012. That was down to a woman named Melanie Symonds, a former TV Producer who went to Oaxaca in 2011, discovered mezcal, and it changed her life. She went back to London looking for mezcals, couldn’t find any, so decided to start importing it and opened her own mezcal bar to introduce people to this spirit she had fallen in love with.

QuiQuiRiQui Mezcal

What’s remarkable about this QuiQuiRiQui Mezcal is (a) the price, and (b) the quality. It’s a joven mezcal, which is an unaged one. What you taste is all down to the agave and the distiller. Barrels don’t enter the equation. It’s also made from the espadin agave, the most widely-used for mezcal production and very easy to make rough mezcal with.

There’s nothing rough about this, though. It’s smooth as can be, and would be a good introduction for anyone curious to try mezcal. I think if you try this, you’ll be curious to try more. QuiQuiRiQui does also make mezcals from other agaves now, like the tobala, but this was the original.

QuiQuiRiQui Mezcal Cocktails

When a spirit is both quality and affordable, you don’t need to treat it preciously and only sip it neat. Use it in cocktails too. Mezcals can be used in anything you’d make with tequila, like a Paloma or a Margarita, to make you instead a Smoky Paloma or Smoky Margarita. Try it! Satisfaction guaranteed.

Buying QuiQuiRiQui Mezcal

You can learn more at the QuiQuiRiQui website, where you can also order online. You can also buy it at Master of Malt, with international shipping. In the UK you can also buy it on Amazon.