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1 6 | t h e c l e v e r r o o t TOOLS OF THE TRADE The Problem: How to serve mezcal in a contemporary bar. The Solution: The copita. The Problem Solver: Mescalier Josh Phillips of Espita Mezcaleria in Washington, D.C. DRINKING MEZCAL AT ESPITA MEZCALERIA What do you look for in a copita? They can't be too deep, or a one-ounce pour looks like the cup is empty. We went through many different renditions, a dozen shapes or so, before we found the one we liked. We tried co- pitas made in many different places and finally settled on ones made in Colorado. They're both rustic and elegant at the same time—much like mezcal. Drinking from a wide-mouth vessel is a curious experience—it's almost like sipping from a bowl. And it is. As the mezcal sits in the copita, it evaporates a little, changing the flavor. There's so much alcohol in the nose, and it diminishes as you drink it. How do you serve your mezcal? First of all, we serve a six-ounce pour in a small apothecary bottle. That's three cups for two persons, which you get to pour yourself—a very sociable feeling. Can I guess that mezcal is best served neat? You can. But you'd be right and wrong. We sell a lot right from the bottle. But we also make some very unusual cocktails with mez- cal. There's one that's mezcal with ginger and cucumber, another called the Oaxacan Firing Squad with spiced grenadine, Amargo Vallet Bit- ters and lime. We make a Highball with mezcal. It introduces tequila drinkers to mezcal. You have more than two dozen varietals on your shelves. Do any of them come with a worm? Not often. But we do serve the worm mixed with the salt on the rim of a cocktail glass. So it's there—in spirit at least. story by Merrill Shindler / illustrations by Diane Henschel VISIT A MEZCAL DISTILLERY (properly called a palenque) in the distant hills of Oaxaca, and you'll be served this deeply vegetal, profoundly traditional Mexican spirit in a rough, round vessel called a jicara, made from the bark of the fruit of the jicara tree. To drink mezcal from a jicara is to con- nect with a ritual thousands of years old. It is to step back in time with a cup of power- ful goodness. Visit Espita Mezcaleria in Washington, D.C., where the house motto is "Here We Drink Mez- cal," and you'll be served your mezcal in a low, black pottery cup, based on the fabled black pottery of Oaxaca, that carries you thousands of miles to the south as you journey through the multitude of flavors that have made mezcal the spirit of the moment among those who are always looking for something new. Though, of course, in this case, what's new is very old. And no, it doesn't always come with a gusano—a worm—in the bot- tom of the bottle (though if it does, you can be sure the worm died a happy death). Mezcalier Josh Phillips, owner of Espita, explains it all, and then some. Merrill Shindler: There are three ways to drink mezcal neat, aside from straight from the bottle. You opted for the very traditional copita. Josh Phillips: The oldest method is the jicara, which is memorable. But they don't hold up in the dishwasher. There's a short glass that resembles a votive candleholder called a veladora. But for us, the best way was in a copita— very traditional, very beautiful . . . and washable. Mezcalier Josh Phillips, owner of Espita Mezcaleria in Washington, D.C. Renewing the Ritual PHOTO: REY LOPEZ ■cr