M is for Mezcal

There was a time when the taste, let alone the smell, of mezcal made me recoil. Thanks to a certain someone (you know who you are!), now I fully embrace the bold and robust flavors of this spirit & often order cocktails with this as a main ingredient.

At the NW Chocolate Festival in Seattle last November, a friend literally dragged me to the Cuna de Piedra booth telling me I *HAD* to taste their mezcal bars. He also mockingly told me that I couldn’t buy the Mezcal Reposado bar since HE BOUGHT THE LAST ONE! 😧 To console myself, I purchased this Mezcal Joven bar paired with 73% Soconusco, Chiapas origin dark chocolate. Hopefully I can get my hands on the other bar soon!

Love the reddish brown color and that each rectangular baton is emblazoned with part of a Spanish phrase that translates to: “Mexico, cradle of cacao. From the bean to the bar.” Cuna de Piedra translates to “stone cradle” – though I’m not certain if they are referring to the metate, a tool that is often used to grind cacao into paste.

Citrusy aroma & lightly bitter taste, like pith or peel, which makes sense when reading the informational panel on the outer label: “Young Mezcal made from 100% Maguey Espadin from Santiago Matatlán, a town located in the central valleys of Oaxaca, considered to be the ‘world capital of mezcal.’ The agaves were crushed into an Egyptian stone mill, known as tahona, the liquid was fermented in oaks vats and double distilled in clay pot stills to obtain the freshest citrus and herbal notes, which blend harmoniously with our Soconusco, Chiapas 73%.”

Medium to sharp snap; flourless chocolate cake texture when chewed. There is an immediate burst of bright fruity flavor as soon as a piece hits your tongue/palate. There’s a lightly smoky taste without being overwhelming. Thick/palate coating mouthfeel during the slow/even melt. The texture is not completely smooth, but also not grainy. I was surprised to read that the alcohol had been removed from the Mezcal, making this bar non-alcoholic.

For no other reason than there was “Piedra” in the company name, I paired this chocolate with a dram of Santo de Piedra Mezcal Joven. This mezcal had a granny smith / Jolly Rancher apple flavor on its own. Sipping the mezcal while having a piece of chocolate in my mouth resulted in an unusual savory flavor combination that made me think of salsa, with notes of tomato, onion & garlic! 🤯

To find out more about the chocolate, please visit: https://shop.cunadepiedra.com/

As an added bonus, I tried a second mezcal/citrus dark chocolate bar. This has languished in my stash for over a year, the best by date elapsed more than 7 months ago. I wouldn’t say that I’m a procrastinator, I just started planning this round of the alcohol Eating the Chocolate Alphabet too early!

This Parliament Chocolate bar (from Redlands, CA) has a muted smoky aroma straight out of the inner wrapper. I was surprised to see so many holes/gaps along the edges as well as an unexpected crunch – I’m assuming it’s from candied citrus peel even though it wasn’t listed as an ingredient. Medium to sharp snap; crumbly texture when chewed. Slow to melt on the tongue & there is none of the smoky “bite” that I associate with mezcal.

Since this Peloton de la Muerte mezcal is known to have fruity flavors, I thought it would be a good pairing with the chocolate. That first sip was pure fire, but once that subsided it was smooth & tangy. I’m not sure that it enhanced the chocolate, but it certainly didn’t detract from it.

In case you’re curious about the tiny drams of mezcal, these were from a 2017 Drinks by the Dram advent calendar from Masters of Malt, not sure when they will be shipping to the US again, but hopefully soon!

Many restaurants have Tequila Tuesday events, but I say we need to institute Mezcal Miercoles ASAP!! Salud!