In Mexico City at the Alameda Central , inside the Art Deco building of Barrio Alameda, there is a Mezcalería called Mundana, where you can find a great variety of mezcals from San Pedro Totolapan, Miahuatlán, Abarradas, Sola de Vega, Ocotlán, Ejutla, Michoacán, Oaxaca and Guerrero de la meseta purépecha and the Sierra Guerrero.
Mundana, is distinguished by moving away from the tradition of tasting mezcals with a slice of orange, or lemon. Here, we tasted them with slices of green tomato, since the tomato has a very neutral flavor. At first glance, many people think it is a green apple or even agave. We have never tried raw green tomato! Combined with the mixture of salts that they themselves make, it allowed us to taste the full flavor of each mezcal.
The tomatos are lightly coated with mealworm salt, and a combination of salt with the ash of dried chiles. Chile guajillo and pasilla are roasted, crushed in a molcajete, and the ash that remains is delicious!
According to what our friendly waiter Christian explained, is the tomato neutralizes the pH in our mouth; while the orange and citrus tend to confuse the palate with its acidity. While the tomato cleanses and prepares it for whats to come. This way we can taste each of the notes of the mezcal.
The drinks are selected by a group of enthusiasts who enjoy drinking them more than selling them. This wonderful liquid is bought directly from mezcal masters of the sierra and is paid at a fair price that recognizes the hard work and creativity of man, as well as the climate and the land from which they come.
In Mundana you can enjoy a mezcal alone, accompanied or mixed. That is, straight, with a beer on the side or combined in cocktails. In fact, the day we visited, to pleased our appetite, and ordered a delicious traditional margarita, but obviously with mezcal. It was no surprise as to how good it tasted!
Here all the staff is trained, and are given workshops every two months because sometimes the batches of mezcal can change. They have seasonal mezcals. So, for that reason, they have to stay aware of what notes changed, if the degree of alcohol changed. The entire staff is capable of making a proper recommendation of what to drink or not to drink, according to your tastes.
Mezcal is a spirit that can be quite strong, in fact, too strong for some. We recommend you never drink it as a straight shot because it can be too intense. Rather, to drink it properly you “kiss’ the mezcal.
You should order a flight of mezcal, and listen carefully to the descriptions from your waiter. It’s really great mix of 5 different mezcals, of different abv. Each one has its own essence!
We drank a wild Jabali with 51% abv. An ensemble with 54% abv. For a mezcal to be called an ensemble, it has to be a combination of at least two or up to five agaves without losing each of the properties of each agave that is being merged. In this case, it has there are two. It has the agave “pulquero” of which pulque is made and the agave that is called arroqueño. The result is surprising: the magical blend is light in alcohol taste, distinguished by its earthy notes.
The one that followed was the arroqueño which contains 47% abv and it was distilled in a clay pot, which gives it those exquisite notes because it smells earthy, like wet earth.
The following is a Tobalá that contains 47% abv. Its specific notes are that it is very smoky, it was the smokiest and herbal.
And finally, we tried a cuish, which contains 47% abv and is from Ocotlán Oaxaca. We learned that its specific notes are a bit fruity. This is due to the master mezcalero distills the agave that grows very close to where they sow Fruit. For that reason it tends to have those notes of fruit, it is slight but they are perceived.
But hey, not everything is mezcal, for snacking we also want to say that the highlight of the menu would be the guacamole criollo, the melted cheese with mezcal, and the tlacoyitos. They also have a nice variety of craft beers.
They play some awesome playlists of all kinds of artists, with a friendly environment that draws the attention of nationals and foreign tourists from all over the world who are visiting the beautiful CDMX.
“When you drink mezcal it is said that there are three sensations, first, in the front of your mouth, where you taste it a little, so that your tongue gets used to it. Then you pass it, and you will feel a sensation in the rest of your mouth and your throat, a different type of flavor. Last, as you exhale, again there is even another sensation. It is these three little steps that must be distinguished between each of the different mezcals you taste.”
Direction:
Cuauhtemoc, 06000, Mexico City, D.F. Calle Doctor Mora 9 Local Interior 6, Mexico City 06000 Mexico
Transport:
Metro and Metrobús Hidalgo
Price:
Average consumption per person / PRICE RANGE
$ 80 – $ 320 MXN