You needn’t think too hard to figure out what the spiritual focus of San Francisco’s Mezcalito, a bar and restaurant which opened seven months ago. It’s right there in the name.

At a recent tasting, bar manager Adam Mangold walked us through a good chunk of the extensive cocktail list here, almost all of which involves healthy doses of mezcal.

Mangold welcomed us with a small pour of Union Uno, the house mezcal, served with chili-spiced pineapple and orange slices. This is a fresh and clean starter mezcal, light on the smoke and earthy notes, with a restrained body. It was an excellent entry to the broader list, when things get more exciting.

Straight out of the gate, Mangold hit a home run by crafting the establishment’s Maracuya Sour, which blends Siete Misterios mezcal, passion fruit, vanilla agave, lime, and egg whites. Peychaud’s bitters are spritzed across the top of the frothy drink, using a stencil to leave a big red M across the drink. Tropical, with a big lime kick, it’s a fresh and fun drink with a subtle smokiness, growing in power as the volume of liquid left in the glass drops.

The Fresita de San Felipe was originally made with gin, but the bar recently swapped it for reposado tequila, which pairs with a strawberry jalapeno shrub, ginger, and lime. It’s a solid drink, but I found the herbal notes a little hefty, overwhelming the strawberry notes, which I’d love to see more of.

The Tequila Pimm’s Cup is exactly what it says, a Latin spin on a classic Pimm’s, with cucumber-infused blanco tequila, Pimm’s No. 1, mint, lime, ginger, and ginger beer to finish it off. The presentation of the drink is gorgeous, and the character is akin to a spiked iced tea, punchy with an herbal kick on the back end. Summery but bold, it’s both curious and refreshing.

Jonathan’s Gin & Tonic (that’s the official name) is just now debuting on the cocktail list, and it’s a Barcelona-style G&T, spiked with mezcal (of course). Gin, mezcal, and Fever Tree Mediterranean Tonic Water are the core of the drink, but it’s the addition of dried hibiscus that takes this to another level. Bold and bitter at first, the hibiscus slowly infuses into the drink over 10 to 15 minutes to give it a fresh, floral character — and coloring the initially clear cocktail a lovely shade of pink. Your patience is rewarded on this one with a complex and vibrant cocktail.

Closing off the night after a dinner of traditional and not-so-traditional Mexican dishes, ranging from fresh oysters with smoked mignonette (a killer combo with mezcal) to a lobster role with chili butter on the side, Mangold brought by the Xoco-Mil, a dessert cocktail made with mezcal, Aperol, creme de cacao, yellow Chartreuse, and cream soda. A very grown-up milkshake, it’s a sultry, spicy chocolate kick that is fun and filling. Pro tip: Ditch the straw and drink it from the top to get bits of the cocoa garnish with every sip.

None of these sound like they’re to your liking? Check out one of the dozens of mezcals, many of which are incredibly hard to find, on the mezcal list.

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