Pensador

Pensador is what Mezcal snobs call an ‘ensamble’. In other words, a blend. In this case, it’s fruity Espadin agave and earthy Madre-cuishe agave. Made by Don Atenogenes in his fields near Miahuatlan, the agave is harvested with machetes, processed on a mill pulled by mules, and roasted for five days over an open fire to caramelise the sugars. Laborious, but the result is strong enough to knock out a luchador. Rare mezcal indeed.  £40 Buy

Alipus San Juan

Alipus is the hipster mezcal. It’s owned by two brothers (it’s always ‘two brothers’, usually with beards) who purchased a tiny artisan distillery and introduced state-of-the-art chemistry to ensure a regular supply of world class mezcal. If you want to be a real snob, sip it between snacking on slices of orange sprinkled with agave worm salt, a smoky seasoning made from the pests that live in the agave plant.  A rare mezcal for the connoisseur.  £54 Buy

El Jolgorio Tepeztate

Why does this beauty cost £85 a bottle? Allow us to explain. Espadin is the easiest type of agave to grow and takes eight years to ripen. Tobala only grows at high altitude and takes fifteen years to ripen.  Tepeztate, however, takes 30 years to ripen and only grows on the side of cliffs, making it a nightmare to harvest. By drinking this peppery beauty, you’re basically driving the plant to extinction. Still, it’s bloody delicious. As rare a mezcal is it gets. £85 Buy

Keep the Mexican fires burning with these three recipes for margaritas you can make at home.