Art & Culture

MUSA Mezcal

With a smokey entrance and smooth finish, the limited-batch MUSA Mezcal harvested from the elusive Coyote Agave, is creativity’s choice.

Mezcal, the taste of MUSA. A hearty ritual, spiritualised by its historic origins from the earth. From the elusive Coyote Agave; this limited batch of MUSA mezcal reflects a smokey entry and smooth finish, followed by notes of minerality and rich dark chocolate that’s expertly crafted for sipping. Produced in collaboration with Zihuatanejo-based and female-owned Mano y Corazon, MUSA’s mezcal is an exploration into the heart of the region for a signature spirit enjoyed by all at MUSA, spawning days and nights of lively conversation, heated dance, and innovative design, making it creativity’s choice.

In MUSA founder and Chief Creative Officer Andrés Saavedra’s Hideaway, his temporary home and office as the residential and bio pool project progresses through construction, the late afternoon sun floods through the windows onto his kitchen table and now, makeshift desk, scattered with plans, sketches, and range of fine point pens, bright markers, and grayscale pencils. Paperwork - contracts, commissions, communications, and custom home designs - sit next to a Leica point and shoot and various printed inspirations; his collection of hefty coffee table books stacked in every corner of the home to total a small library of references and textbooks encompassing theories of community, utopian design, and ideals of innovative thinking and personal expansion.

“You can feel the plant. It’s as natural as it gets.”
– Andrés Saavedra

For Andrés, mezcal is a “happy drink.” From its origins of agave, wildly grown and cultivated most famously in Oaxaca but produced in many regions of Mexico, such as MUSA’s own Guerrero, Mezcal is the more mature and revered cousin of Tequila, also of the agave plant, but with a few notable differences - Mezcal is made from agave’s between 12 to 18 years in age before they are hand-harvested by often multi-generational farmers, and cooked in earthen ovens with wood and charcoal, before distillation takes place in large clay pots. Although commercial production may have adopted more modern methods in the age of mezcal’s rising popularity, this traditional way of producing the spirit for artisanal makers such as Mano y Corazon, is what lends itself to the now signature smoky notes of the drink that until recently, has remained relatively mysterious to even the most refined of food and spirit connoisseurs outside of Mexico.

It’s this connection to the land that makes imbibing the spirit so enjoyable. At MUSA, the open-format relationship with the landscape is what carves our direction for design and living at the forefront of the natural world. For Andrés, drinking mezcal is an extension of that premise. “You can feel the plant. It’s as natural as it gets.”

Originating from fields in Santa Maria Zoquitlan by the Manzano family, MUSA’s mezcal is a stunning expression of a unique character. An earthy and slightly smoky entry, followed by flavours of mineralogy and rich dark chocolate, finish dry and balanced, for an enjoyable agave crafted for sipping. For mezcal maker and long-time friend of Andrés and Tara Medina, Zayury Jimenez, crafting a limited batch mezcal that equally matched the energy of the project she was creating it for was another natural process. “I have been close friends with Tara and Andrés for almost 12 years now. We have shared many great times together, often with the company of good mezcal. I know they are very appreciative of the spirit. They were the first ones to support my mezcal project through their businesses (LOOT and MUSA) and personally, so it was only natural for me to share the love.”

Taking about 25 kilograms of cooked agave to yield approximately one liter of Coyote, a rare agave due to its endangerment in the wild, the MUSA mezcal is a special spirit meant to be shared. Created from the heart and rooted in the rich fabric of Mexico, you can taste the wealth of the land with every sip. For Zayury, it's the memories it conjures that makes it so meaningful.

“It reminds me of my grandpa, who used to make it and was like my father. Because it is in my blood, it is part of my ancestors and traditions. (I love mezcal) because of the complexity of the agaves and the way it makes me feel and remember when I drink it.”
– Zayury Jimenez

A drink to enjoy, but better to create, learn, and extend within the boundaries of mind and self, this limited-edition batch of Coyote Agave mezcal is exclusively available at MUSA.