El Refugio Mezcal

For centuries, crafting and consuming mezcal has been a sacred custom for the indigenous peoples of Mexico. Used for births, baptisms, weddings, funerals, and a fuel to get through a hard day of work, mezcal is more a way of life than a spirit. It ties the people into a community and the community to the land. Creating the finest mezcal is both an art and a science that is passed down through generations, imbued with spirituality and a deep respect for ancestral belief and tradition.

Today, those deep-rooted connections to land and community feel particularly remote. As we persevere through the present uncertainty and isolation, we hope that this magical spirit will help you feel a bit more connected to humanity and the world we share.

Our story

In Baja California Sur, just as you enter the town of Todos Santos, lies a humble, family-run restaurant serving some of the best mezcals in the world: El Refugio Mezcaleria. 

Husband and wife duo Rachel and Noel opened El Refugio in 2016 to share the incredible mezcals they had discovered in villages across Mexico with their friends and family. Noel and Rachel regularly travel to remote regions in Guerrero, Puebla, Michoacan, and Oaxaca, seeking out extraordinary mezcaleros who craft artisanal mezcals in the traditions of their ancestors. They bring back the most complex, surprising agave spirits, typically produced in batches under 200 liters, that would otherwise never be available outside of the community.

The result is an exceptionally distinct and extraordinary spirit that makes you reconsider everything you thought was true about mezcal.

For years, Americans and travelers from around the world have been asking how to get El Refugio mezcal at home. So far, the answer has been “make room in your suitcase, we’ll sell you what we can!” 

In March, as a result of the global health crisis, El Refugio had to close its doors. Their hope is to reopen in a new, more spacious location in November to continue sharing their passion for these rare mezcals and the culture that brings them into being. To achieve that, they’re bottling up the last—and best—of their stock.

As fans of El Refugio, we’re teaming up with Rachel and Noel to bring these mezcals to the States for the first time. In sharing this exceptional spirit with the people who want it most, we hope to save El Refugio, and also bring a bit of magic to the world in a time of fear and chaos. 

Mezcal the way it was meant to be created

For centuries, mezcal has been made by indigenous Mexican communities for festivals, ceremonies, and celebrations; its cultural and spiritual significance is palpable. It’s a spirit that is best when made in small batches where every batch is unique. There are dozens of species of agave, and where and how the agave grows, as well as particular techniques of the mezcaleros, their beliefs, and even their community traditions, influence the flavor. 

As mezcal has grown in popularity in the US, large brands have begun to mass produce it -- but when made through an industrial process, the spirit loses its flavor, complexity, and the fundamental ties to the communities that produce it. Above all, it loses that element of the mystic that sets mezcal apart from all other spirits.

El Refugio mezcals are an exploration of story and connectivity, rather than an analysis of flavor. They rely on the intuition of Noel and his brother, Ismael, who come from a long line of mezcaleros in Guerrero. They do not cater their selection to the foreign palette -- an exceptional mezcal does not need to be tamed or toned down. El Refugio celebrates the cultures and customs of these master mezcaleros, honoring the art and science they have perfected through generations of producing mezcal. 

This is mezcal the way it was meant to be created. In sharing it with you, we hope to ignite your sense of wonder and adventure. 

The origin of El Refugio Mezcalería

To understand the magic of El Refugio, you have to understand the people behind it.

Rachel, a world traveler with an entrepreneurial spirit, and Noel, an Aztec dancer, cook, and self–taught cosmologist from Guerrero, first met in an Aztec sweat lodge in Zihuatanejo in 2012. Seven months later, they landed in Todos Santos and reconnected with Noel's heritage: mezcal. 

Two years passed of sharing artisanal mezcals and Noel's home-cooked meals with friends and visitors, until the fare became too good, the groups too large, and Rachel's patience for cleaning the tiny kitchen stretched too thin. Hence was born the idea of El Refugio. They opened their doors not knowing what would happen, only aiming to recreate the very atmosphere that had evolved around their home dining room table. 

El Refugio quickly transformed into one of the most respected mezcalerias and native Mexican restaurants in the region, thanks to their talent for sourcing incredible mezcals and Noel's wizard–like ability to capture and recreate the flavors of Guerrero, Oaxaca, and Puebla.

Their mission from day one has been to create a community gathering point to share the richness of indigenous Mexican cuisine and culture. We're honored to help advance that mission by sharing these mezcals far beyond the walls of the mezcaleria for the first time, and we hope you treasure getting to know them as much as we have.