Mezzed Up
A Mezcal Mansion on the LES

The time has come to think big.

Yes, you cherish your hidden nooks and crannies, places to pass low-lit downtown evenings in the company of your co-conspirators.

But sometimes we can all use some serious elbow room. Three floors' worth of it...

Welcome to Casa Mezcal, a genuine mansion of mezcal, music, Oaxacan deities and alligator skins, opening next week on the Lower East Side.
 
Think of it as a place to show a date your dedication to the arts: the granite facade outside explains Casa's mission as "Cine, Musica, Comida, Arte, Bar."

But let's focus on the bar. As befits any three-floor mansion, there are three bars, each stocked with endless rows of rare and opaque bottles of mezcal. Start on the ground floor with a glass from the owner's private distillery in Oaxaca, primed for sipping neat.

From here you could go up—to the plush gallery room overlooking Orchard Street—or down, where you'll find a movie screen and music stage, as well as a massive alligator skin splayed open on the wall. (A none-too-subtle warning to the band about what happens when management is unhappy with the performance.)

Lastly comes the comida, also via Oaxaca. Yes, there will be handmade tortillas and tacos. But also available: a local delicacy of fried grasshoppers with melted cheese.

Like we said, there will be tacos.