Founder Q&A, Why Mezcal?

How does Mezcal fit the Monday mission?

We are one of the original pioneer brands of non-alc. This isn’t a splashy claim, it's a responsibility to the movement - one that we don’t take lightly. 

We work daily to earn this right by continuing to delight customers, welcoming in and educating newcomers to the space, and pushing the envelope on flavor, creativity and beverage innovation.

Sharing the complexity and depth of Monday Mezcal with the non-alc community as our next offering, we believe, checks all those boxes.

This unique, first-of-its-kind reposado is going to delight the community, adding a new dimension of flavor to their non-alc barcarts while attracting Mezcal and Tequila aficionados alike to see how Monday stacks up, and perhaps even inspire others in the space to push innovation to new heights.

This one is really special and I couldn’t be more excited to share it with the world.

Why not Tequila?  

Tequila would be a very reasonable choice when thinking about an agave expression as our ‘next.’ It’s a popular and well-understood spirit, complete with tons of celeb endorsers and the Margarita serving as America’s favorite cocktail. It’s a well-paved road without a doubt.

But Monday wasn’t created to walk the easy path - we are pioneers blazing new trails in uncharted drinks territory. That means we answer the call by pushing beyond the boundaries of convention and boldly innovating – striving to bring something new and exciting to our category.  

Enter Monday Mezcal. 

What makes Monday Mezcal special?

Monday Mezcal is a tribute – a nod to old-world traditions made modern for the next wave of drinkers to experience, enjoy, and celebrate. 

By bringing a non-alc expression forward, we’re honoring the rich heritage of the Mezcalero by sharing their spirit with a larger part of the world [those of us looking for full flavor without the alcohol]. Salud!

How does Mezcal make sense as a non-alc spirit?

Mezcal is long overdue for its moment to shine in the adult drinks world and we’re here to do our part ensuring everyone has an opportunity to experience it - including those avoiding or taking a break from alcohol. We’ve seen how Mezcal has been embraced in the world of modern mixology (especially through its strength in elevating craft cocktails) so we’re excited to bring this ‘secret weapon’ of sorts to the non-alc space where nailing the perfect recipe is arguably even more crucial than for cocktails containing alcohol. 

What’s the process for getting the flavor where it needs to be?

Our distiller has a more elegant way of putting it, but I like to call it “flavor-profile whack-a-mole.” 

After defining our new spirit’s north star, going deep on the entire sensory experience we want to create, and finding a foundational base we like, we’ll iterate and refine like crazy until it's just right.

So where does the “whack-a-mole” bit come in? 

Well, the iteration and refinement process isn’t a straight line to the finish – there are twists, turns, backtracking, and gobs of blind corners (with an occasional cliff closeby). In other words, your best laid plans changing something specific more often than not affects the general.

Cue unintended consequences. 

For example, say our liquid has a beautiful nose we’re happy with right off the bat - but it lacks that back of throat burn we want and expect from an adult beverage. So, we add a few things here, ratchet up something there, and (for the sake of the example), let’s pretend we got it on the first try - voila! The heat is slow; it lingers yet doesn’t overpower - just right. But now, our gorgeous bouquet is muted and not as exciting on the nose. We have our first fork in the road: (a) keep the heat and fix the scent or (b) go back to square one and try the heat bit again.

And the beat goes on. 

Though a bit simplified (no one gets that warming element right on the first try!), this is the practice until all our flavor profile goals have been achieved and they marry up into something beautiful and complex in a bottle.

Monday Mezcal took about a year of whack-a-mole to develop with several dozen iterations taste tested and hundreds of forks in the road to get the liquid just right. 

And we can’t wait to share it with you.

I know many people who say they aren't huge fans of the smokey flavor associated with Mezcal, any advice for them?

I know this feeling. Not specifically about Mezcal, but I know the pattern. A bad first experience or poor introduction to something leads to a near life-long hatred of said thing.

My first ‘hate’ was Tequila, sparked by a meeting with a much-too-large bottle of Jose Cuervo gold my first year in college. I believe we coined that night D.O.M. (drunk on Monday) to celebrate a rare dorm-wide holiday from classes. That rare event - shooting the worst of the worst warm without salt or lime over and over, followed by the most evil hangover in human existence - forced me off a whole category of spirits for 10+ years. 

Fast forward to what I know now (and many of you have known for a while) - good Tequila is really f*&king good and I’ve been missing out on all these smooth sippers and top shelf spirits with highly nuanced and interesting flavors. 

I assumed my one bad experience summed up all possible experiences in that space and missed out on some good times filled with flavor as a result.

Don’t make my same mistake.

And in the case of Mezcal – true, most of these spirits have some smoke to them, but many have those elements as the supporting actor, not the overwhelming star – and once combined in a well balanced cocktail, you may find Mezcal adds this extra dimension of flavor you (a) didn’t expect and (b) really enjoy.