The boozy festival is going down in Fort Lauderdale from Saturday, June 22, through Monday, June 24, with the bulk of the action happening at Sistrunk Marketplace & Brewery. Founded by Andrew Martineau of UniteUs Group, a local creative marketing and event consultancy, this year's festival marks its third year in town.
"I fell in love with mezcal several years ago and realized that there just weren't many festivals focused on mezcal in the U.S. There has always been a lot of attention on tequila," he tells New Times. "So, this idea was born. The expanse of flavors and profiles of mezcal is profound, and the sugar content is low, so no hangovers. There are so many opportunities within the mezcal space at this point."
Over the past two years of its running, Mezcal Lauderdale has attracted approximately 1,000 guests throughout the weekend, and Martineau expects just as many to attend this year. This year will also feature more brands than ever, with upwards of 40 mezcal brands partaking in a slew of festivities and events happening each day, including Matasanta, Creador, Agua Magica, Del Maguey Mezal Single Village, and El Viaje Spirits.
In line with years past, organizers expect 1,000 attendees over Mezcal Lauderdale weekend in Fort Lauderdale.
Mezcal Lauderdale photo
Sunday will take folks to the House on the River for a mezcal-infused brunch, but then the activities pick up again on Monday at Sistrunk Marketplace & Brewery for a summit with educational workshops and panels and "Ultimate Mezcal Drink Master Competition." Notably, Daniel Salgado of Toro Latin Kitchen & Tequila Library has won the competition in the last two years.
A unique aspect of Mezcal Lauderdale, which has truly taken its cultural prowess to the next level, is that the festival has partnered with the Consulado General de México. The Mexcian consular office has promoted the festival to both the Mexican community as well as connect it with MezcalFest, the largest mezcal festival in Mexico, to bring unique mezcals from producers across Mexico.
"From the inception of the festival, we have partnered with the Mexican consular office to help build up our festival," adds Martineau. "This year, we'll have our biggest group yet from the office and, in general, we keep growing this more and more to be an even bigger destination event."
Tickets to each event are sold individually and available via mezcallauderdale.com.
Mezcal Lauderdale. Saturday, June 22 through Monday, June 24, at various locations in Fort Lauderdale; mezcallauderdale.com. Ticket prices vary.
