On a windswept corner of Red Hook, Brooklyn, overlooking the Statue of Liberty, a party of epic proportions was held at the Liberty Warehouse to celebrate an emerging mezcal brand, Fósforo Mezcal. Hailing from the foothills of Huehuetlan el Grande, a small village in Puebla, Mexico, master mezcalero Aaron Alva Sanchez has harnessed four generations of knowledge and expertise harvesting agave to create the unique product that is Fósforo Mezcal. Working in tandem with Sanchez’s vision is Mariana Hernandez, whose business acumen and marketing strategies have helped to put Fósforo on the map of a heavily saturated market.
The final pieces of the Fósforo puzzle fell into place when Jim Cramer and his wife, Lisa Detwiler, joined the team. After tasting their way through hundreds of Mexican mezcal producers, the couple instantly connected with Sanchez and Hernandez over their love of the smoky elixir, and helped bring the Fósforo brand to life.
Mezcal from agave tobala is difficult to harvest because this type of agave plant is notoriously finicky, and takes 12-15 years to mature. The multi-step process of harvesting, cooking (smoking in underground pits), fermenting, and distilling the agave plant — followed by three months of aging inside glass carboys — make it quite the time commitment to produce. But as the Fósforo team says, it is worth the wait.
Fósforo Mezcal is complex but smooth – and while you get a lot of heat on the nose – the palate is docile for a mezcal that packs quite a punch, and gives a smoky-smooth, well-rounded finish. It’s balanced without being bland, and is flavorful enough to sip on its own, while also standing out in a cocktail.
Check out Fósforo Mezcal and see how it stacks up!
