Even for those who say “the last time they tried mezcal was when the worm mezcal was a thing 10 years ago and it was the worst hangover that they have ever had,” Neta’s Madrecuixe has the power to change minds, says Curiel. This spirit, made in single batches with family producers in Miahuatlán, Oaxaca, is not technically a mezcal. Neta has forgone certification, a decision that, according to the brand, is a statement against the Consejo Regulador del Mezcal’s role in “homogenization” and flattening the diversity of the people and techniques behind the spirit. “You get the taste and nose that’s almost sweet and smoky, which is not traditional [for madrecuixe, an older agave],” says Curiel. “I get banana or coconut [notes]. To me, it’s a super special spirit.”

Pox, pronounced “posh,” is a corn, wheat and sugar cane distillate from Chiapas, Mexico. In the U.S., there are not many expressions of this spirit, which has a long history in Maya culture. For Curiel, the traditions around pox, and the ingredients used to make it, are exemplary of his program. “When we speak about Mexican food, we always say, ‘Without corn, there is no country,’” he says. “What a beautiful and powerful thing for a distillation to be made from corn.” He describes this spirit as almost like a whiskey, and its flavor, when tried neat, as having the “fattiness and thickness of a burnt nixtamalized tortilla.” Mezcaleria Alma puts this spirit into its Corn Sour, the signature drink that layers four corn-based spirits under a fluffy foam of corn and sprinkle of corn salt.

Though there are many gin-producing regions around the world, Mexico isn’t typically the first place that comes to mind for the botanical spirit. Condesa is an outlier in that way. “I’ve been an underdog my whole life,” says Curiel. “So when somebody tries to do something that is out of the box and they’re able to nail it, I think they deserve praise.” This gin combines 12 botanicals, including Mexican ingredients like palo santo, sage and xoconostle, a cactus fruit. It brings an aromatic, lightly smoky flavor to cocktails, from simple Gin & Tonics to layered drinks like the Floradora.

As Curiel notes, not everyone that comes into the mezcaleria is necessarily looking to drink the namesake spirit. “I’m not a tequila drinker, but if I were going to do a taster for somebody who comes in and says, ‘Hey, I don’t want to drink mezcal,’ it’s always going to be Cascahuin.” It’s a versatile spirit that also works well in cocktails, favored in drinks like our favorite Margarita and this spiked take on the carajillo. Crisp and vegetal, the additive-free tequila is a nice tie to the mezcals on the list. “When I think of a salmiana or verde mezcal, I get peppers and citrus on the nose, and Cascahuin reminds me of that,” he says. It helps, too, that this tequila is from Arenal, Jalisco, where Curiel is from.

Palmilla is the Sonora name for the Dasylirion plant and the spirit made from it, also known as sotol. “There’s a steakhouse here in Denver that my wife and I go to a lot, and I talk about [this spirit] so much that the last time we went, they had it on the shelf,” says Curiel. “When you think about sharing Mexico, and a steakhouse of all [places] bringing it because we talked about it and they loved it, it’s awesome.” This palmilla is smoky, herbaceous and toasty, according to Curiel, who compares it to the taste and aroma of burnt caramel. It’s a rarer find stateside, especially because, this year, the family that makes Rancho Tepua’s Palmilla has actually decided to not export it, instead allocating all of the spirit for Mexico. “They want to make sure that they give it back to the land,” says Curiel.