No longer content to play second fiddle to tequila, mezcal is finally getting its share of the spotlight in the Bay Area, thanks in part to a resurgent interest in Oaxacan cuisine. We have no shortage of mezcal tastings around town, then. But very few of them take place in as bucolic a setting as this “Around the World in Six Glasses” event in the Deserts of the Americas section of the UC Berkeley Botanical Garden — one of the real gems of the East Bay if you’re a plant lover. Amid the garden’s many varieties of agave — the key ingredient for making mezcal — staff member Basil Medeiros will be on hand to offer a horticulturist’s perspective on the desert plant. Best of all, participants will get to taste a wide range of mezcals courtesy of the Mezcalistas. A selection of small bites to help soak up the booze is included in the price of admission.
Mezcal Tasting at the UC Berkeley Botanical Garden
