Timothy Scott, Editor of Luxury Latin America

Los Amantes won two bronze awards in last year’s World Spirits contents, and they are popular in both Mexico and the U.S. Alipus is another recommendable brand found in the States and Mexico, made in Santiago de Matatlan by the Los Danzantes restaurant group, who own two great Oaxacan restaurants, one in Mexico City’s Coyoacan neighborhood, and another in Oaxaca City. If you are in Mexico City or Oaxaca City we recommend you stop by Mis Mezcales, a specialty mezcal shop whose owner is an endless source of information and whose shelves are stocked with small-batch, traditional producers that we guarantee are worth your time to try. If you’re in Mexico City, the birthplace of hip mezcal mixology, try the Limantour bar, which has won awards for its mezcal cocktails or Fifty Mils bar in the Mexico City Four Seasons, voted one of the world’s 50 best bars in 2018.

When figuring out where to stay in Oaxaca City, you need to decide what kind of hotel you want and where you really want to be. If you’re not in a car and want to be right in the action of the historic center, we’ve got two fresh reviews of luxury Oaxaca boutique hotels to consider. See our new review of Hotel Sin Nombre in the historic district of Oaxaca. See our detailed review and more photos of Casa Cid de Leon Boutique Hotel in Oaxaca, Mexico.

This rolling Bric’s Bellagio suitcase is a four-wheel spinner, gliding smoothly along carpet and hard floors with its Italian workmanship and Japanese wheels. If the Bellagio suitcase price is a bit out or reach, check out the similar Amalfi line, which comes in significantly lower when sales are going on. The most contemporary of all is at the lowest price point, the Ulisse B/Y Collection, which comes in six colors and looks like this: Bric’s also produces some options that are not hard clamshell designs if you like one large compartment, two wheels instead of four, or even no wheels at all for your overnight bag. No matter which Bric’s suitcase or collection you choose though, you get a limited 5-year warranty on wheeled luggage (a 2-year one for other bags) and good Italian design.

It differs from the agave plants used to make tequila and mezcal in the sense that there’s no actual fruit that’s harvested and roasted. A sotol desert spoon plant takes more than 15 years to mature, which is about a third longer than the already-long maturation for the agave plants used in tequila and mezcal. If you’re someone who likes to sip silver (blanco) tequila or unaged mezcal, you’ll probably warm right up to it, but if not, you may prefer to use it in cocktails instead. See more at the company website and look for this brand if you happen to be in Durango, San Diego, or where there’s a good selection of spirits beyond the norm from Mexico.