Blog - Ilegal Mezcal

Demand for mezcal was low for years, but interest and sales have soared. The vast majority of the spirit is made in Oaxaca, Mexico, where family-owned distilleries dot the landscape.

Cecilia Vega travels to Oaxaca and meets the Mezcaleros laboring to quench the world’s thirst for Mezcal. The handcrafted Mexican spirit, made from agave, has seen exponential growth in popularity and production.

Ilegal Mezcal is one of the leading artisanal mezcal makers in the world, which it’s achieved on its own terms by crafting spirits using traditional methods without additives or artificial ingredients. The brand began life in 2006 in a Guatemalan bar in the city of Antigua when expat New Yorker John Rexer created Ilegal Mezcal to supply his bar, Café No Sé, after about two years of smuggling the spirit from Mexico to Guatemala.

Today, it’s an award-winning brand owned by Bacardi (since 2023), but Ilegal remains true to its values and rebellious spirit even as it has scaled up its operations over two decades.

Cocktail Recipes

Ilegal Devil's Margarita

1.5 oz Ilegal Joven
2 oz Margarita Mix
0.5 oz Real Pepper Purée
Garnish a rocks glass with a Tajín rim. Combine ingredients in a shaker over ice and shake vigorously. Strain into the rocks glass over fresh ice, and add a lime wedge garnish.

Musician’s Breakfast

The Musician’s Breakfast originates from Café No Sé, the infamous birthplace of Ilegal Mezcal—known for its late nights, live music, and the notorious smuggling tales that define the brand spirit.

2025 Edition of SXSW

The 2025 edition once again took place at the fabulous High Noon in East Austin. 48 bands and artists graced our three stages this year, from veteran acts like Sunflower Bean, Baths, and Five Eight, to rising acts like Kat Cunning, fantasy of a broken heart, and Monobloc.

Party highlights also included live chainstitching by Jada & Jon, flash tattoos by Lindley Weaver, and Ilegal Mezcal tastings, neat pours, and signature cocktails crafted by Global Brand Ambassador Gilbert Marquez.

Cocktail Recipes

Sin Prisa Spritz
1oz Ilegal Mezcal Joven
2oz Italian Bitter Apértif
3oz Prosecco
0.5oz grapefruit juice
1.5oz soda water
Add fresh ice to a large wine glass and pour in the mezcal and Italian Bitter Apéritif. Slowly pour Prosecco and top with soda water. Stir, and garnish with a grapefruit peel and a pinch of salt.

Sandía Ilegal
2oz Ilegal Mezcal Joven
1oz fresh lime juice
3oz fresh watermelon juice
0.75oz agave syrup
Run a lime wedge around the rim of a large margarita glass or rocks glass and dip into tajín or salt. Blend ingredients with ice until smooth. Pour into the prepared glass, and garnish with a chili-coated watermelon lollipop.

Ilegal Margarita
2oz Ilegal Mezcal Joven
1oz fresh lime juice
0.75oz agave syrup
Fill a rocks glass with ice, run a lime wedge around the rim and dip into black salt. Add ingredients to a shaker. Strain over fresh ice in the prepared glass then garnish with a lime wheel.

Café No Sé

Opened by Ilegal founder John Rexer around 2004, Café No Sé has become the beating heart of an international music scene in Antigua, Guatemala. This is the original home of Ilegal Mezcal + the first mezcal bar opened outside of Mexico.

This year, we are thrilled to be celebrating Café No Sé’s notorious history by bringing music, mezcal, and tattoos to bars, music venues, festivals, and trade shows across the U.S., beginning February in Phoenix for Arizona Cocktail Weekend.

2025 Tour Dates