A decade ago, “tequila” meant a frozen margarita and “mezcal” meant something most Americans had never tasted. That has changed. Premium agave spirits are now one of the fastest-growing and most interesting categories in American drinks culture — and the people pouring them best are the ones who can explain what makes the agave itself special. All Spirits Events designs tequila and mezcal tasting experiences in New York City and across the United States, built around the agave plant itself: where it grows, how it’s harvested, and why two bottles labeled “mezcal” can taste like they came from different planets.
From a six-person agave knowledge transer at home to a 200-plus-guest tequila-and-mezcal station at a brand activation or corporate event, every tasting is built around your audience’s level and the story we want to land in the room.
Led by the Alcohol Professor — a recognized spirits authority
All Spirits Events is led by founder Adam Levy, founder of the New York International Spirits Competition and the editorial voice behind The Alcohol Professor, quoted in Bloomberg and Bar Business Magazine. Adam has judged tequilas and mezcals at the highest level and has spent two decades building relationships across the agave industry. When he or one of our hand-picked hosts leads your tasting, the depth shows.
An agave education that actually teaches
A real tequila and mezcal tasting is not about pouring shots and naming brands. It is about teaching guests to see the spirit — and that starts with the plant. A typical session weaves together:
- The agave species story — blue Weber for tequila; espadín, tobalá, tepeztate, madrecuixe, arroqueño, and dozens of other wild and cultivated agaves for mezcal.
- Terroir and region — Jalisco lowlands vs. highlands for tequila; Oaxaca, Guerrero, Durango, and Michoacán for mezcal, and how each one tastes different.
- Production methods — diffuser-distilled industrial tequila, roasted-piña tahona-crushed traditional mezcal, and ancestral clay-pot mezcal — and why the method matters in the glass.
- Aging categories — blanco, reposado, añejo, and extra añejo, and how each interacts with the underlying agave character.
By the end, guests can taste an unfamiliar bottle and reason about what they’re tasting — not just whether they like it.
Formats — how it fits into your event
- Standalone agave tasting — a 60- to 90-minute hosted experience for 5 to 50+ guests.
- Tequila and mezcal pairing dinner — multi-course menu featuring Oaxacan or modern Mexican cuisine with each pour matched to a course.
- Brand activation or cocktail-hour station — a curated agave bar that draws guests into conversation; ideal for product launches and gala fundraisers.
- Cheese and chocolate pairings — via our editorial properties The Cheese Professor and The Chocolate Professor. Mezcal with aged sheep’s-milk cheese or a high-cacao single origin is one of the most underrated pairings in drinks.
Brand-neutral sourcing — small producers and rare bottles
All Spirits Events does not sell spirits, which means we curate each flight purely around what teaches and tastes well — not what a distributor has paid us to pour. We work with small mezcal producers and importers, craft tequila brands, and medal winners from the New York International Spirits Competition. If your venue already has a strong agave list, we can also curate entirely from what is on the shelf.
Group sizes and where we host
We host tastings as small as 5 guests — intimate dinners, executive experiences, and milestone birthdays — and as large as 50 or more for corporate, brand-activation, and gala settings. In New York we host across the Metro area; nationally we travel for events in any major U.S. city.
How it works
Tell us your date, headcount, city, budget, and the kind of experience you’re after. Within one business day we come back with a curated agave flight, a format proposal, and a quote. From there, one short call locks the details — and we handle the rest.
Ready to plan your tequila & mezcal tasting?
Contact us and let the Alcohol Professor design an agave experience that will change how your guests think about Mexican spirits.