Page 111 - Southern Oregon Magazine Winter 2020

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Seeing the need for high quality, authen-
tic Mexican ingredients, Fabian went to
work sourcing the staples, spices, meats
and goods to both serve at their restaurant
and Mexican market. It didn’t take long to
open a second location, but Fabian envi-
sioned something more. S
R .
T
, O
.P W .
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Wanting to share, honor, and celebrate .
.
the beautiful culture and spirit of different
regions of Mexico, Mezcal Restaurant and
Bar was born. The vision was realized as an
upscale, fine dining restaurant and mezca-
leria craft cocktail bar, held to the highest
quality and authenticity of old world tradi-
tion, and cuisine.

Starting with the name, Mezcal. As
France is to Champagne, Oaxaca is to
Mezcal. And in this restaurant and bar,
as important as the chef is, the bartender
is equally as important. Just come up to
the beautifully appointed bar, complete
with fireplace and comfy stools, ignore
any preconceived ideas you have about the
tequila drink, and be ready to be pleasantly
surprised. Longtime Ashland mixologist,
Freddie Herrera, is to mezcal and tequila,
as what a sommelier is to wine. Curating
the largest library of mezcal and tequila
between Portland and San Francisco, you
will appreciate having a pro to walk you
through the artisanal choices to create a
flight or cocktail that you absolutely will
enjoy. Freddie’s passion to offer the most
delicious drinks is a gift of knowledge he’s
willing to share, as he can explain the his-
tory, origin, terroir, and flavor profile of
the extensive choices. The first rule about
mezcal is simply no shooting—it’s in fact

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