A brand new premium mezcal has arrived to change the spirits landscape. Creyente Mezcal Joven is an unprecedented union of two 100% agave mezcals from two separate regions of Oaxaca. The brand launched at Cosme, the New York outpost of famed Michelin-starred chef Enrique Olvera. The renowned culinary master is a charter member of the “World’s Best Restaurants” list thanks to his Mexico City entry Pujol. Cosme is now also a member of the prestigious list.  During a delectable three course mezcal and food pairing lunch with Olvera we had a chance to experience Creyente, learn the intricacies of mezcal, and discover the future plans of this culinary visionary.

Creyente is a blend of two 100% Espadín agave mezcals from two Oaxaca regions: the rich soils of Tlacolula and the wild, mountainous terrain of Yautepec. Created by Pedro Mateo and Mijail Zarate, a pair of legendary mezcaleros who joined their  individual styles to create this ultra-premium blend that is now available in select U.S. markets. Creyente is a new spirit that blends together distinctive agaves and regions for a remarkable and complex flavor.

The mezcal launch was held at Cosme, the restaurant located in New York City’s Flatiron District serving contemporary Mexican-inspired cuisine. World-renowned Chef Enrique Olvera and his team create dishes rooted in Mexican flavors and traditions, while also celebrating local and seasonal ingredients from the Hudson Valley and surrounding region. Cosme’s beverage program focuses on artisanal spirits and mirrors its cuisine, letting the high quality ingredients shine.

Born in Mexico with strong culinary ties to Mexico City and Tobasco, Olvera studied cooking at the Culinary Institute of America, earning the gold medal from the New York Société Culinaire Philanthropique and the Jacob Rosenthal Leadership Award. With fine-dining and classical training under his belt, Olvera returned to Mexico City to open Pujol. His goal: to re-imagine traditional, regional Mexican food, and present its styles, flavors, and techniques in a modern fine-dining setting.

And it’s with Pujol that Olvera arguably made the most strides for Mexican gastronomy—ancient and modern. Using avant-garde techniques to update centuries-tested Mexican cuisine, Pujol quickly garnered national and international attention. It’s widely regarded as the best restaurant in Mexico, and ranks 20 on the San Pellegrino “World’s Best Restaurants” list.

Olvera went on to form the Grupo Enrique Olvera and open his second restaurant, La Purificadora, in Puebla in 2008. Olvera’s constant exploration and experimentation, added to a passion for detail and the care that underlies process as well as the products he uses, have translated into discoveries that he shares with diners at Pujol and in other culinary projects. In the relaxed ambience of his Mexico City gourmet shops and eno cafés, visitors discover menus that change with every season. At his restaurant Moxi—a star in San Miguel de Allende, inside the Hotel Matilda—ingredients go directly from local farms to diners’ tables; Playa del Carmen’s Maíz de Mar foregrounds delicacies that come from Mexico’s coasts. At Olvera’s most recent opening—Cosme, in Manhattan, and his first incursion into the United States—corn, beans and chile beautifully combine with local Hudson Valley products. Each venue gives new life to Olvera’s latest gastronomic creations.

Chef Enrique Olvera with bartender Edgar Morales

HOMBRE: How did you become involved with Creyente?
Enrique Olvera: I recently tried Creyente for the first time and it’s very smooth. I like the idea that it’s very subtle and the fact that it’s a blended mezcal helps give it a different character.

HOMBRE: How does it pair with your cuisine?
EO: Mezcal always goes well with Mexican food, it’s very natural. Sometimes people think of mezcal as an aperitif but I like drinking mezcal throughout the day. Mezcal is a reflection of the terroir so it’s like a wine, if you sip it, know how to drink it, and drink it slowly.

H: What inspires your cuisine?
EO: We aspire to do what mezcal does, which is to be a reflection of the terroir. When cuisine is properly made it reflects that.

H: What do you think of the success this restaurant has had so far?
EO: I can’t talk about my own success. Obviously I’m very happy, we have a beautiful team. I’m a part of that team, but I’m not all, I’m just one more of the guys in that team. Everybody is important here. I think that’s why Cosme is so special, because it has a sense of family, which is a very Latin thing.

H: Why do you think Cosme has been so positively received?
EO: It has just been a beautiful team effort. Everybody is involved and engaged with the project and we’re fortunate to have great people working with us. And perhaps the main reason for our success is that everybody puts their heart and soul every day that makes this place special.

Cosme bartender Edgardo Morales

We were then joined by Cosme bartender Edgar Morales who crafted the Creyente Mezcal cocktails served during the three-course lunch.

H: How did you decide on cocktails?
Edgar Morales: Mezcal as Enrique says its all about terroir, it’s not one size fits all, each cocktail had to be different and versatile. The first cocktail was very light and bright, the second one which was a little more savory, with a little more depth to it. You have to take each one specifically.

H: What sets Creyente apart?
EM: Two years ago mezcal didn’t exist really in the U.S. Now you’re going to see a lot of people come up with different approaches to it. It’s very versatile.

H: What would you say to someone who’s never tried mezcal?
EM: A lot of people say kiss it first, just to get your tongue and your palate adjusted to it. Afterwards you’re really going to start enjoying it, just like wine.

We then continued our conversation with Olvera.

H: What are the plans now for Cosme?
EO: The plan is to keep getting better everyday, which is hard, but we aspire for excellence. To be evolving all the time, not only on the menu but we want to be efficient, to have better trained staff and being tighter as a restaurant. We are planning on a new space for late this year. In NoHo, I wouldn’t call it more casual but I would say a more everyday approach. Cosme is a restaurant that maybe you can come like on a Friday night, you’re with friends. We want to do something like a cafe style where you can just walk in and have a nice glass of mezcal or have a beer or a nice ceviche.

H: What would you say is your secret to success?
EO: To not concede anything, you shouldn’t give concessions neither to your dreams, nor your ideals, nothing. If you are clear on who you are, and what you want to do and you are faithful to that, sooner or later you will achieve success.

For more information on COSME visit www.cosmenyc.com
COSME – 35 East 21, NYC 10010

Cosme’s Enrique Olvera, and bartender Edgar Morales are joined by HOMBRE Magazine’s Francisco Romeo