KOL introduces new house serve mezcals, and announces launch of online KOL Store, where mezcals and Slobodne house wine will be available for nationwide delivery
Chef Santiago Lastra and the team at KOL, in collaboration with Mexican spirit distributors El Destilado, present their debut range of bespoke house mezcals; four unique varieties, which are now available to experience in the KOL Mezcaleria. In addition, the selection of artisanal bottles - each demonstrating a different production method and flavour profile - will be available for retail and to be enjoyed at home via the KOL Store, which opens for business on Monday, November 15th. The KOL house wines - four low-intervention blends created especially for KOL in partnership with Slovakian winemaker Slobodne - will now, for the first time, be available to purchase from the restaurant's specialist online shop for delivery nationwide.
With sustainability and traceability in mind, each of KOL’s house mezcals have been sourced directly from highly-skilled and independent mezcaleros, located in the regions of Puebla and Oaxaca, and are examples of distinctive, terroir-driven mezcals. A complex spirit made from the fermented and then distilled juice of any cooked agave heart or ‘piña’, mezcals’ common-found smokiness is derived from a way in which the mezcalero chooses to cook their agave, be it over burning firewood or in an underground earthen pit. Their individual label designs have been inspired by traditional ‘La Loteria’ Mexican playing cards.
The wines, which have been enjoyed by guests since KOL restaurant (an MJMK group project) opened in October 2020, were created bespoke for the restaurant by family-owned vineyard Slobodne, located in Slovakia. One of Santiago’s favourite winemakers and a family he now considers friends, the Slobodne house wines - each fresh, elegant and bold - form part of KOL’s predominantly Central & Eastern European wine list.
KOL Store will deliver nationwide or products can be collected from the restaurant in Seymour Street, Marylebone.
Available to experience within the KOL Mezcaleria and order from the KOL store:
The Mezcal
La Maceta (£86)
Made in Puebla and distilled in copper pot stills. A full-flavoured spirit with notes of grass, olive brine and butterscotch.
El Alacrán (£86)
Made in Oaxaca using varieties of locally sourced wood to fire the pit oven, lending the finished product notes of smokey caramel.
Sandia (£112)
Made in Puebla by crushing cooked agave by hand with a wooden mallet. Distillation takes place in copper and clay. Notes of peanut and lactic.
Pino (£112)
Made in Oaxaca and notorious for its low yield. Historically used in some communities as a medicine, this mezcal is prized for its herbaceous notes.
£350 for the bundle
Home to one of Europe’s largest selections of agave spirits, the KOL Mezcaleria opened in late 2020 within the lower ground floor of Santiago Lastra’s KOL Restaurant and pays homage to the convivial bars prevalent across Mexico City, Oaxaca, and Guadalajara. The range of mezcal, tequila and other Mexican spirits available within the bar can be experienced on their own or incorporated as part of the Mezcaleria’s innovative and seasonal cocktail menu, created by Bar Manager Maxim Schulte (ex American bar at The Savoy).
The Wines
(all bottles £34)
La Pera 2018 (white)
A soft and aromatic Sauvignon Blanc with a fruity complexity that lingers on the plate. Accompanies bold flavours perfectly.
El Melon 2018 (orange)
A skin contact, low-alcohol Traminer, aged in steel tanks for over 16 months with notes of grapefruit, pineapple, and papaya. Matches up to spice perfectly.
La Rosa 2018 (rosé):
A Blaufrankisch and Cabernet Sauvignon blend, bursting with soft red fruits, and with a distinct saline, mineral finish.
El Corazón 2017 (red)
An elegant and juicy, slightly spicy blend of Blaufrankisch and Cabernet Sauvignon with a lean yet very complex character.
____________________________________
9 Seymour St, London W1H 7BA
@kol.mezcaleria @kol.restaurant @santiagolas