I've always felt that it was only a matter of time before interest in mezcal becomes mainstream in Asia. The Mexican agave spirit is truly a unique spirit of its own, offering a wonderfully nuanced balance of smokiness fruitiness that is quite irresistible once you've tasted it for yourself.

Perhaps one of the biggest validations of the growing role of mezcal in the Asian spirits scene is the success of Hong Kong bar Coa. The bar has consistently topped regional rankings for cocktail bars, and it's living proof that being a primarily mezcal-focused bar hasn't been any issue that alienates consumers. 

Recently, Coa collaborated with local bean-to-bar chocolate maker Conspiracy Chocolate to release a mezcal infused dark chocolate. The bar was made from single-origin cacao beans sourced from Vietnam, as well as 100% agave La Travesia mezcal.

Typically, water changes the texture of chocolate, causing it to "seize up" and become something resembling fudge rather than a chocolate bar. Consequently, according to Conspiracy Chocolate, this bar takes about 5 days to produce because of a complex extraction process used to get the flavours of the mezcal into the chocolate without any of the water. Each production batch yields only 4 kg of chocolate each time, and hence, it's not uncommon to find this bar sold out on the website. 

Luckily, I was able to snag a bar to try for myself during one of their rare restocks! 

Tasting Notes:

Very deep, dark notes of cherries with a bitterness of smokey tobacco - with very a barely-there hit of citrus. There's a smooth, chalky minerality to the chocolate bar that is punctuated by subtle notes of star anise and ginger spice that extend into the finish.

Verdict:

This is definitely not your typical chocolate bar - it's fulls of depth and has a nuanced bitterness of tobacco. Make no mistake: the mezcal is what calls the shots here. The cocoa is simply the vehicle through which the earthy, smokiness of the agave spirit is brought to life in a non-ABV treat. I like that you can actually distinctly taste the spirits influence here. The smokiness of mezcal isn't shrouded in sugar, while the minerality of the mezcal also translates through the fine-grained texture of the bar. Definitely a unique gift for yourself or any mezcal curious drinker in your life. 

@lotusroot518