It is particularly nice to attend a mixed tasting of tequila and mezcal. Sure, it’s an obvious choice to put the two agave-based spirits together, but either way, if you can swap back and forth between them, each really benefits from the other.

At a party like Jaffe Events’ Indian Summer Tequila & Mezcal Tasting, which was held Friday, October 3rd at the Clift Hotel’s Velvet Room, you don’t have to worry too much about drinking bad booze. With all these high-end options on offer, it wasn’t a case of one necessarily being better than the next, but simply different from each other, depending on your taste. That said, based on my personal preferences, I still found a few favorites.

Partida Tequila

I started my evening with tequila, and really enjoyed Partida’s three offerings. They, like most of the tequilas here, were of the small-batch variety. The valley in Jalisco in which their agave is grown (and then mashed, fermented, and distilled into tequila) gets pretty hot, so it picks up a strong fruity, spicy grassiness that comes through in Partida’s blanco expression. That fruit also shines once the tequila has been aged in Jack Daniel’s barrels, which is the case with Partida’s reposado and añejo varieties, where it get a slight nuttiness that finishes really smoothly. These were all delicious tequilas, but the reposado won it for me; the light aging balanced all the flavors beautifully.

Del Maguey Mezcal

I wouldn’t exactly be stepping out on a limb to say that Del Maguey’s mezcals are all pretty wonderful. They have been the go-to brand for top-shelf mezcal long before most people outside of Mexico even knew what mezcal was (myself included). That said, Del Maguey has never rested on its laurels, instead continuing to make top-notch spirits for all levels of consumption.

They’re one of few brands that focuses primarily on espadín, showcasing a number of drastically different-tasting variations on that theme. My favorite of those expressions was the one produced in (and bottled as) Santo Domingo Albarradas. I definitely prefer mezcals on the sweeter and more citrusy side (as opposed to the earthy, briny end of the spectrum), so I really liked how the Santo Domingo Albarradas expression comes on strong with tropical fruit. It’s very light and bright in the mouth, not overly smoky, and finishes with a gentle woody spice.

While it wasn’t officially on the flight at this event, I was lucky enough to get a taste of Del Maguey’s classic pechuga expression, which is intense and incredible. Taking their Minero espadín back to the still for a third time, DM’s pechuga is hugely aromatic, with a lot of plantain, cinnamon, and nut flavors rounding it out. What really brings it all together, though, is the raw chicken breast that they suspend in the still, which gels and softens the flavors, leaving behind a trace essence of schmaltz. It is amazingly delicious.

Suerte Tequila

Suerte is a relatively new company (just a couple years old), but right out of the gate they’re off to a pretty impressive start. Their blanco was pleasantly bright upfront, with peppery, citrus notes—super-tasty right off the bat. It’s a highlands-produced tequila, and, like a number of other small-batch spirits, made in a pretty traditional method. Rather than using a machine to masticate the cooked agave, Suerte (which translates as “luck”) uses a tahona (a huge stone wheel, which, in super-rustic distilleries, can often be pulled by a mule or horse) to crush out the sugary juices before fermentation. Can you taste the difference between tahona-mashed agave and that which has been machine-crushed? Some say the millstone imbues the spirit with minerality. I myself couldn’t quite discern that, though the company makes no claims about that process’ materials necessarily altering the taste; rather it’s part of a very traditional production style that, in the often highly industrialized world of tequila-making, speaks volumes about authenticity and artisanality. However you slice it, they make a really good blanco tequila.

That blanco is a great starter for Suerte’s reposado and añejo, which picked up a little more carmel and vanilla after spending seven and 24 months respectively in white-oak bourbon barrels. Again, the reposado was my favorite as it maintained a lot of the agave flavor throughout and finished gently with just a hint of spice. The añejo was maybe even a touch too smooth for me, but still pretty great. While the Suerte brand is only a couple years old, their producer has been making tequila for quite some time—and apparently has a special single-barrel, five-year extra-añejo that will be released soon.

Ilegal Mezcal

Before even having a sip of Ilegal Mezcal, I chewed for a while on a slice of cooked agave that the brand’s rep provided. And when you go straight to the joven expression from there, you can immediately taste that one comes directly from the other. Whether that influenced my tasting or not, Ilegal’s espadín seemed to me a strongly agave-forward mezcal, with tons of sweetness right away. It’s a lot different than most mezcals in that sense—almost more tequila-like in a way, and very approachable. I can imagine it mixing really well in a cocktail, but it was pretty delicious neat, too. Ilegal’s repo and añejo were both pleasant, mellowed-out takes on the original, which, despite many mezcal aficionados sneering at the aging process, definitely deserve a taste. Because the joven is so bursting with agave, the aged versions don’t get overpowered by the wood, and end up really, really tasty.

Siete Leguas Tequila

Ask any bartender worth his or her salt about their favorite tequilas, and there’s a good chance they’ll mention Siete Leguas. It is intensely complex and flavorful, yet smooth from start to finish, and each of their expressions is pretty hard to beat. Also a highlands agave, Siete Leguas is a blend of tequila from two distilleries: one that uses the centuries-old tahona style, and another that’s slightly more modernized. It’s in that mix of the two styles that the complexities of the taste really form. Additionally, at the old-school distillery, they ferment their crushed agave with its fibers (aka bagazo), which adds even more flavor to the overall profile. You can jump straight ahead to the incredibly smooth aged versions, but my pick is the simpler blanco, which is beautifully aromatic, a touch sweet, and has tons of depth and character while finishing clean. An immediate winner.