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Ray’s Bar | New York

Opened by John Rexer in the early 2000s, Café No Sé has become the beating heart of an international music scene in Antigua, Guatemala. This is the original home of Ilegal Mezcal + the first mezcal bar opened outside of Mexico.

Bar Ilegal is an experiential outpost of Café No Sé. After stops across the U.S, from Upstate NY in February, through to Florida, California, and Texas in the spring, Nashville, Montauk, and New Orleans in the summer, and back to Dallas in the fall, the Bar Ilegal 2022 tour came to an end November 17th with an absolute blowout at the iconic Ray’s Bar.

Originally planned for just the Basement at Ray’s but upgraded to a full bar takeover once the over 800(!) RSVPs came in, this was a party for the ages. The line wrapped around the block, Ilegal cocktails flowed at both the basement and ground floor bars, and Daniel Cotte provided free Ilegal flash at the tattoo station downstairs. And at 9pm, SUSU brought the packed house to its knees, with an electrifying set, full of crowd surfing, dancing on the bar moments.

We can’t wait to get back out there next year. Until then, plenty to see in the gallery below (photos by Anthony Batista).

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Introducing Mr Black Mezcal Cask Coffee Liqueur

The newly released Mr Black Mezcal Cask Coffee Liqueur is rested in ex-Ilegal Mezcal casks, with an added touch of Ilegal Joven. 

“This is an exciting collaboration between two brands that were bound to cross paths,” says Gilbert Marquez, Global Brand Ambassador for Ilegal Mezcal. “The liquid is a beautiful balance of roasted coffee and sweet agave, reminiscent of Oaxacan Café de Olla spiked with mezcal.”

The spirit was rested for three months in Ilegal Mezcal’s American Oak barrels, imported to Australia from Oaxaca, Mexico. After aging, the Mr Black team fortified the liquor with Ilegal Mezcal Joven, to bring aromatic agave notes to the final blend. The result is big coffee vibes up front that give way to rich, toasted agave notes, with just a hint of smoke on the finish. a one of a kind flavor made from artisan distillers a world apart.

As with all Mr Black special editions, they made a limited amount and it won’t last long. Get it now at the Mr Black online shop.

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Odd Birds | New Orleans

Opened by John Rexer in the early 2000s, Café No Sé has become the beating heart of an international music scene in Antigua, Guatemala. This is the original home of Ilegal Mezcal + the first mezcal bar opened outside of Mexico.

Bar Ilegal is an experiential outpost of Café No Sé, now in its 11th year. So far in 2022, the Bar Ilegal tour has made stops in Upstate NY, Florida, California, Texas, Nashville, and Montauk.

Our New Orleans stop aligned with the in-person return of Tales of the Cocktail. We got to see Ilegal team members from around the country, talented people from across the spirit industry, and many, many fans of mezcal and our brand. 500 people RSVP’d, and even more came through the doors of the Selina Catahoula and their brand new bar Odd Birds.

The event gave us the opportunity to show what Ilegal is all about, and our team delivered, with a full hotel takeover, specialty Joven and Reposado cocktails in partnership with the Odd Birds team, flash tattoos by Greyscale Tattoo Studio, and a raucous performance by New York band Dead Tooth. See how it went down in the gallery below (all photos by Jacob Dunn).

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Ilegal Gallery Presents: Acacia, Daniel Irons, & Danielle Otrakji

Brooklyn turned out to see and shop the original paintings, illustrations, and merchandise from each of the artists, and to catch lively sets from legendary DJ Jonathan Toubin and the riveting Daddy Long Legs.

The final weekend to see the show (and pick up some affordable art and merch!) is August 27-28. The gallery, along with our Ilegal shop, is open 12-5pm.

Check out photos below from Emilina Filippo to see how it all went down!

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Montauk, NY | Hideaway

Opened by John Rexer in the early 2000s, Café No Sé has become the beating heart of an international music scene in Antigua, Guatemala. This is the original home of Ilegal Mezcal + the first mezcal bar opened outside of Mexico.

Bar Ilegal is an experiential outpost of Café No Sé. So far in 2022, Bar Ilegal has ventured through Hunter, NY, two Florida stops in March, two in California in April, Texas in May, and Nashville earlier in June.

The weekend of June 18th, a huge Ilegal Mezcal delegation gathered in Montauk, NY to host Bar Ilegal at a little spot on the bay called Hideaway. The many Ilegal flash tattoos were provided by Daniel Cotte, mezcal cocktails poured by Tintin, Allie, and the NY Ilegal crew, and SUSU had the packed crowd dancing inside and out.

Pics from Sarah Craig in the gallery below!