The Difference Between Mezcal and Tequila

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Rebecca McKinney

I was born a foodie. My dad is a chef, baker, and restaurant owner and my mom might as well be because she owns whatever kitchen she walks into. I grew up working in my family’s restaurant and bakery in Pawling, New York – McKinney and Doyle. I started behind the bakery counter at 12 years old after begging my parents to let me start working. At 16 I worked as a hostess. By 18 I was serving tables and training behind the bar where I then worked every other weekend throughout my college career. Even now, when I am visiting my family in New York, I help out where I’m needed. To make a long story short, the food and restaurant industry has been my life for as long as I can remember.

I wanted to create this blog for a few reasons. First and foremost, to share tips, tricks, and knowledge about the food and beverage industry in general but also to help people see a different side of the restaurant world. Every restaurant has a totally unique culture and world within it. I want to help open people’s eyes to more than how fast the service is or how easy or hard it is to secure a reservation.

So, thanks for stopping by! I welcome your ideas, input, and feedback and hope you enjoy!

Eat well & travel often,

Becky McKinney

Latest posts by Rebecca McKinney (see all)

The difference between mezcal and tequilaLast January, the general manager of McKinney and Doyle, and a very close personal friend of mine, Andrew Sarubbi traveled to Oaxaca, Mexico to learn how to make Mezcal. Mezcal is a distilled alcoholic beverage, smoky in flavor, made from the agave plant. Recently, the food, specifically the bar, industry has seen a surge in new agave distillates entering the market. It can be tricky to understand the subtle nuances among them so I thought that with Cinco de Mayo right around the corner, today would be a great day to talk a little about them, specifically between tequila and mezcal. A lot of people describe mezcal as a type of tequila, but it’s actually the other way around. Mezcal is a much broader category that encompasses tequila. Let’s dive a little deeper, shall we?Continue Reading

How to Taste Vodka

by Leave a Comment

Rebecca McKinney

I was born a foodie. My dad is a chef, baker, and restaurant owner and my mom might as well be because she owns whatever kitchen she walks into. I grew up working in my family’s restaurant and bakery in Pawling, New York – McKinney and Doyle. I started behind the bakery counter at 12 years old after begging my parents to let me start working. At 16 I worked as a hostess. By 18 I was serving tables and training behind the bar where I then worked every other weekend throughout my college career. Even now, when I am visiting my family in New York, I help out where I’m needed. To make a long story short, the food and restaurant industry has been my life for as long as I can remember.

I wanted to create this blog for a few reasons. First and foremost, to share tips, tricks, and knowledge about the food and beverage industry in general but also to help people see a different side of the restaurant world. Every restaurant has a totally unique culture and world within it. I want to help open people’s eyes to more than how fast the service is or how easy or hard it is to secure a reservation.

So, thanks for stopping by! I welcome your ideas, input, and feedback and hope you enjoy!

Eat well & travel often,

Becky McKinney

Latest posts by Rebecca McKinney (see all)

How to Taste VodkaWe all have our favorite cocktail or spirit. In today’s world, most of us know how to make our favorite cocktail at home too. We know that a Cosmo is made with vodka, a Mojito with rum, and a Margarita with tequila. We know which liqueurs and juices and fruit we need to make our favorite drinks. But how many of us understand where the base spirits came from or how they’re made? How many of us know how to decipher high quality liquor from a poorly made version (aside from the difference in how we feel the morning after)? Of course it isn’t necessary for you to know the ins and outs of your favorite spirit or cocktail in order to enjoy them, but once you learn more about it, you’ll appreciate a well-made, high quality cocktail so much more. Today, let’s talk a little bit about the nation’s most beloved spirit, vodka.Continue Reading