Starting Monday, March 5 and running for two weeks, Oyamel will be hosting its Fifth Annual Tequila and Mezcal Festival. The event celebrates the rich diversity of tequila and mezcal producers with special menu items, cocktails, tasting and cocktail sessions, and dinners with experts.

The first event is a complimentary cocktail session on March 5 from 4-6 p.m., “Everything is Better with Mezcal.” If you just want to sample mezcals, head over between March 6-8, again from 4-6 p.m. to sample with Ron Cooper of Del Maguey, and reps from Sombra and Illegal. Dinners will also be hosted on those evenings, with experts discussing pairings, for $90 (not including tax and tip), featuring Cooper on March 6 and 7, and Stephen Myers from Illegal Mezcal on March 8.

Parallel events for tequila will run March 12-18. The cocktail session on Monday, March 12 is “Highlands vs. Lowlands: A Cocktail Story” with similar tastings for tequila Tuesday-Thursday with res from Siembra Azul, Tequila Ocho, and Otto Hoernig III of Casa Noble. The tequila dinners feature David Suro Siembra of Azul Tequila on March 13; Mark Drew of Herradura Tequila on March 14; and Otto Hoernig III of Casa Noble Tequila on March 15.

Reservations are required for the dinners, but you can still sample a number of items from the special menu in the bar, and in the main dining room. Salud!