Bad experiences with cheap tequila has turned off many from the liquor, but well shots with lime are nothing like drinking a refined mezcal.

Smoke ’em if you got ’em — or just drink mezcal this weekend.

Here’s how bartenders are putting new spins on classic cocktails.

Tequila! Mezcal! Oyamel’s annual celebration returns.

Starting Monday, March 5-18, Oyamel will be hosting their 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 producers.

Tequila and mezcal may be most frequently associated with painful morning-afters and terrible decision making. But a finely crafted tequila or mezcal can be a true pleasure if savored or mixed in a cocktail. Oyamel is back with their annual Tequila and Mezcal Festival, which runs from March 14 to 27 and is a good way to educate yourself on the finer points of these spirits.

Everyone has had that bad morning after doing too many tequila shots, but hopefully you’ll feel a little differently after this event. From March 2-15, Oyamel will be hosting a Tequila and Mezcal Festival. During the Festival, you’ll be able to sample a variety of tequilas and mezcals, as well as various antojitos (small plates) that feature the liquors among their ingredients ($8.50-12). In addition to the options pictured below, they will also be serving…

Drink in the Details is a monthly column highlighting spirits and classic cocktails written by DC Craft Bartenders Guild members Adam Bernbach (Bar Pilar) and Chantal Tseng (Tabard Inn). Somewhere in time, the image of mezcal has become synonymous with the liquid medium in which university campus pledges transport their worms. Not ringing a bell? What about the Mexican bar in movies? Perchance the drink of choice in the watering hole where you shouldn’t drink…