Sugar Skull Mug, Hand Painted Ceramic, for Agave Spirits

For anyone with an agave section. Tequila and mezcal have grown a great deal on drinks lists, and serving them under Polynesian imagery is a short circuit that a knowledgeable guest notices: the sugar skull gives that part of the list a vessel that speaks the same language as the spirit.

Calaveras de azucar are the decorated skulls of the Dia de Muertos, the Mexican festival where the dead are remembered with colour, flowers and food. There is nothing macabre about them in their own context: they are a festive way of treating death, and the floral decoration is part of the meaning. Knowing that changes how it gets presented at the table, and in a venue serving mezcal it is the kind of detail that gives the whole section credibility.

• Material: hand painted ceramic
• Subject: Mexican sugar skull, with floral decoration
• Weight: 0.5kg
• Use: tequila and mezcal cocktails, tastings
• Dishwasher safe: no, hand wash

Take the sugar skull mug if

If you have an agave section or you run mezcal tastings. On a strictly Polynesian tiki list the Mexican reference jars, and it is better to stay with the island subjects.

Mezcal and the closed vessel

There is a technical point here worth weighing. Mezcal has a strongly smoked profile, and an opaque mug with ice on top concentrates that aroma in the space under the nose instead of dispersing it: on smoked cocktails the effect is in its favour. For tasting it neat, though, a closed vessel is not the answer, because mezcal is also judged by eye and with the nose clear: there you want tasting glasses, and the mug stays for built drinks.

The coherence of the list, again

It is the theme running through this whole family. A vessel is not neutral: it tells the guest what world they are in before they taste anything. Putting a Mexican skull on a Mai Tai or a Moai on a mezcal cocktail breaks nothing technical, but it takes precision out of the story, and precision is exactly what separates a list that has been built from a collection of drinks.

The agave section, which is growing

Tequila and mezcal are the category that has grown most on drinks lists in recent years, and almost no venue has glassware to match. The sugar skull mug is a cheap way to give that section a visual identity of its own, separate from tiki and from the rest of the list. To a guest who knows mezcal, the detail says the venue knows what it is talking about.

Care

Hand wash with a neutral soap, never in the dishwasher: the hand painted floral decoration is the most delicate part and hot cycles attack it. A soft brush in the hollows of the skull, and dry completely before putting it away.

FAQ

Is the sugar skull mug a tiki mug? No, it is a precise Mexican reference: it belongs on agave lists, not Polynesian ones.

What is a sugar skull? A calavera from the Dia de Muertos, the Mexican festival of the dead: a festive symbol, not a macabre one.

Is it right for tasting mezcal? For cocktails yes. For mezcal neat you want tasting glasses.

How much does it hold? The supplier declares the weight of half a kilo but not the capacity.

Does the colour suffer from washing? By hand no. In a dishwasher yes, which is why it should be avoided.

Can it be used for tiki drinks? Technically yes, but the Mexican reference jars on a Polynesian list.

The more you buy, the less you pay: 4 pieces -5%, 6 -7%, 8 -10%, on the same item.

Dispatched from Rome, Italy. 15-day returns, free of charge. Questions before you order? Message us on WhatsApp on +39 351 929 6937.

For the comparison between the subjects in the family there is the tiki mug guide.