At a glance, and from a distance, the top shelves behind the bar at Taqueria Sabor Mixteco in Silver Spring (right next to Wheaton Triangle) look like any other: an assortment of spirits just waiting to be poured over the rocks or turned into a cocktail. But come closer: Every bottle here is mezcal.
Lower down, sure, you’ll find gin, whiskey and vodka, but mezcal takes pride of place because Juan Solano, 55, who co-owns the restaurant with partners Apolinar Cervantes and Marisol Gonzales, is intent on changing the reputation of a drink that he believes is woefully misunderstood and dismayingly simplified in this country.
“Mezcal is not just smoke and fire,” Solano says. “I want people to know the different flavors.”…