New Jersey restaurant breaks Guinness World Record for largest tequila, mezcal library
A restaurant has broken the Guinness World Record for the largest tequila collection on Earth — and it's not in Mexico.
Meximodo, which opened last November in Metuchen, New Jersey, boasts the biggest library of agave spirits in the world. A Guinness World Records adjudicator certified the world record during a celebration on July 24.
The eatery serves over 1,000 different types of agave-derived liquor. In December, LeMalt Hospitality Group senior vice president TJ Pingitore spoke with Fox News Digital about the restaurant's opening.
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Pingitore's team was inspired to break a world record after Metuchen garnered national awards, including the recent 2023 Great American Main Street Award.
The Central New Jersey town was also named the birthplace of the 2023 American Girl Doll of the Year, Kavi Sharma.
"Being on the plaza, [with] the anchor business here about to open ... we wanted to do something really special, not just for the community here, but also for the tequila enthusiasts all over the U.S.," said Pingitore.
"And we decided to break the world record for the most tequila [and] mezcal that's pourable by law in the entire world."
In December, Mayor Jonathan Busch spoke highly of Meximodo's opening to Fox News Digital.
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"The opening of Meximodo is another exciting investment in what has become one of the culinary capitals of Central Jersey," the mayor said. "We are so excited to welcome Meximodo to our award-winning downtown."
Customers can walk into the Metuchen restaurant and find a tequila suited to their flavor profile. The agave liquors can taste spicy or smoky, Pingitore said.
"When you break down the tequila library, you're looking at flavor profiles like smoky [and] mild," he said.
"You're looking at whether it's a tequila, a mezcal or another kind of derivative of that in the agave spirit world."
"Our bartenders are all trained in suggesting the flavor profile out there," he also said.
"There's a good 20 or 25 [liquors] that are on the spicier end or have a really jalapeño, habanero type of kick. There's [tequilas] that you know — and then some small batch distillates that you don't. And those are just as interesting, too, so we invite everybody to come in and discover."
Among the 1,000-plus tequila and mescal bottles in Meximodo's library, Pingitore said his favorites are El Tesoro and Tequila Ocho.
The senior executive also told Fox News Digital that neither of Meximodo's two competitors for the world record are in Mexico.
The two establishments are located in Las Vegas and London.
The world record had been "right around 600 unique bottles, and we have over 1,000 bottles," Pingitore said. "So we've shattered that record."
Meximodo also boasts an extensive menu with foods developed from the team's visits to various Mexican villages.
Many of the tequilas pair well with the menu's dishes.
"The pollo con mole is amazing. It's our chicken. The mole appears very, very well with kind of our milder, some of our milder flavor profile skills that might have a little smoke to them really goes well," Pingitore said.
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"And then you have our barbacoa — which is delicious, served two different ways."
"Either way you get it, whether it's in a taco or it's in the main dish, you can get it with a more smoky tequila," he added.
"We'd say something on the smokier [side] or even a mezcal."
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The restaurant's unique tequila library has been drawing attention from local media, even earning it the title of "most colorful new restaurant" by NJ.com.
"My new favorite Mexican spot!" one reviewer wrote on Google.
"Everything is beautifully decorated from the minute you walk in, and we could tell there was a lot of love put into this place."
Said the same reviewer, "I’m usually not a fan of guacamole, but the Pineapple-Mango Guacamole here is fantastic, and we especially enjoyed the street-style corn and the creative cocktails. Will definitely be returning to try the rest of the menu!"