This unlimited tasting event in Long Beach will feature over 30 expressions of tequila and mezcal

As we push toward celebrating Long Beach Food Scene: Last Call—a 10-day, multi-event celebration of our city’s rich bar culture and the people who make it happen—we will offer a series of features that highlight everything from our most stellar cocktail programs at restaurants to to the very events occurring (like this feature on an unlimited tasting event at Panxa Cocina in Belmont Heights)… All in order to lift a glass to a social and economic driver that rarely receives the love its deserves: our bar industry. For more information on Long Beach Last Call, tap here.

We’ve long known Panxa is home to the city’s largest collection of agave spirits. And even more, the New Mexico-inspired concept—birthed by Chef Arthur Gonzalez and now headed by his wife, Vanessa Auclair, following his tragic death—is also home to some of the city’s best events. Their annual hatch chile roasting celebration has become a Long Beach tradition, while they have also invited customers into the space for sports games, election debates, and more.

Now officially a Last Call tradition, “A Taste of Mexico” is one of those events and returns this year.

What is “A Taste of Mexico”—and what will attendees be tasting at the Long Beach Last Call 2025 pouring?

“A Taste of Mexico” is a Long Beach Last Call tasting event on Tuesday, Mar. 4. For $35, you can freely taste over 20 expressions from 14 Mexican distilleries from 6:30PM to 9PM. Want to upgrade your experience with some tacos and an early additional hour? For $50, you can come in at 5:30PM instead of 6:30PM and also enjoy some tacos and bites while you meander through the vendors.

Here are the brands pouring:

• Cazcanes
• Nosotros
• Tequila Ocho
• Mezcal Vago
• Amaras Mezcal
• Siempre Tequila
• Cambio Tequila
• Real Minero Mezcal
• Rey Campero Mezcal
• Illegal Mezcal
• Alma De Jaguar Tequila
• Tierra De Ensueno Tequila
• Lost Lore Tequila

Panxa has long been home to the city’s largest, most distinct agave spirit selection.

For Panxa to have some 130 bottles of various agave spirits isn’t just an expression of buying power. More than anything, it is a showcase of relationship-building and taste thanks to bar manager Bryce Kaesman (who also makes genuinely fabulous cocktails; be sure to check out his constantly revolving menus).

Many patrons believe that, like their own bottle collections at home, restaurants can simply pick and gather what they want. This couldn’t be further from the truth. Restaurants can’t simply serve up a bottle one of its workers discovered and bought while on vacay at Isla Mujeres. Each bottle has to be purchased through a designated distributor (and yes, not every tequila chooses to go through a useful or even accessible distributor, which requires every restaurant to hold an account with said distributor).

“A Taste of Mexico” returns for Long Beach Last Call 2025 on Tuesday, Mar. 4. VIP ticketholders can enter at 5:30PM and enjoy a taco bar. General admission is at 6:30PM. The event will run until 9PM. For tickets, click here.