They were huge parties with great food and the food is always gonna pull me in. It was always TexMex style bbq and so dang delicious. I use mesquite when I bbq because of those parties. Cinco De Mayo the same way and it's coming up! My introduction to a pig roast was Mexican style in a hole in Korea during Cinco.
Don't drink anymore but my thing was silver tequila. 1800 & Hornitos most of the time.
I've only had one good mezcal and it was served to me and don't know which, but every time I bought it, found it chalky. Reposado for shots but since it's hot we made a lot of margaritas with silver. Now it's just no booze cherry slushies

My neighbor makes something with our agave cores after the death bloom but I think it's more of a milky jail house hooch only she's brave enough to drink more than the mezcal she claims it is. Try to tell her they aint blue agave but she don't care lol. She once made a barrel of sangria for a block party and that pretty much ruined sangria for me since