Northeast

New Jersey restaurant breaks Guinness World Record for largest tequila, mezcal library

Published

2 years ago

August 10, 2024

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.

TEQUILA AND MEZCAL: WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE?

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.

Left to right, Guinness World Record team members Callie Smith and MacKenzie Berry with Meximodo owner Saurabh Abrol, Guinness adjudicator Andy Glass and TJ Pingitore. (Meximodo)

“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.

NATIONAL TEQUILA DAY: 5 FUN FACTS ABOUT THE CELEBRATED SPIRIT

“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.

Customers can walk into Meximodo in Central New Jersey and find an agave liquor suited to their particular flavor profile. (Meximodo by LeMalt Hospitality Group/Designs by Celano Group)

“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.”

“The pollo con mole is amazing. It’s our chicken.”

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.

Meximodo founder Saurabh Abrol (far left) and team members in Mexico. (Meximodo by LeMalt Hospitality Group/Designs by Celano Group)

“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.

“And then you have our barbacoa — which is delicious, served two different ways.”

One of the most popular dishes at Meximodo is pollo con mole, which pairs well with tequila, said Pingitore. (Meximodo by LeMalt Hospitality Group/Designs by Celano Group)

“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.”

For more Lifestyle articles, visit www.foxnews.com/lifestyle

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.

Members of the Meximodo team traveled to Mexico as they were developing the restaurant’s menu. (Meximodo by LeMalt Hospitality Group/Designs by Celano Group)

“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!”

Read the full article from Here

New York

How the Editor in Chief of Marie Claire Gets Styled for a Trip to Italy

Published

23 minutes ago

February 27, 2026

Press Room

How the Editor in Chief of Marie Claire Gets Styled for a Trip to Italy

Nikki Ogunnaike, the editor in chief of Marie Claire magazine, did not grow up the scion of an Anna Wintour or a Marc Jacobs.

But, she said, “my mom and dad are both very stylish people.”

They got dressed up to go to church every week in her hometown Springfield, Va. Her mother managed a Staples; her father, a CVS. “Presentation is important to them,” she said.

Since landing her first internship with Glamour magazine in college, Ms. Ogunnaike, 40, has held editorial roles there and at Elle magazine and GQ. She has been in the top post at Marie Claire since 2023.

She recently spent a Saturday with The New York Times as she prepared for Milan Fashion Week.

Boston, MA

Mass. reports first two measles cases of 2026, including one in Greater Boston

Published

1 hour ago

February 27, 2026

Press Room

Mass. reports first two measles cases of 2026, including one in Greater Boston

Health

While infectious, the Boston-area adult visited several locations where others were likely exposed to the virus, according to health officials.

A photo of the measles virus under a microscope.
Cynthia Goldsmith

By Abby Patkin

February 27, 2026 | 3:45 PM

2 minutes to read

Massachusetts health officials have confirmed the state’s first two measles cases of the year, a school-aged child and a Greater Boston adult.

The Department of Public Health announced the cases Friday, marking the first report of measles in Massachusetts since 2024.

According to health officials, the adult who was diagnosed returned home recently from abroad and had an “uncertain vaccination history.” While infectious, the person visited several locations where others were likely exposed to the virus, and health officials said they are working to identify and notify anyone affected

The child, meanwhile, is a Massachusetts resident who was exposed to the virus and diagnosed with measles out-of-state, where they remain during the infectious period. Health officials said the child does not appear to have exposed anyone in Massachusetts to measles.

The two Massachusetts cases come as the U.S. battles a large national measles outbreak, which has seen 1,136 confirmed cases nationwide so far in 2026, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“Our first two measles cases in 2026 demonstrate the impact that the measles outbreaks, nationally and internationally, can have here at home,” Massachusetts Public Health Commissioner Robbie Goldstein said Friday. “Fortunately, thanks to high vaccination rates, the risk to most Massachusetts residents remains low.”

Measles is a highly contagious disease that spreads through the air when an infected person sneezes, coughs, or talks. The virus can linger in the air for up to two hours and may even spread through tissues or cups used by someone who has it, according to the DPH.

Early symptoms occur 10 days to two weeks after exposure and may resemble a cold or cough, usually with a fever, health officials warned. A rash develops two to four days after the initial symptoms, appearing first on the head and shifting downward.

According to the DPH, complications occur in about 30% of infected measles patients, ranging from immune suppression to pneumonia, diarrhea, and encephalitis — a potentially life-threatening inflammation of the brain.

“Measles is the most contagious respiratory virus and can cause life-threatening illness,” Goldstein said. “These cases are a reminder of the need for health care providers and local health departments to remain vigilant for cases so that appropriate public health measures can be rapidly employed to prevent spread in the state. This is also a reminder that getting vaccinated is the best way for people to protect themselves from this disease.”

According to the DPH, people who have had measles, or who have been vaccinated against measles, are considered immune. State health officials offer the following guidance for the Measles-Mumps-Rubella (MMR) vaccine:

Children should receive their first dose of the MMR vaccine at 12 to 15 months. School-aged children need two doses of the MMR vaccine.
Adults should have at least one dose of the MMR vaccine. Certain high-risk groups need two doses, including international travelers, health care workers, and college students. Adults who were born in the U.S. before 1957 are considered immune due to past exposures.

Abby Patkin is a general assignment news reporter whose work touches on public transit, crime, health, and everything in between.