Mezcal is a category of agave spirit that includes, but is still different, from tequila. While tequila can only be made from the blue agave plant and is created through a steaming process, mezcal can be distilled from over 400 varieties of agave plants and is traditionally roasted underground to produce a rich bouquet of flavors. Mezcal has been growing in popularity over the last few years, especially in Austin, with more restaurants and bars expanding their menus to include it. Whether you’re looking for exciting mezcal cocktails, or just to sip on a copita in peace, here’s where you can enjoy some of the best mezcal in Austin.

For more drinks in Austin, find the best cocktail bars, the best new cocktail bars, and the best margaritas.

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The playoffs are here for Texas high school football. Pflugerville kicked things off on Thursday night for Central Texas with a 63-13 win over San Antonio Burbank, the Panthers’ first playoff win since 2012.

All of the top Austin-area schools are in action Friday night, including heavyweight programs Westlake, Lake Travis, Vandegrift, Cedar Park, LBJ, Liberty Hill and Bastrop.

9 UIL PLAYOFF TEAMS TO WATCH INCLUDE STATE TITLE DEFENDERS, HOPEFULS

FIRST ROUND PLAYOFF PREDICTIONS

CLASS 6A | CLASS 5A

Follow this thread throughout Friday night for live updates and scores from playoff games throughout Central Texas:

On Georgetown’s first possession of overtime, Georgetown’s 2000+ yard ball carrier Jett Walker scored from 17 yards out as the Eagles regained the lead 42-35 lead over Burleson Centennial.

Angleton has ended Weiss’ season with a 35-28 win in the 5A-Division I bi-district win.

The Cavaliers have advanced to the Area Round with a 41-14 win over Round Rock at the Palace on Parmer in a 6A-Division 1 playoff opener.

Lake Travis faces San Antonio Johnson next week.

Georgetown marched the length of the field to tie Burleson Centennial 35-35 as Jett Walker scored his 2nd TD of the night, this one on a 4-yard run.

The game is heading to overtime.

Johnson is pounding Laredo United 31-0 in the 3rd quarter.

Dripping Springs is 35 points better than McNeil 49-14 in the final stanza.

JD Jackson has scored again, this from 6 yards out, for Vista Ridge but Westlake leads 46-17 midway through the fourth quarter.

LBJ has increased its lead to 32-14 over Fredericksburg in the 3rd quarter.

Cedar Park has scored for the first time since the second quarter, but the Twolves still trail Red Oak 35-15 with 7:26 left in the contest.

Following a punt, Centennial has shocked the Georgetown home crowd with an 86-yard TD pass with around 2 minutes left in the game. The Spartans lead the Eagles 35-28.

Reggie Hurley has taken a 36-yard pass from Garrett Marshall for Round Rock but Lake Travis still leads 41-14 with 2:58 left in the fourth quarter.

Westlake has scored its fourth TD of the second half as the Chaps lead Vista Ridge 46-10 with 9:17 remaining in the game.

Though down early, LBJ has rallied to take a 25-14 lead over Fredericksburg at the half.

Weiss is now tied with Angleton at 28 in the 4th quarter.

La Porte leads Anderson 28-21 in the final quarter.

Burleson Centennial has come all the way back as the Spartans marched 83 yards to tie Georgetown at 28 with about 5 minutes left in the game.

Vandegrift leads Austin High 49-7 in the fourth quarter.

Liberty Hill has extended its lead to 27-18 over SA Sam Houston early in the third quarter.

Bastrop is not having any problems as the Bears are whitewashing SA Lanier 42-0 in the third quarter.

Brody Wilhem just took a pass from Rees Wise for 43 yards as Westlake now leads Vista Ridge 32-10 in the third. That is two TDs in 2 possessions for the Chaps in the third quarter.

It looks like Lake Travis will advance in the 6A-Division I playoffs as the Cavs’ Chaston Ditta has scored from 2 yards out. Lake Travis leads Round Rock 38-7 lead late in the third quarter.

If the score holds up, Lake Travis will face SA Johnson in next week’s Area round.

Burleson Centennial is rallying as they now trail Georgetown 28-21 in the fourth quarter.

Josiah Thomas has hit the trifecta as he has hauled in a 23-yard throw from Chaston Ditta for his third TD of the night as Lake Travis leads Round Rock 31-7 with 9:20 left in the 3rd.

QB Jack Appl has not played yet in the 3rd quarter for Round Rock.

Grady Bartlett has scored on an 8-yard run for Westlake as the Chaps lead Vista Ridge 25-10 in the third quarter.

Red Oak has pushed its lead over Cedar Park 35-14 with 5:40 remaining in the third quarter.

Dripping Springs leads McNeil 21-7 in the third.

Vandegrift still leads Austin High 42-0 in the third.

Johnson is up on Laredo United 24-0 at the half.

Unofficially, Lake Travis’s Josiah Thomas has hauled in 5 passes for 161 yards and a pair of scores to lead the Cavalier offense. Defensively, USC commit Gus Cordova has 3 sacks of the Round Rock quarterback with a pair of pass deflections.

Georgetown looks like it will be playing next weekend as the Eagles lead Burleson Centennial 28-0 lead in the third quarter.

Red Oak is doubling up Cedar Park 28-14 in the third.

La Porte has taken a 20-14 lead over Anderson in the third.

Angleton has rallied to tie Weiss 21-21 in the third quarter.

Liberty Hill 14, SA Sam Houston 12 (2nd)

Bastrop 28, SA Lanier 0 (2nd)

Elgin 24, SA Jefferson 10 (half)

Fredericksburg 7, LBJ 3 (2nd)

Canyon Lake 14, Travis 2 (2nd)

Somerset 28, Taylor 0 (2nd)

La Vega 42, La Grange 0 (2nd)

Lago Vista 35, Bandera 3 (2nd)

Llano 27, Crystal City 7 (2nd)

Thrall 23, Tidehaven 14 (half)

Thorndale 21, Riesel 21 (3rd)

Vandegrift 42, Austin High (half)

Lake Travis 24, Round Rock 7 (half)

Dripping Springs 14, McNeil 7 (2nd quarter)

Westlake 18, Vista Ridge 10 (2nd quarter)

Johnson 10, Laredo United 0 (2nd quarter)

Georgetown 28, Burleson Centennial 0 (half)

Red Oak 21, Cedar Park 14 (half)

Highland Park 34, Rouse 0 (half)

Weiss 14, Angleton 7 (half)

Anderson 14, La Porte 14 (half)

Weiss has taken a 14-7 lead over Angleton at intermission in a 5-A Division I tilt.

Aiden Archer returned an interception 55 yards and a touchdown as Lake Travis extended its lead over Round Rock to 24-7 with 1:08 left in the half.

Vista Ridge has kicked a field goal to narrow the Westlake lead to 8, 18-10 in the second quarter.

Red Oak has scored 14 unanswered taking a 21-14 lead over Cedar Park with 2:22 left in the half. Red Oak’s Kingston McAdams scored on a two-yard run while Jacque Overton has scored on a 37-pass.

SA Sam Houston has taken a 12-7 lead over Liberty Hill in the second quarter.

Westlake has cashed in a Vista Ridge turnover as Rees Wise called his own number on a one-yard power run over the left side. The Chaps lead 18-7 in the second quarter.

Liberty Hill leads San Antonio Sam Houston 7-6 in the opening quarter.

Highland Park is dominating Rouse 27-0 in the second quarter in a 5A-Division 1 playoff match up.

Granger leads La Pryor 28-0 in the second quarter.

Thorndale has reached half as the Bulldogs are tied with Riesel at 21.

Thrall leads Tidehaven 16-14 in the second quarter.

Johnson leads Laredo United 7-0 in the opening quarter.

Elgin and San Antonio Jefferson are tied 10-10 in the second quarter.

La Vega is up 21-0 over La Grange in the first quarter.

Llano leads Crystal City 13-7 in the second stanza.

Vandegrift leads Austin High 21-0 in the second quarter. in a 6A Division II bi-district affair.

La Porte leads Anderson 14-7 in the second quarter.

Georgetown leads Burleson Centennial 14-0 in the second in a 5A-Division I playoff opener.

Bastrop leads SA Lanier 14-0 in a 5A Division II bi-district championship tilt in the opening quarter.

After converting on a fourth down, Grady Bartlett scored from 2 yards out to give Westlake the lead back 12-7 with 11:51 left in the opening half.

Cedar Park has regained the lead as Jamal Porter is on the receiving end of a 39-yard scoring pass. The Timberwolves lead Red Oak 14-7 with 7:41 left before intermission.

In 6A-Division I, Vista Ridge leads Westlake after 1 7-5. Using a 58-yard return the Chaps are knocking on the door looking to regain the lead.

Round Rock has scored as Jack Appl evades the Lake Travis rush to score. The Cavs still lead the Dragons 10-7 with 9:24 left in the half.

Braydon Doane has kicked a 27-yard field goal to give Lake Travis a 10-0 lead over Round Rock with 11:51 left in the second quarter.

At Westlake, Vista Ridge has intercepted a Rees Wise pass and returned it deep into Chap territory and JD Jackson has cashed in the turnover hauling in a 8-yard pass to give the Rangers a 7-5 lead with 1:58 left in the first quarter.

Red Oak has responded to Cedar Park’s opening score with one of its own.

Billy Middleton hits Brayden Robinson on a 29-yard scoring pass with 3:48 remaining in the opening quarter.

Westlake has extended its lead to 5-0 over Vista Ridge after a punt pinned the Rangers on the one-yard. One play later, Westlake’s defense swarmed the Vista Ridge running back for a safety.

Cedar Park’s Cameron Graham has scored from 19-yards out as the Timberwolves lead Red Oak 7-0 with 4:42 remaining in the opening stanza.

Meanwhile in Round Rock, Lake Travis draws first blood Josiah Thomas took a short pass from Chaston Ditta 46 yards for a score. The Cavs lead Round Rock 7-0 with 4:21 left in the opening quarter.

After holding Vista Ridge on a fourth down, Westlake took over and marched into the red zone but had to settle for a 28-yard Nolan Barkley field goal. Barkley’s third three-pointer of the year gives Westlake a 3-0 lead over Vista Ridge in the opening quarter.

Round Rock and Lake Travis are scoreless midway through the first as is Cedar Park and Red Oak.

After an initial first down on its first play from scrimmage pushed the ball into Vista Ridge territory, the Ranger defense held and took over as Westlake quarter back Rees Wise was sacked on fourth down.

Vista Ridge, 6-4, takes over near midfield.

Taking its opening possession

The Statesman’s Caleb Yum is at the Cedar Park – Red Oak 5A Division I Bi-district game where there are reports that Cedar Park running back Trae Hill’s season has been cut short due to an injury suffered during the regular season.

Round Rock hosts Lake Travis at Kelly Reeves

In a 6A-Division I matchup, Lake Travis (9-1) heads north into Williamson County as the Cavaliers take on Round Rock (8-2) in a Bi-district tussle.

Offensively, Lake Travis is led by the duo of qb Chaston Ditta and running back Vann Hopping. Ditta has thrown for 2096 yards with 20 TDs, while Hopping contributes 1041 yards and 21 touchdowns.

Round Rock counters with signal caller Jack Appl and a 2-headed monster at running back of Joaquin Maldonado and Moose Garlington. Appl has thrown for just over 1400 yards with 14 scoring throws. He has also added 8 scores on the ground.

Maldonado and Garlington have combined for over 1300 yards and 11 TDs. 

The winner will face Johnson SA Johnson in the Area Round next week.

Panthers, Texans and Badgers roll into Area round

Pflugerville, Wimberley and Burnet all scored convincing wins in the Bi-district round of the state playoffs last night. 

Pflugerville, the fourth-place qualifier out of 11-5A Division II, stunned 12-5A Division II champ San Antonio Burbank 63-13 at the San Antonio ISD Athletic Complex.

The Panthers, who upped their season record to 8-3, await the winner of the Iowa Colony – Killeen Ellison match-up in next week’s Area round.

Wimberley, 9-2, ran its winning streak to seven as the Texans whitewashed Pearsall 69-0 in the opening round of the 4A Division II playoffs.

The Texans will face the winner of the King vs. Rockport-Fulton in next week’s second round.

Lampasas routed Pecos 53-14 in the 4A Division I Bi-district round to advance to next week’s Area Round.

With the win, the 9-2 Badgers advance to the Area round where they will face the winner of the El Paso Austin – Dumas clash.

Manor New Tech was steamrolled by San Antonio Davenport 91-0 in the 4A Division I Bi-district round to conclude a 3-8 season.

Burnet, 5-6, saw the curtain fall for the season after dropping its fourth consecutive game, 35-21 to Andrews in the 4A-Division I playoff opener.

In the opening round of the 3A Division II playoffs, Van Vleck edged District 13 winner Blanco 48-41.  

The Panthers end their season with a 7-4 mark.

Thursday night finals

Pflugerville 63, San Antonio Burbank 13

Davenport 91, Manor New Tech 18

Andrews 35, Burnet 21

Wimberley 69, Pearsall 0

Lampasas 53, Pecos 14

Van Vleck 48, Blanco 41

Westlake, Georgetown, LBJ finish atop regular season Statesman’s Fab Five rankings

6A

#1 Westlake (9-1) hosts Vista Ridge

#2 Vandegrift (9-1) hosts Austin High

#3 Lake Travis (9-1) hosts Round Rock

#4 Round Rock (8-2) visits Lake Travis

#5 Dripping Springs (7-3) hosts McNeil

5A

#1 Georgetown (9-1) hosts Burleson Centennial

#2 Weiss (8-2, 5-2) visits Angleton

#3 Bastrop (8-2) hosts San Antonio Lanier

#4 Liberty Hill (8-2) hosts San Antonio Sam Houston

#5 Pflugerville (8-3) beat San Antonio Burbank 63-13 last night

4A/Others

#1 LBJ (10-0) face Fredericksburg

#2 Wimberley (9-2) beat Pearsall 69-0 last night

#3 Lampasas (9-2) beat Pecos 53-14 last n

#4 Regents (9-1) – TBA

#5 St. Michael’s (9-1) – TBA

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AUSTIN, Texas — The biggest literary tradition in Texas, which brings thousands to downtown Austin, returns this weekend. The Texas Book Festival is Nov. 16-17.

The event is free and open to the public. Book lovers can head downtown along 11th Street and Congress Avenue, where there will be several programs happening. The festival features more than 250 authors, including New York Times bestselling authors Malcolm Gladwell, Rumaan Alam and Xochitl Gonzalez.

Here’s a list of venues where programs will be held:

• Texas Capitol (1100 Congress Avenue)

• State Theatre (719 Congress Avenue)

• First Baptist Church (901 Trinity Street)

• First United Methodist Church (1201 Lavaca Street)

• Central Presbyterian Church (200 East 8th Street)

• The Contemporary Austin (700 Congress Avenue)

• Texas State Library and Archives Commission (1201 Brazos Street)

The festival include book signings, youth and bilingual programs, a Saturday night Lit Crawl, cooking demonstrations, food trucks and more. While the event is free, there are two ticketed events that have already sold out. They feature Malcolm Gladwell and Matthew McConaughey.

The festival will run from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday.

The full schedule is available online.

Free parking is available in multiple State Lot parking garages on San Jacinto between 12th and 16th streets.