Here’s one for the books — Dearborn’s M Cantina is now a bona fide Guinness World Record holder. On Tuesday, June 10, the contemporary Mexican eatery received a highly specific certification: world’s largest selection of commercially available agave-based spirits.
The restaurant boasts 1,825 distinct bottles of 100% agave spirits — about 1,000 more than it had when owner Junior Merino spoke to drinks contributor Mickey Lyons for a story in our May 2023 issue. By our calculations, that means — were one to follow the Dietary Guidelines for Americans’ recommendations for alcohol consumption — it would take two-and-a-half years to drink a shot of each for a man, and five years for a woman.
Merino is nicknamed “The Liquid Chef” for melding his dual expertise in mixology and culinary arts. He’s recognized by the Mexican government as an “Official Ambassador of Gastronomy & Tourism & Promoter of All Mexican Beverages.”
Of M Cantina’s Guinness World Record-breaking accomplishment, Merino said in a press release, “Achieving this record is an honor… and it inspires us to continue exploring and celebrating Mexico’s vibrant spirit culture while elevating Americans’ understanding that Mexican food and beverage isn’t cheap — and is just as rich as any other storied culture in the world.”
The record was certified by Chloe McCarthy, a Traverse City-based Guinness World Records adjudicator, who individually inspected each bottle.
“Of the 1,825 bottles, they’re all the most high quality and authentic in nature,” McCarthy in a press release. “As part of Junior’s effort to dispel the notions that tequila is hard to process or makes you feel sick, the most high-quality spirits don’t do that. I was touched by that.”
The record was previously held by Meximodo, a Mexican eatery and tequila bar in New Jersey that was certified in 2024. But they only had 1,033 bottles — good thing a metro Detroit restaurant was able to step it up.
M Cantina is located at 13214 Michigan Ave. in Dearborn. For more information, visit mcantina.com.
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