Tequila Sunrise and Mexican Moonshine
There’s this thing called a Denomination of Origin. The premise is, “Hey, we’ve got this special product we make here. You can maybe make something like it somewhere else, but what we are making here? It’s our cultural heritage. And we’re going to protect our culture heritage.” So Champagne? That’s protected. Scotch? That, too. And Tequila. But is the Denomination of Origin protecting the cultural heritage? Or is it protecting an income stream? In this episode of Agave Road Trip, Chava and I chat about that under the lens of Raicilla, the other agave spirit from Jalisco that’s recently been claimed by the Mexican government.
Better Soil makes Better Mezcal
When you think about terroir, you think about a place. But that place is made up of soil, and that soil informs the plants that grow in it. So what does that mean for agave? And what makes soil good, what makes it bad? Find out in this episode of Agave Road Trip!
All Tequila used to be Mezcal, but now Mezcal is becoming Tequila
Over the last few months there have been a flurry of stories in the news that basically boil down to “celebrities are destroying Mexico by starting tequila brands” and “gringos are destroying Mexico by drinking too much mezcal.” So Chava and I dig into those stories, argue about their relative veracity, and point out all the inaccuracies! It’s an “On the Media” episode of Agave Road Trip!
Chava’s Hair Malfunction
Hey, road trippers! Due to a hair malfunction, this week’s regularly scheduled episode of Agave Road Trip has been bumped to next week. So what will you do in the meantime? Last week Chava and I hosted emergency room doctor Ryan Aycock in a session at Tales of the Cocktail. To learn what you can do – or not do – to keep your customers out of the hospital, click here. And Chava hosted another session, with Anna Nguyen, called “An imperfect guide to the art of celebrating culture(s).” If you want to hear me talk about the carbon trail I leave in my wake on every trip to Mexico, click here. And then head back here next week to see if Chava’s hair dilemma gets solved!
Mezcal on Ice? Hey, that’s Nice!
I think I prefer mezcal at room temperature. I mean, I’ve had it cold and didn’t find it as complex as room temp, which actually helped me get into it, in the beginning. But I’ve also had it out of the still and it was delicious, but … that had to have been at least warm, right? So what’s the right temperature to serve mezcal to your customers? We talk temp in this episode of Agave Road Trip!
It’s All About the Water
We argue a lot about which element in the production of agave spirits contributes most to the flavor of that spirit: the agave itself; where that agave was grown and what grew around it; the cooking process; the yeast that converts the sugar to alcohol, or the mezcaler@ who oversees the decisions throughout the process. But … when we’re drinking a 50% ABV mezcal it’s only half alcohol. The other half is water. Is that the answer? That water contributes the most to the flavor? We debate that and talk about water insecurity in this episode of Agave Road Trip!
I Know Art When I Drink It
Chava spends a lot of time talking with me about the differences in how artisans are treated than artists. But it’s usually while I’m driving 90mph on Mexican toll roads, so I just nod and watch for cars coming at me. In this episode of Agave Road Trip, he forces me to pay attention to the conversation … which also includes an interview with and music by maestro mezcalero Temo Garcia and the International Congress of Peanuts.
The Secret Origin of Mezcal
Mezcal has been “having a moment” for at least fifteen years. The New York Times, Food & Wine, Thrillist … heck, even Better Homes & Gardens are writing breathlessly about “tequila’s smoky cousin.” But … how did that happen? When and why did mezcal become a *thing*? We reveal the secret origins of mezcal in this episode of Agave Road Trip! Featuring interviews with Asis Cortes of Dixeebe and Marco Ochoa of Destileria Fantasma
How to Start Your Own Mezcal Brand
It seems like we get emails and calls on a monthly basis from someone looking to start their own mezcal brand. So here’s an episode of Agave Road Trip that helps point them in the right direction … and maybe helps gringo bartenders think about what they could ask that next brand representative who walks in offering “the best mezcal in the world.”
You Can't Judge a Mezcal by its Bottle
Your friend’s been to Oaxaca, came back with a plastic water bottle of a heritage agave spirit. The only label is your friend’s chicken-scrawl on a piece of green carpenter’s tape. And you love that bottle. So when you see a new mezcal come to market in a fancy bottle, you think, Well, that can’t be good. Or … can it? We talk packaging in this episode of Agave Road Trip!
The Best Mezcal is the Most Highly Awarded Mezcal
What does it mean, that this mezcal won double gold in San Francisco? What does it mean to you, to your bar, and to your customers? What does it *not* mean? We talk spirits competitions in this episode of Agave Road Trip!
The Golden Age of Mezcal
You’re amazed by how delicious mezcal is. It’s got your attention in a way that no other spirit does. And you think, Man, where was all this amazing stuff just five years ago? Well, it was there, in the rural Mexican communities where it’s made. And it still is. Want to know how to find it? Listen in to this episode of Agave Road Trip!
What is Going on with Bacanora?
Maybe you’ve heard of bacanora, that agave spirit from the north of Mexico. But you probably haven’t. Or if you have, you’ve maybe tried one or two. Maybe. And … why is that? In this episode of Agave Road Trip, we try to figure out why bacanora is the agave spirit that never seems to get its share of respect.
Mezcal: The Pick-me-up Alcohol that Makes You Fertile but Doesn’t Cause a Hangover
Before the director of the FDA shows up at my door with a warrant … the title of this episode, that’s sarcasm. But it’s all stuff we’ve heard from mezcal enthusiasts — and, to be fair, sometimes from the folks in Mexico who make these spirits. So is there any truth to these legends? Join us for a myth-busting episode of Agave Road Trip!
They Make Mezcal in California! Or Do They?
Is it cultural appropriation to make mezcal in California? Or whiskey in Mexico? It’s a throw-down episode of Agave Road Trip this week!
Does Mezcal Change When Aged in Glass?
When you age alcohol in wood, it of course takes on the properties of the wood. But what about when you age it in glass? Some experts say no. But experts aren't always right … right? We offer our amateur take in this contentious episode of Agave Road Trip!
The Intersection Between Wine and Mezcal
When we think about spirits, we tend to think of a commodity alcohol that tastes the same from one batch to the next. And while that’s certainly true of many mezcals, there’s also a huge selection of bottles on the market that, like fine wines, have widely varying flavors that reflect a moment in time. So why hasn’t the wine world become obsessed with mezcal? We try to figure that out in this episode of Agave Road Trip!
What Does It Mean, that My Mezcal is an Ensamble?
Sometimes they’re called mezclas, sometimes they’re called ensambles, and sometimes that “a” turns to an “e” for “ensemble.” Some geeks call them field blends, as if anyone is doing any blending in a field. What does it mean when you see these terms on your mezcal label? Find out in this episode of Agave Road Trip!
There’s Something about Kendall Jenner in a Huipil
When Kendall Jenner released 818 Tequila, social-media caught fire. It seemed to make a bunch of bartenders mad. Then she appeared on Instagram wearing a huipil and the phrase “cultural appropriation” started to get thrown around. But … for years now, Chava has been begging me to wear one of those traditional Mexican garments. So if I had, would I have been appropriating that culture? In this episode of Agave Road Trip, Chava and I talk about celebrity tequila, cultural appropriation, and how fine I would look in a huipil.
I’ve Got a Theory About Long-growth Agaves
The agave has one mission in life: to reproduce. It spends its life generating the energy it needs to fulfill that mission. So ... does it tell us something when one agave takes significantly longer -- decades longer, even -- to reach maturity than another agave? I've got a theory about that, and I bother Chava with it in this week's episode of Agave Road Trip!