In November 2021, we celebrated Thanksgiving in Mexico City! It was great fun, but we learned a lot of lessons on the way. If you want to celebrate this traditional USA holiday south of the border, give this episode a listen and start making plans! It’s a fully stuffed episode of Agave Road Trip!

This episode of Agave Road Trip is sponsored by Mezcal Ultramundo. Ultramundo is a mezcal brand owned by a family without any real historic connections to mezcal heritage. Instead, their connection is to nature. They own a 24,000-acre ranch that is resplendent with agaves -- specifically maguey lamparillo, a variety that takes something like 15 to 18 years to reach maturity. The botanist they consulted said that if they allowed at least 20% of the mature agave annually to go to seed, the plants would be able to self-regenerate, creating a never-ending supply of lamparillo. So that’s what they’re doing. And the agave they’re harvesting, they’re turning into a delicious mezcal in Nombre de Dios, Durango. Mezcal Ultramundo is available at wholesale in California, and throughout the USA at retail via mail-order. If you want to taste what mezcal could be, if we avoid growth through mono-cropping, check out Ultramundo.

Agave Road Trip is a critically acclaimed, award-winning podcast that helps gringx bartenders better understand agave, agave spirits, and rural Mexico. It’s hosted by Lou Bank and Chava Periban. 

Notes

Want a fresh turkey? Get it at Mercado de San Juan! And a whole bunch of the other things you’ll want: cranberries, mushrooms, sweet potatoes, you name it.

Want a finished turkey? And traditional sides? Try Pinche Gringo Barbecue! Or get to the mercado a few days in advance and order it that way.

Get your agave spirits from Damian and Raquel from Mezcal El Tigre in Mexico City! They were our very kind hosts!

Rundown of the pics! Pics 1 & 2: Hammond Family Powers, Activate! at the El Tigre compound Pic 3: Hammond Family and Chava talking with Connie, out on the El Tigre patio Pic 4: Sometimes the only fat in the gravy is the fat-headed cook Pic 5: Before the fun, El Tigre patio in-the-raw Pic 6: Huitalacoche for the. stuffing and gravy Pics 7 & 8: Pinche BBQ saves us in a pinch! Pic 9: Morels, for dueling-fungi stuffing Pic 10: When you know where to go in CDMX Pic 10: Esther and crew prep some fine turkeys in CDMX Pic 11: Stuffing and roasted vegetables in the El Tigre oven — pics 1 - 5 courtesy of David Hammond