The long, long history of aging mezcal in a barrel
There’s a school of thought that suggests that aging mezcal in wood isn’t traditional, and that the changes imparted by the barrel distract from the flavors and aromas of the agave. And, sure, there are some communities where the mezcaleros would never age in anything other than glass for those exact reasons. But you don’t have to travel very far from those palenques to find villages where — for hundreds of years — they’ve been aging mezcal in wood. It’s a kick-in-the-pants episode of Agave Road Trip!
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.
This episode of Agave Road Trip Lauren is brought to you by For People and Planet, a cookbook in support of the United Nations. For People and Planet features 75 international recipes from chefs, farmers, and indigenous communities, with contributions by José Andrés, Grace Ramirez, and Massimo Botturo, among others. The point of the book is to advance the UN's mission to create a more sustainable food system by creating conversations about the weaknesses in our local and global food systems, while also providing actionable ways to make change in the form of accessible and sustainable recipes. If you’ve been paying attention to our podcast recently, you’ve been hearing Chava and me talk about Dan Saladino’s book, Eating to Extinction. For People and Planet feels like a recipe guide to how to help avoid that extinction.
Notes
This episode is based on an article we contributed to InsideHook. To read that article — which includes sources to the materials we reference in the episode — click here!