Blind tastings, decision-making, prejudices, spirits awards, and 818 Tequila
I thought this episode was going to be about blind tastings. And it is. Or, at least, it starts that way. But when you’re talking with Marissa, aka @tequilaencyclopedia , you rarely take as straight a path as you’d expect. So if you want to listen to a conversation about that … or about CostCo … or about the Agavos Awards … or how much I paid Marissa to join me on a trip to 818 Tequila, this episode is for you!
Agave Road Trip is a critically acclaimed, award-winning podcast that helps gringx bartenders better understand agave, agave spirits, and rural Mexico. This episode is hosted by Lou Bank with special guest Marissa Paragano of The Tequiladies.
You pay more for Tequila
A few years ago, the story all over the news was that Tequila outsold whiskey and was on pace to outsell vodka. But that was just journalists misreading the annual reports of DISCUS, the Distilled Spirits Council of the US. Now DISCUS has released final numbers for 2024, so I take my own shot at misreading the latest numbers! My big takeaway? Ounce-for-ounce, you pay more for Tequila than any other alcohol. But what does that mean, in the broader context? It’s another by-the-numbers 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. This episode is hosted by Lou Bank with special guest Marissa Paragano of The Tequiladies with numeric wisdom provided by DISCUS.
What happens when they stop calling it Tequila?
Both Tequila and Mezcal are Denominations of Origin — Bacanora and Raicilla, too. Meaning: the Mexican government owns those word and if you want to use them in commerce, you need to follow their rules, including paying for certification. But what happens when you don’t use those words? When you simply call your agave spirit and “agave spirit”? By any other name, this is still an 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. This episode is hosted by Lou Bank with special guest Marissa Paragano of The Tequiladies.