Uncertified Mezcal can kill you
It’s true: An uncertified agave spirit can kill you. But so can a certified Mezcal. Or a certified Tequila. So … what exactly is the point of certification? I had this … conversation? debate? battle? … with Sergio Garnier of Mezcal Ultramundo in another episode in March of this year. He felt like he had more to say and I feel like I could talk about this issue all day long. So here’s your sequel! (And, yes, the title is designed both to anger everyone who correctly indicate that there is no such thing as uncertified Mezcal as well as to increase search optimization.) It’s a leave-the-gun, take-the-cannoli 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 Sergio Garnier of Mezcal Ultramundo.
The Birth and Death of the CRM (NOM mini-series #4 of 3)
Okay, to be fair, that title is 100% click-bait. Or, rather, it’s click-bait if you’re one of the agave geeks who even knows that the CRM is the body that certifies mezcal. Or, rather, that the CRM is *a* body that certifies mezcal – but *used* to be the sole body. And the end of the monopoly paired with the chaos over who controls the CRM … ? Well, that’s what the “death” part of the title refers to. Listen to this episode of Agave Road Trip if you want to join us in trying to sort out exactly what’s happening with this institution.
If They Kill NOM 199, will that Kill Uncertified Agave Spirits? (NOM mini-series #3 of 3)
NOM 006 defines what tequila is. NOM 070 defines what mezcal is. Bacanora has NOM 168, sotol has NOM 159, and raicilla … well, give raicilla a minute – they’ll get back to you. But every other spirit sold in Mexico is, in theory, defined by NOM 199. (Except pox – where’d pox go?) But in March 2021, the Mexican government proposed abolishing NOM 199. So where does that leave comiteco, charanda, xtabentún, aguardiente, and our beloved destilado de agave? In this third episode of our NOM mini-series, we speak with Alberto Esteban Marina, former Director General of the NOMs for the Mexican government and author of NOM 199, to get his thoughts on what exactly the abolition of Nom 199 could mean for all your favorite Mexican spirits.
Who Decides if it’s Mezcal? (NOM mini-series #2 of 3)
Mezcal is a Denomination of Origin, kind of like champagne. It’s controlled by the Mexican government, and that government gets to define what mezcal is. Then there’s a body that certifies mezcal, and since that Denomination of Origin has existed, that has been the CRM. But recent legislative changes in Mexico have opened up certification to three additional certifying bodies. In this second part of our NOM mini-series, we speak with Alberto Esteban Marina, former Director General of the NOMs for the Mexican government, about what these changes could mean for those bottles of mezcal on your backbar.
What’s in a NOM? (NOM Mini-series #1 of 3)
Maybe you’ve noticed on the back of your tequila bottles there’s a number preceded by “NOM.” It’s there on the back of your mezcal bottles, too, but it means something different. Or maybe you’ve been in an online forum where agave geeks were posting about NOM 070, or NOM 006, or NOM 199. Well, that’s another shade of different again. But all those NOMs come back to one general idea: regulations in Mexico. Join Agave Road Trip for the first of our NOM mini-series — a primer on NOMs. I can’t promise there won’t be any garden gnome jokes, but I can promise they won’t be very funny.
Bad Mezcal
It’s the cleanest spirit you can drink! It’s made from the best sugar source in the world! It’s made by hand! So … how could there possibly be such a thing as bad mezcal? Find out in this episode of Agave Road Trip!
Who Says It’s Not Mezcal?
Mezcal can only be made from the heart of the agave. Or … wait? It can be made from the leaves? And sometimes that worm in the bottle isn’t just for tourists? What’s true in one community is not true universally, and the only absolute truths are the ones the Mexican government puts to paper … until they edit that document. Join us for the most confounding episode yet of Agave Road Trip!