Agave Syrup: Threat or Menace?
“Agave? I don’t know what that is, agave.” That’s what Oprah Winfrey said in a 2004 episode in which Dr. Oz warned of the threats of refined sugar and listed his suggestions for substitute sweeteners. Agave nectar was top of his list. It was the endorsement heard round the world, and sales have been climbing since. So why would some bartenders suggest banning the ingredient? It’s a sticky subject on this week’s episode of Agave Road Trip!
What makes Mezcal taste like Mezcal?
Rosemary Smith of Black Snake Distillery in Australia asked us the question, “Does the unique taste of each agave spirit mainly come from its sugar source or the crushed fibers and juice?” So, of course, we fought over the answer! It’s a chicken-or-the-egg episode of Agave Road Trip!
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!
Maybe Syrup Isn’t All That Simple
Most cocktails call for a sweetener of some type. Maybe there’s a better way to make simple syrup? Learn how to sweeten your cocktail game in this episode of Agave Road Trip! We’re joined by 2019 World Class US Bartender of the Year Katie Renshaw so, you know, it’s not entirely amateur hour.