Heritage Mezcal

Wine has a long history in Mexico, with its introduction arguably dating back to the 16th century. However, it was never massively consumed in the same manner as pulque, beer, or vino de mezcal. There are even annecdotes about communion wine was spiked with coconut spirits (vino de coco) to give it some proper potency.But our relationship with grapes has been changing in recent years. The wines from Baja California have gained a consistent following, and new regions all around Mexico have been exploring the grape varietals and the wine styles that can better suit them. In this episode with @noah.tovares , founder of @vinoschidos.mx, we talked wine for a full hour, hopefully enticing you to start drinking and enjoying Mexican grapes. Saludcita!

Este es el primer episodio que se graba en español y estoy tremendamente orgulloso de eso. Para esta nueva realidad paralela bilingüe del podcast, quise empezar con un episodio que resolvió muchas de las dudas que llevaba cargando desde hace tiempo. El sotol, o los sotoles, o los dasylirion, para ser más específico, son algo que me emociona y me intimida. No solamente los sabores me son difíciles de descifrar, sino todo lo que los  rodea. Desde su identidad genética  hasta las muchas maneras de procesarlo. Por suerte  tuve la oportunidad de entrevistar a Samuel Ruíz, director de operaciones en Casa Endémica y probablemente una de las personas que mejor entiende a esta planta que se llama sotol en el norte pero que se toma como cucharilla en el sur. Este episodio fue grabado en las instalaciones de Casa Endémica en Zapopán, Jalisco. La música, la ingeniería de audio, y los videos que ahora pueden encontrar en Youtube, están a cargo de Roy Sierra.Tomen sotol y bailen pegadito. Bonito fin de semana. 

There are so many things that you could do with your life. You could dedicate decades to science, get into politics, and figure out how to reach world peace, and then there are flavors and pleasures.  Which seems less important, a luxury amongst needs. Yet, there are companies paying millions of dollars to develop and protect specific formulations. People go crazy about securing a reservation at the most celebrated restaurants in the world, and many of our memories are forever linked to particular foods and drinks. But who are these people choosing and finding the flavours that we might celebrate in a few decades? Where and what are they looking for?A few weeks ago, I met Max at Grieta, a coffee bar, that is also a congal, if you know what that means. We started talking about coffee, cacao, and obviously alcohol. Very quickly, it was clear to me that he is one of those people searching for what we may  call delicious in the near future.,  Please welcome Max Brooker, and his intense love for motorcycles and the Mexican mountain ranges.  

Aging agave spirits (with the exception of tequila) is still a taboo, something you talk about using your softest voice not to gain some pretty vocal enemies. Yet, the influence of barrels (and clay vessels) has been critical to the evolution of spirits, wine, and beer for at least a few thousand years.While there are very sophisticated studies dedicated to better understanding this piece of technology, its basis has remained mostly unchanged. In this conversation with Cal Larson we explore the potential of soluble oak and how this approach may get us closer to more sustainable booze.  

Mezcal is equally fascinating and terrifying for those who may not be familiar with it. Some are curious but too shy to venture beyond a cocktail, while others can take significant chances, to the point that one day, they may even become fellow agave nerds.To promote the right environment where curiosity can bloom, the person handing these spirits has to be gentle and firm. Capable of sharing mezcal directly from the heart.Please welcome Miryam Sierra, and her intense passion for expanding mezcal's reach. 

The agave spirits multiverse is as exciting as ever. The conversation has been expanding year after year, bringing to light new regions, agaves and production techniques. But, at least personally, certain places have been more prolific than others. As I've stated in previous episodes, I have an ongoing romance with Salmiana, and I've been exploring the Bajío region with passion for the last few years. The Casa Agave project checks all of these boxes and more. They plant and harvest their agaves using regenerative techniques to supercharge the Cañada de la Virgen bioreserve; bottle a one-punch-knock-out spirit called Atzin made in conjunction by two of my favorite Mexican distillers (Germán Gonzalez and Daniel Navarro); and released Mata de Monte, a 29 ABV "vino de mezcal", that has become my favorite party trick. I could go on and on, but I rather let this conversation with Sophia Trapp, Casa Agave's CEO, be the one to tell you the full story. Hope you enjoy it! #casagave #agavespirits #tequila #mezcal #guanajuato

Lately, I’ve been in a little bit of a conundrum. I’ve been asking myself what the most important aspect of mezcal is that I should be talking about. Should I focus on the history, the culture, the market, the flavors, or the technicalities? After much thinking, I realized that I should attempt to cover all of this and more. Because that is the only way to approach such a complex spirit.So, I am always hunting for minds that understand agave and dasylirion spirits in atypical, enriching ways. The minds that offer me conversations that I haven’t yet had. And Cesar García embodies exactly that: an engineer by trade with a curious and precise eye that made me rethink the current policies that may be preventing mezcal from reaching its full potential. If you are interested in Cesar’s projects in the US, you can find his spirits under the Puntiagudo brand, distributed by Rocksteady Spirits. If you feel like having a great time in Oaxaca or Puebla, I recommend you visit any of the producers he works with. They make some of the best spirits I’ve tried in a good while. Happy semana santa y nos vemos al rato. 

Chihuahua is not only Mexico's largest state but also full of neverending stories. The first episode I ever recorded about this state was more of an ode: two people who had recently found Chihuahua and had become hardcore fans overnight. But, after that, I wanted to record with someone that had deep roots and a fine-tuned expertise in the territory. This conversation with Alessandra Camino has become my new excuse to delve further into sotol and the many Chihuahuan delights I have yet to experience. I hope you enjoy it! 

More and more I've been thinking that we could summarize agave as the lovely culmination of three main variables: agave, yeast and water.In this podcast I believe we've explored in great depth agave and yeast, but we had only superficially touched on water. There are plenty of themes to explore within this realm, but given the times we live in, I thought that exploring reasonable ways of using this vital resource was a good place to start. Mezcal, some would say, is not a basic necessity. So, is it ethical to dedicate precious water to mezcal when that same liquid could be used to grow food or mitigate fires? Is there a way to build a distillery that nourishes its surroundings instead of damaging the environment?We don't claim to have all the answers, but we do have some ideas. Please welcome Miguel Albarrán, from Cara a Cara Mezcal, and his simple yet powerful insights about water. 

There are so many things that we just do. We don't know where did they start or why do we do them . Pure social inertia. Sharing drinks at a bar, at least for me, is one of those things.  Many people in other places socialize or party differently. But in the West, cheering over cocktails,  beers, or mezcalitos, if you are lucky, is the norm.In this conversation with Kraig Rovensky we explore the many ways in which the spirits industry, and the places where we party and socialize, are changing. And we speculate on how they may look once we recognize that drinking ethanol is not the only way to play with our moods and vibes.

In this episode with Fabiola Santiago, President and Executive Director at Mi Oaxaca (an NGO which aims to “preserve Oaxaca’s indigenous food and beverage cultures through narrative change, education and collaboration with compatible organizations across borders”) we talk about so many things that I believe are critical for the future of mezcal. Things like how terrenos comunales work, the impact of mezcal in Santiago Matatlán, how, in a perfect world, should mezcal be presented to consumers and the many ways in which this spirit is more than a commodity.If you want to learn more about Fabiola’s work you can find her on Instagram  as @mi.oaxaca or on the internet as mioaxaca.org. 

It  is undeniable that mezcal has become a poster child in the alcohol world. A spirit that in a way brings us hope, because it is a reflection of many biocultural legacies. , Those  beautiful relationships that are slowly formed between humans and their environments if both sides decide to respect and enhance each other. Yet, as pretty as all of this sounds, sharing mezcal is an incredible challenge. Even more so if you want to convince people to drink it slowly and patiently. Please welcome Sofía Barrera from Salón de Agave, and her very  wise mantra: A besitos es mejor. If you feel like exploring a vast number of agave and dasylirion spirits do consider booking a tasting in Salon de Agave. You’ll surely have a blast nerding with Sofía and Megs. And to fill that belly after copious amounts of spirits there are some chicken soups really close called Ricos Caldos de Gallina Don Luis, that will get you back in shape to keep on partying. Feliz Navidad y nos vamos al rato. 

Methanol is one of the scariest things I can possibly imagine. We’ve all read stories about people getting intoxicated. Losing their sight and sometimes even their lives. And with all of that as a backdrop I’ve always wondered: why is it that after sampling hundreds of agave and dasylirion spirits that have never been tested, have I never had any problems with this? That answer belongs to a longer, more convoluted discussion, but for now, let’s start exploring methanol from a medical standpoint, which involves the vast wisdom of Mr. Ryan Aycock.Let’s dive in!

Spirits are quite a weird thing. They are everywhere; you engage with them constantly at bars, concerts and restaurants and yet, it is rather difficult to share your thoughts and ideas about them. People get shy and weird when you try to dissect the origin, flavors or implications of a spirit.- Why can’t you just shut up and have fun! - I’ve been shouted at many, many times. That is why I find tremendous joy in the little but great community of mezcal and sotol enthusiasts that I’ve encountered in Mexico City. It is a tiny one, but with these gentle souls I get to talk about cities that most people have never visited and I get to refresh my memory and re-spark my curiosity about things that I missed when I visited this or that producer. In this conversation with Megs Miller, mastermind behind Salon de Agave in Mexico City, we try to go through all our memories connected to Chihuahua and beautiful spirits we found there. I hope you enjoy this one!

In this episode on Heritage Mezcal, I had the opportunity to have a delightful conversation with Eric Zandona. He is an incredibly booze-informed gentleman, and the organizer of the ADI’S International Spirits Competition, which, if you were to ask me, offers a great chance for brands of all sizes to break into the US market. Especially if you have something that may shock the nerds. They are not sponsoring this episode, but after being invited a few times as a judge, I can say that I’ve never met a group of people that cared about and loved spirits with such passion. That being said, this episode covers a lot of ground, but was originally inspired by a petition published in Change Org by Pepe Tequilas titled: “Highlighting the Importance of Protecting Agave’s Biocultural Heritage”. I prefer not to throw any major spoilers in this introduction, but let's just say that both Eric and I would love for agave spirits' beauty to prevail for at least another thousand years. 

Agaves and humans have always had an intimate relationship  but, believe it or not,  a significant part of if has nothing to do with booze. As we've discussed before in this podcast agaves provided to our ancestors with many charms; from clothing to nourishment. But given the fact that many of these relationships have disappeared, this wider understanding of agave is quite hard to imagine. That is why Marcela Sandoval has been researching how and why and with which consequences did humans domesticated agave. While most of us keep on speculating how agave fields looked a few decades ago,  she gets to inspect traces that go back thousands of years.  Please welcome Marcela and the incredible agave-stories that  she has to share. 

Pox, the quintessential Chiapas spirit, is probably the most mysterious Mexican drink that I've encountered in my life. It was a big part of my early 20's, but I never truly understood its technicalities or cultural relevance. Happily, thanks to Javier Oroz, who I just interviewed a few weeks ago (go check the Bacanora episode), I got to meet Zury Guindi.Zury started bottling bottling Pox back in 2011 under the umbrella of "Siglo Cero". When even mezcal was just starting to happen, he decided to dedicate his life to corn, panela and wheat instead of worshipping agave. In this episode we try to cover as much as we can about this fascinating and delicious drink. Hope you enjoy it!This episode was recorded at Som, Zury's bar in Mexico City. Nested in the heart of Condesa I can't emphasize enough how fun is to go through all their menu. You'll get to try Pox, rum, raicilla, mezcal, tequila and many other bizarre and lovely Mexican spirits. 

This is the beginning of a series where both Roy and Chava go around the many venues that hold agave collections that they think are pretty and tasty. Some may be the usual suspects but others may be hiding in plain view, just like Tahona Mezcal Room. Join Chava and Julie Mann Wharton in a conversation that includes tips on how to party when in Brazil, the different types of cachacas you should look for and how this tasting room came to be. Saludcita!

Vinasse, which are maybe the most offensive byproducts when making mezcal or tequila, can be neutralized in a number of ways. Scientists are always trying to offer more efficient and cost effective options to neutralize this nasty stuff, and one of  those experiments was brought to our attention by our brilliant medical correspondent, Ryan Aycock (aka Cocktail MD).  The technical specifics of how Titanium Dioxide nanoparticles can neutralize vinasse is not really the main focus of this episode, but we decided to delve into what would happen if this approach were to be adopted by the industry at large. What would all that Titanium Dioxide could possibly mean to the health of those applying it to the vinasse or those in the vicinity of the distilleries?  It all may sound very sci-fi and complicated, but this conversation tries to show that every decision has repercussions that may not be incredibly evident right away and that fighting one type of pollution may create other challenges.  Finally, this is the full citation of the article mentioned in the episode:Alicia Rodriguez Arreola, Marciano Sanchez Tizapa, Florentina Zurita, Juan Pablo Morán-Lázaro, Rocío Castañeda Valderrama, José Luis Rodríguez-López & Alejandra Carreon-Alvarez (2018) Treatment of tequila vinasse and elimination of phenol by coagulation–flocculation process coupled with heterogeneous photocatalysis using titanium dioxide nanoparticles, Environmental Technology.