Agave Road Trip

The US State Department has changed their safety ratings for Mexico. The only places in the country where, according to the US State Department, you can just go as freely as you might to, say, Washington, DC, would be Campeche and Yucatan. Everywhere else in Mexico it’s suggested that you should “exercise increased caution.” Some places I love to go, like Jalisco, Baja California, Chiapas, and Queretaro, I’m told I should “reconsider travel.” And my beloved Michoacan and Guerrero are “do not travel” zones, according to the US State Department. So … what does this mean for gringx bartenders?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 Linda Sullivan of seynasecreto.Episode NotesThe cover to this episode is everything to me. The art is by Gilbert Hernandez — Beto, of Los Bros Hernandez, creators of the comics series Love and Rockets. When I was a 15- or 16-year-old kid, this comic book showed me that comics could tell any story. The magical realism that Beto and his brothers Jaime and Mario depicted in Mexico and Southern California stuck with me. I think a lot of the joy I feel when I’m traveling in rural Mexico now is the discovery of images that they planted in my teenage brain. I was a comics geek growing up — mainly Marvel with a bit of DC on the side. Then some of the alternative superhero stuff when that started popping in the 1980s. But Los Bros Hernandez showed me a whole different world. That realization of the broader stories that could be told through the medium didn’t redirect the trajectory that I was on in the business side of comics. I landed at Marvel when I was 21 years old, where I made so many friends who are still friends to this day. The angry, sarcastic Greg Wright was one of those friends — is one of those friends, though now he’s neither angry nor sarcastic having become a gentle and loving father who now goes by the more gentle and loving name Gregory Wright. Gregory stepped up to color this amazing Beto art.And the initial reason for commissioning the art? Since 2021, the National Museum of Mexican Art has welcomed me to help organize their annual spirited fund-raiser, Copitas de Sol. I get to drag in a bunch of spirits brands and a bunch of restaurants and bars, and I get to commission art like this. This cover will be one half of the poster for next year’s Copitas de Sol, which will occur some time in August. And wait until you see the second half!See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Months ago COMERCAM released the 2024 numbers for Mezcal. But I just finally got around to looking at them. What do they reveal? To me, a lot of questions about the integrity of the numbers!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 Shawn Miller of PKGD Group.Episode NotesYou can find the 2025 Comercam report here and the AMMA site is here. You won’t find any relevant numbers but the CIDAM site is here.Shout outs to Tristan Stephenson of the Curious Bartender Podcast, Dr. Iván Saldaña Oyarzábal, Sergio Garnier at Ultramundo Mezcal, El Acabo Raicilla, and Lalocura.Thanks to Roy Sierra for the episode cover and, as ever, funky sound design!See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The technology most of us carry in our pockets allows us to take such good pictures that we often don’t recognize we’re not taking great pictures. Professional photographer Anna Bruce shares her tips and tricks to help you up your documentation game!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 Anna Bruce of Rambling Spirits, author of Tequila, Mezcal & More: Discover, Sip & Mix the Best Agave Spirits.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

There was sort of mini-boycott of agave syrup among bartenders about a decade ago, fueled by the industrial product contributing to Jalisco’s monoculture of blue weber agave. Or maybe fueled by a feeling that agave should only be used to make spirits – I’m still not 100% clear on that. And then there was the rise of the “new” agave syrup, which is really the original agave syrup, which is made in an entirely pre-industrial manner, in places other than Jalisco, from agaves other than blue weber. And it’s awesome! But it doesn’t taste like the agave syrup bartenders expect. So … what do you do with it? And, for that matter, what do you do with Mezcal that doesn’t taste like smokey Espadin and Tequila that doesn’t taste like the stuff that thwarted you in college?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 Adam Murphy, an engineer who makes cocktails.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Willy Chavarria and Adidas went to China and made "Oaxaca Slip-Ons.” Was it an opportunity to benefit the communities in Mexico who make huaraches? Or was it a multi-cultural slip-up? 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 Fabiola Santiago of Mi Oaxaca. It was recorded a day or two before Mr. Chavarria issued an apology for releasing these huaraches. You can read his apology here.Episode NotesTo sign up for Mi Oaxaca’s online course “Introduction to Mezcal Through Indigenous Worldviews,” which takes place online Tuesdays from October 7 through November 11, click here!To read Dan Saladino’s introduction to Eating to Extinction, click here! That news I mention, about visas being issued by the USA to people who make a monetary deposit? Read about that here.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

“That song makes me not want some mo G4.” That reaction to the music video “Sippin’ on Some G4” by Jeff Hodges and Los Henchmen, while nothing like the majority of commenters, was also not uncommon. Which is interesting, right? Because absolutely nothing changed about the Tequila in the G4 bottle. So … why would anyone stop drinking something they like because of a music video they don’t like?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 Shawn Miller of PKGD Group.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The impact that a bartender can have on the consumption patterns within a bar is huge. Does great responsibility come with that great power? And if so, what exactly does that responsibility look like?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 Linda Sullivan of seynasecreto.Episode NotesSign up for Mi Oaxaca’s Fall 2025 Six-Week Online Course, “An Introduction to Mezcal Through Indigenous Worldviews”!Shout outs this episode to Mijenta Tequila’s Maestra Selection No. 1, Burger King, ketchup!See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

There was this video that my friends at Zignum released years ago that suggested that traditional Mezcal was not clean. That was contrasted recently in a conversation I had with master tequilero Felipe Camarena, who suggested that county water with all its chlorine and other chemicals wasn’t clean. And then maestro mezcalero Eduardo Angeles has a further take on what “clean” means. So what exactly does it mean in the process of making spirits? How much does it matter? Find out in the filthiest episode yet 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 Michael Schallau of is/was Brewing with wisdom from Felipe Camarena of G4 Tequila and Eduardo Angeles of Lalocura.Episode NotesShout outs this episode to Sleep Walk Chocolate, David Hammond, Zignum Mezcal, Campanilla, Mezcal Villasuso, and 30A Distilling!See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

I’ve met at least a dozen mezcalerxs who no longer drink, but continue to make Mezcal. How do they do that, and still make delicious spirits? And what can bartenders and chefs take from this?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 Linda Sullivan of seynasecreto with wisdom from mezcalero Isidro Rodriguez of Rio de Parras, Michoacan, a poetic pause from Agave Road Trip poet laureate Larry Beckett, and a quick translation from Regina Gonzalez.Episode NotesIf you enjoyed Larry Beckett’s poem, “True Words,” you can find it in Song to the Siren, a collection of Larry’s lyrics!Shout outs this episode to Regina Gonzalez, Dark Matter Coffee, Greg Rutkowski of Finca 18, Budweiser, blue cheese, Arte Agave, and Malort!See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

It feels like it was about a decade ago that I started hearing the word “Latinx,” and I liked the inclusivity – or, maybe, the lack of exclusivity – the word implies. But now I’m told it’s not the right term. I try to watch my language in this 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 Dr. Héctor García Chávez of Loyola University Chicago with supporting wisdom from Erika Latines.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

I hear and read a lot about how the red, mineral-rich volcanic soil is what makes this Tequila especially delicious. Or about the arid earth that makes that Mezcal so special. But … those are not forever things, right? If the minerals produce an agave that makes a delicious spirit, that means the agave is taking something from that soil — is consuming those minerals. And if they aren’t replaced … does that mean no more delicious Tequila and Mezcal? 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 environmental scientist Regina Gonzalez of SACRED with supporting wisdom from Rodrigo Mestas of Tequila Torrente. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In the world of whiskey, most geeks will tell you that a spirit won’t age unless it’s stored in wood. In the world of agave spirits, geeks will swear they do change. The agave geeks are right and, now, we finally have proof. It’s an evidentiary 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 Linda Sullivan of seynasecreto with Patrick Timmis of PKGD and a cast of dozens from Arte Agave Chicago tasting through a unique flight from mezcalero Victor Ramos to help demonstrate our point.Episode NotesShout outs this episode to SACRED’s Futures program, Tales of the Cocktail, CH Distillery, Malort, Patrick Timmis of PKGD, Arte Agave Chicago, Eduardo Angeles of Lalocura, Dark Matter Coffee, Big of Big Works, Tony at Spilt Milk!See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

I was watching that short documentary that PKGD released about mezcalero Carlos Mendez Blas, “Capitan Palomo.” And I was struck by the revelations in that film and how I think there’s something in Carlos’ world view that could solve the problems around immigration.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 Chef Oto Michel of Estrella Negra with wisdom from Carlos Mendez Blas of Mezcal Palomo.Episode NotesIf you haven’t yet watched “Capitan Palomo,” do that here.This episode cover is from the Loteria illustrated by Jose Guadalupe Posada.Shout outs this episode to PKGD, the National Association to Protect Children, Erika Valenciana’s “Brewer," Steven Pinker's The Better Angels of Our Nature, The HERO Child-Rescue Corps, Blue Oyster Cult’s “In Thee,” Lalocura, and Milt Rosenberg!See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Linda has her method for tasting agave spirits. I have mine. And they’re relatively the same. But we just learned a new method from Rosa Perez Hernandez of Campanilla and it blew our minds! It’s a breath-taking 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 Linda Sullivan of seynasecreto with wisdom from Rosa Perez Hernandez of Campanilla.Episode NotesThis isn’t the first episode of Agave Road Trip to cover ways to taste agave spirits. Check out Season 2, Episode 7, “How to Taste Spirits Neat”; Season 2, Episode 25, “The only correct way to drink Mezcal”; and … there’s another with Linda but I can’t find it. Help!Thanks to Agave Road Trip poet laureate Larry Beckett for his performance of “Prayer for What Vanished,” excerpted from his epic poem “Wyatt Earp,” which is included in the book American Cycle.Shout outs this episode to the National Museum of Mexican Art, Copitas de Sol, Siete Pozos Tuxca, Mezcal Villasuso, Maria de la Luz at Campanilla, Regina Gonzalez, and Oro by Nixta.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Ron Aleman of Taco Mucho knows and loves Tequila. But he’s now finding himself drawn to Raicilla. “I’ve never had one I didn’t like,” he says. And I have a theory about that. So I run that theory by Marissa Paragano of The Tequiladies in this Jalisco-centric 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 and Tequila That Cares.Episode NotesMarissa is also a board member of Tequila That Cares, a philanthropic organization bringing positive change to the agave spirits industry!Shout outs this episode to El Bandido Yankee Tequila, G4 Tequila, Tequila Fortaleza, Cazcanes Tequila, Lagunitas Brewing, Dark Matter Coffee, La Venenosa Raicilla, PKGD Group, El Acabo Raicilla, and the DC Chocolate Fest!See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

There are people in rural Mexico for whom Mezcal is 100% cultural heritage. And there are people there for whom it’s 100% business — sometimes tied to cultural heritage but sometimes tied simply to paying for food, clothing, shelter, and life’s aspirations and pleasures. So what does it mean when that business side taps into the cultural heritage side to increase business? It’s a thoughtful, precious 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 Shawn Miller of PKGD Group.Episode NotesShout outs this episode to Ultramundo Mezcal, Mezcal Palomo, Chrissie Hynde, Sleep Walk’s award-winning Blanco Jaguar chocolate bar, red Solo cups, DC Chocolate Festival, Linda Sullivan, The Tequiladies, Connie, and Mezcal Lalocura!See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

I see it all over the news, hear it in conversations: we're drinking less. But then I look at the sales numbers from DISCUS and it makes me wonder, are we really drinking less? Or are we just drinking differently? It’s a complex math equation that we try to solve in this 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 Linda Sullivan of seynasecreto.You can check the raw data from DISCUS here.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The fastest-growing spirits category in the USA is Tequila/Mezcal. The most popular cocktail is the Margarita. We love tacos, we love tamales. So … can all of that help us as a country learn to love the people who brought us these things we love?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 Alba Huerta of Julep Houston.Episode NotesShout outs to Alvin Schultz, Ben Quasius, Gustavo Arellano and his book Taco USA.This episode was recorded about a month before the immigration raids in Los Angeles. The government’s violent response to the peaceful protests against those raids is, I think, evidence of what Alba says in this episode.This Instagram post from my friends at Lost Lore Tequila says everything I’d want to say in a smarter way than I couldSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

At the DISCUS conference a few months ago, I was at a party that was populated by small-brand tasting tables. The one that drew my attention most was the one that was both least visited and most colorful. And my response to everything they were pouring was, Yes, please! But most especially, the White Chocolate/Raspberry Tiramisu whiskey! It’s an artificially inspired 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 Linda Sullivan of seynasecreto with wisdom from Al Murphy of Mother Murphy’s Flavors.Episode Notes Thanks to Al Murphy of Mother Murphy’s FlavorsShout outs to the Distilled Spirits Council of the US, Runts, Skittles, Hampden Estates Rum, Elevate Innovation, Non-Alcoholic Phony Negroni, Zignum Mezcal, Ancho Reyes Verde, Mexico in a Bottle, and “Outspoken,” the monthly storytelling event at Chicago’s Sidetrack!See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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.Episode NotesMarissa is also a board member of Tequila That Cares, a philanthropic organization bringing positive change to the agave spirits industry!Shout outs this episode to the Agavos Awards, 818 Tequila, Costco, and Marissa’s dream team, the Boston Red Sox!See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.