Heritage Mezcal

This may be the most  heartbreaking episode that I've ever done. In this conversation with Dalton Kreiss we'll go over mezcal logistics.  Because it is not enough to find a very delicious mezcal. Which is a lot of work already, but you also have to deal with regulations, transportation and all sorts of mysterious things before someone can actually acquire what you've chosen with a lot of love.  So...

There is not a unique approach to making mezcal or coffee, so it shouldn't be surprising to realize that there are many different ways to dissect their flavors.   A few episodes ago I had a long and illuminating conversation with Eric Kozlik about flavor and I wanted to compare and contrast our discussion from a coffee perspective. Coffee is an interesting study-case because it is one of the most...

I listened to this episode with Roberto Ávila (school manager of the Bartending European School in Mexico) a few times trying to come up with a proper introduction. But like I mention at the end of it, it is a bit like a Simpsons episode. The narrative arc is over the place and we jump  from working in Dubai to drinking like a Mexican teenager; from how to pair your tacos to how to run a bar. Hope...

If there is something that is practiced by every culture I’ve ever encountered is boiling leaves, herbs and/or flowers to make comforting or delicious drinks. In my household my mother preferred teas over conventional medicine : anis estrella for the stomach, manzanilla for insomnia and bugambilia to scare the flu away were amongst the many other “creations'  that she came up with over the years t...

Everything that I read and hear around agave spirits these days suggests that the people and places that sustain this heritage are at risk. It is clear to me that we are at a time that if we don't do something there may be a day when homogeneity will take over. The days of thinking about the possibilities brought by the ample agave diversity will be gone and we'll end up with something as boring a...

Every country is a brand. If you want to buy cameras you are probably looking at Japan or Germany;  if you have an interest in silk or denim, you may look for French or Italian goods.   But when we talk about Mexico, what does our national brand stand for?  What is our global reputation? Is our vast biocultural heritage being promoted or are we just being reduced to tequila, tourism and avocados?...

The main reason why I started this podcast was to have conversations that  could expand how we understand  agave spirits.  You may have noticed this by now, most of the episodes are not directly about mezcal, but about the places, the people and the cultures that make mezcal possible and fascinating. In this episode I wanted to delve into flavor. To truly dissect  what bitter, sweet or funky mean...

Many of the most appreciated spirits in the world are the consequence of clashing a base spirit with some sort of modifier. Think about every brown spirit, made with fairly uninteresting grains, but then, after spending enough time interacting with wood,  they get the chance to become complex and glorious.  Mallort, big shout out to CH distilleries, Chartrouse  and every Amari under the sun, are s...

Unlike most people that would typically enjoy alcohol on their free time, it is  not uncommon that given my line of work, that on a normal Tuesday I'll be busy sampling ten or more mezcales.   That is the reason why I've been trying to educate myself, finding the best ways not to destroy my body. But it turns out that there are a multitude of versions of what a non dangerous intake of alcohol mean...

Now that a significant number of people know that most of Mexico distills either agaves, dasylirions, sugarcanes or fruits, I believe it is a great time to delve into the different regions that articulate this country. "La Laguna" is a region, that I rarely get to talk about, it that covers municipalities of both Durango and Coahuila, two massive states with a vast agave and dasylirion spirits tra...

If you can distill agave and/or sugarcane then every other "sugar-source" is open for grabs. Be it mango, zapote or even mesquite; mezcaleros have long experimented with other sources either to find new flavors or to limit their expenses. In this conversation with Dalton Kreiss, founder of Maguey Melate, we discuss the prominence of mango as a cult produce that almost rivals the avocado craze, the...

In this podcast we've been discussing fermentation as a verb, almost comparing it to an erupting volcano. We've explored the many was in which agave and even coffee are transformed by this process but we haven't really explored yeast in detail. What exactly is it? How does it survive? Are there better yeasts than others? Can different yeasts create distinct flavors? I can't claim that we came up w...

This is the longest ever recorded episode of this podcast. But I just couldn't stop talking and picking Shak Zapata's brain. He is not only a grand barista capable of pulling espressos that will make you weep out of excitement but he has also traveled extensively to secure  some of the best Mexican coffees. On this episode we explore the hows and whys of fermenting this powerful bean.   Make sure...

Markets are places to find mundane objects, make friends and enjoy the most voluptuous fruits. They are as useful as they are mysterious, a bastion for diversity and pleasure. I decided to invite Vinik Juré to talk specifically about the many markets that happen during the week in the central valleys of Oaxaca. I hope you enjoy it.  A big shout to the "Animate" employee resource group at Crunchyro...

Let's forget about mezcal for a moment and think about sugarcane spirits, better known as aguardiente by some and rum by others. In this episode I had the pleasure to chat with Keegan Menezes, a rum lover, which had long and detailed answers to all of my silly questions. Here is a small bio of him as written by the man himself: Keegan Menezes started out as a cocktail bartender when he was in Oxfo...

Is there such a thing as traditional mezcal? And if so. Who is entitled to establish what that is and how should it be maintained? In this episode with author and historian Eric Zandona we explore the paradoxes and complexities linked to preserving such a vast biocultural heritage. 

In the agave multiverse there are a number of artifacts that you'll find all around Mexico; with all sorts of different geometries and fabricated with a diverse set of materials: hats. In this chat with Laura Ramos, from "House of Belrio", we discuss with her what does it mean to be a hat designer, the influences of the "Golden Age of Mexican Cinema" and how to use nature as guide when choosing wh...

Salmiana is maybe one of the most well distributed better kept secret amongst agave spirits. In "El Bajío", which comprises a good part of Guanajuato, San Luis Potosí and Zacatecas; Salmiana is the the preferred agave to create a vast array of spirits with a long history that sustained some of the mining extravaganzas in the region. This first episode with Darian is meant a soft introduction to an...

When I first read Fabio's profile I was rather suspicious. A genetist in the agave realm? Isn't the point to just leave agave alone to be glorious and genetically diverse? Well, turns out that Fabio does a significant number of great ideas to continue the centuries-old-interaction between agave and humans.  Here is Fabio's profile on his own words. You can find him in LinkedIn as Fabio Raya: I’m B...

We would all love to think that agaves are the most untainted agricultural product given its propensity to prosper in the "wild". But now, given the size of the tequila and mezcal industry, it is clear that pesticides are being used in unprecedent quantities to keep this machinery going. In this episode we try to get the basics of how pesticides work and their consequences from a medical perspecti...

We have the pleasure to keep the conversation going with Cesar Ojeda (aka @intergalactic_yeastie_boy). This time we talk about  how a palenque/taberna/vinata is nothing like a "distillery" and why the landscapes surrounding a palenque/taberna/vinata are critical to the yeast populations that will ultimately create either pretty or dull flavors. Dr. César Iván Ojeda Linares completed his undergradu...

How did mezcal become part of our lives? Who were those brave first souls that made it possible to make this rural drink a poster child of craft spirits? Welcome to the secret secret origin of mezcal.  Zaloren Gonzalez Fontes is a Citizen of the World a Nomad that has danced her way into the Adventure She calls Life. Since the year 2003, she embarked on the Agave journey playing the role of educat...

Today we will be talking baseball with Darian Martyniuk, extraordinaire tour operator and owner of the " De Matachines" agave spirits brand.  We know that sports may sound outside of the mezcal realm, but believe us, somehow it makes sense.  After a long career as a Business Jerk of All Sorts (TM), Darian Martyniuk realized there were a few things in life that he loved, and two of them were agave...

In this second episode of Heritage Mezcal we spend time with Fabio Raya, a Brazilian researcher exploring the potentials that agave has to be used as a source of bioethanol.  But really, the most important thing about this episode is that we get a clear, objective explanation behind the complexity offered by agave and how that is perfectly in tune with the artisanal processes used to transform thi...

In this first ever episode of the Heritage Mezcal Podcast we had the pleasure to have a conversation with Cesar Iván Linares (aka @intergalactic_yeastie_boy) about yeast, fermentation as a creative act and, of course, the many ways in which prickly pears and pink pepper can be transformed into colonche or tolonche.  Dr. César Iván Ojeda Linares completed his undergraduate studies at the Universida...