Heritage Mezcal

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!