Podcasts by Agave Road Trip

The Beautiful Inconsistencies of Coffee and Mezcal from 2023-11-16T07:00

It's impossible with coffee beans to get consistency in flavors and aromas from one harvest to the next. Add in the processing of those beans into that morning drug that starts most of our days ...

Mexican Hand Gestures in a Mezcaleria from 2023-10-26T06:00

I’m accustomed to people making hand gestures at me, whether in the USA or Mexico. And I’m generally able to understand those gestures in my home country. But just as I don’t understand the spok...

Should You Worry About Plastic in Your Water-Bottle Mezcal? from 2023-10-19T06:00

The best stuff is always in plastic water bottles — that’s a thing I hear from a lot of Mezcal geeks. But lately I’ve been reading a lot of stories in the news about how most of us have plastic ...

The Best Mezcals for Mixing, According to Agave Road Trip from 2023-10-12T06:00

Price certainly has to be a factor when considering which Mezcals you stock in your well. And flavor, of course. But what about the environmental impact? Here are six lower-priced Listen

Espresso Martinis Are a Lie from 2023-09-28T05:41:38

The espresso martini is quickly becoming the go-to cocktail at bars. But is it really an espresso martini? Or are they using cold brewed coffee? What’s the difference? And is cold brew really th...

How the Hijuelos Killed Tequila from 2023-09-21T06:00

There are three different natural methods agaves use to reproduce, but only one of those methods promotes genetic diversity: growing from seed. And that’s how much agave is grown around Mexico. ...

The Contagious Patience of Mezcal from 2023-09-14T11:37:46

The best agave spirits require a lot of patience. It takes an awful lot of time for the agave to mature, it can take a lot of time to get to the mezcaleros who make the best spirits, and you won...

The Bartender’s Guide to Skittles from 2023-08-31T06:00

I’ve been reading lately that Skittles are being banned in parts of Europe. That made me think of all the bottles of vodka I’ve seen in bars in the USA that are being infused with the colorful c...

Chill Filtering: Threat or Menace from 2023-08-24T06:00

Almost all alcohol goes through some kind of filtering, and chill filtering has been one of those methods for … well, forever. But recently, some folks have been flagging this as an unacceptable...

Mezcalarrhea: Some People Think it’s Funny, But it’s Really Hot and Runny from 2023-08-17T06:00

There are often-repeated inaccuracies that cause the general public to greatly misunderstand Mezcal. I call them “mezcalarrhea.” You know, like Mezcal + diarrhea? Because it’s usually people tal...

The Differences Between Tequila and Whiskey from 2023-08-10T05:00

I’m asked all the time what the difference is between Tequila and Mezcal. But, for my money, the more interesting questions is … what’s the difference between Tequila and whiskey? It’s a grains-...

Tequila is Doing Fine but Mexican Beer is Killing it from 2023-07-27T05:00

There’s been a lot of talk about the environmental damage being done to Jalisco and Oaxaca as a result of global demand for Tequila and Mezcal. Hell, we’ve been doing a lot of that talking. But ...

Spirits as Landscapes from 2023-07-20T05:00

In this conversation with Eric Zandona we try to address one of the elephants in the room: can mezcal flavor be powerful enough to convert a non-be...

Every Agave Landscape Tells a Bigger Story from 2023-06-29T06:00

Gringx bartenders like to tell the bigger story of mezcal, the story that goes beyond the delicious spirit to explain why it’s delicious — the thing that gives it that pulse. One of those things...

Never Use Espadin Mezcal to Make Cocktails from 2023-06-22T05:00

There’s this idea that’s been circulating around USA bars that you should only ever use espadin mezcal to make cocktails. But there’s this idea that’s been circulating around in my head that we ...

Some Drinks Don't Travel -- Pulque with the Hadza from 2023-06-15T08:51:24

Pulque is a drink of place — something you have to have near or where it is made. It doesn’t travel. But it’s not the only such drink in the world. Eating to Extinction author Dan Saladino compa...

Can Plastic Save the World? from 2023-05-25T05:00

Yeah yeah yeah. I know. Plastic is killing the world. But it’s hardly the only thing. And in the case of ecoSpirits, it’s maybe also saving the world. We talk about the complicated path of susta...

What Do You Do With the Tiny Sips of Mezcal Left in Your Bottles? from 2023-05-18T05:00

There’s this concept of the infinity bottle in other spirits – where you take the last bits of favorite bottles, pour them together over time to make this ever-changing blend. But … can you do t...

The Ever-Popular Tortured-Agave Effect from 2023-05-11T06:00

There’s an idea that mezcal made with wild agave is more delicious, because the agave lived in a hostile environment. But in the world of pulque, there’s an idea that the most delicious batches ...

Regenerative Agriculture? Biodynamic Agriculture? Climate-Smart Agriculture! from 2023-04-27T05:00

There are so many different approaches to farming these days, and so many different terms that, from the outside, feel like they mean the same thing. But how do they look from the inside? And wh...

What Oaxaca’s New Mezcal Tax Means for You from 2023-04-20T11:31:51

The average consumer doesn’t understand how the established taxes on mezcal in Mexico affect the producers, who pay a VAT of 16% plus a separate tax of 53%. Now the state of Oaxaca is adding a 4...

The Cow/Mezcal Connection from 2023-04-13T05:00

Cows, goats, sheep — it’s not at all unusual to see livestock roaming around fields of agave in rural Mexico, especially up north. And it’s such a happy, peaceful, idyllic scene. But how are tho...

A Fistful of Pesos from 2023-03-30T04:04:46

We’ve had any number of conversations about what it means to pay a mezcaler@ fairly. But a better question is, once you know the fair price, how do you pay them? It’s a cross-border banking epis...

Do You Prefer to Drink Your Calories? from 2023-03-23T05:00

How many calories do you consume daily? How many do you consume through alcohol? Agave Road Trip’s Chief Medical Correspondent, Dr. Ryan Aycock, tells us about the philosophy, “I’d prefer to dri...

Can Alcohol Warm the Body? Or Cool it Down? from 2023-03-16T05:00

Alcohol is nature’s great temperature regulator — it warms you up when you’re cold, and cools you down when you’re hot! Or … does it? Agave Road Trip’s Chief Medical Correspondent, Dr. Ryan Ayco...

Can Mezcal Help You Sleep? from 2023-02-23T06:00

Having trouble sleeping, pal? Think twice before you reach for that bottle of mezcal. Or tequila. Or whiskey. Or whatever. It’s a nightcap episode of Agave Road Trip, featuring our Chief Medical...

What Does it Mean to Support Mezcal Communities? from 2023-02-16T06:00

It’s not uncommon when a new tequila or mezcal launches that buyers will ask the brand what they are doing to support the community from which they’re sourcing their spirits. In this episode of ...

Is Anything Sustainable? (Sustainability Miniseries, Part 2 of 3) from 2023-01-26T06:00

Last week we bickered about whether or not mezcal is sustainable. But maybe the bigger  and more important question is, is anything sustainable? We get bleak in this episode of Agave Road Trip!<...

Is Mezcal Sustainable? (Sustainability Miniseries, Part 1 of 3) from 2023-01-19T07:10:55

There’s a lot of industry talk about only supporting sustainable mezcals. But … none of the brands are sustainable. Or, at least, not one of them that is being exported is sustainable. How can t...

Mezcal is a Nine Million-Liter Monster! from 2023-01-12T06:00

VP Pro shared out a story about the “impressive” growth that mezcal has been experiencing for many years. Yet, for all that growth, it’s st...

What’s the Craft in Craft Spirits? from 2022-12-29T06:00

There are a lot of distilleries referring to themselves as “craft” distilleries. But … are they? Who defines craft? And is craft a reference to flavor or to process? It’s a(nother) judgmental ep...

What’s the Big Deal about Bats and Agave? from 2022-12-22T06:00

So we say it's about bats, but it's really about pollination. And we talk about all these other creatures that can do the job, but then … how would it damage the ecosystem if bats became extinct...

Can Coffee Supercharge Mezcal? from 2022-12-15T06:00

Irish coffees, espresso martinis, carajillos, vodka and Red Bull … there are so many examples of drinks that combine caffeine with alcohol, with the theory that this will be the pick-me-up that ...

Mezcal: The Aphrodisiac that Makes you Strong as a Rhino from 2022-11-24T06:00

It’s pretty common, when we visit mezcaleros, that they’ll pull out a bottle and tell us it’s a special blend that serves as an aphrodisiac. Or Mexican Viagra. But … is that even possible? We as...

The Long, Long History of Aging Mezcal in a Barrel from 2022-11-17T05:51:02

There’s a school of thought that suggests that aging mezcal in wood isn’t traditional, and that the changes imparted by the barrel distract from the flavors and aromas of the agave. And, sure, t...

Why Lou Says “Agave Spirits” Instead of “Mezcal” from 2022-11-10T07:00

Back in the 1990s, the Mexican government took legal control of the word “mezcal” away from the people who have shepherded mezcal traditions for hundreds of years. But legal control isn’t the sa...

What You Don’t Know About Pulque, Part Two from 2022-10-27T05:00

Pulque is fleeting — it’s here, it’s gone. But does that mean it’s harder to make than mezcal? Chava and I duke it out over a subject neither of us can speak to — and bring in academic Gonzalo Á...

What You Don't Know About Pulque, Part One from 2022-10-20T05:00

A year or so back, Alvin Starkman introduced us to Reina Cortés Cortés at A & V La Casa del Pulque. We had a Bordeaux barrel gif...

Hernán Cortés Declares Pulque was Always for the People from 2022-10-13T05:00

Chava found a letter from Hernán Cortés to Carlos V from 1520, and now we're pretty sure that everyone who claims pulque was only for royalty is wrong, the word "maguey" is cultural appropriatio...

Your Perfect Thanksgiving in Mexico City! from 2022-09-29T05:00

In November 2021, we celebrated Thanksgiving in Mexico City! It was great fun, but we learned a lot of lessons on the way. If you  want to celebrate this traditional USA holiday south of the bor...

Babies or Booze? Agaves Can’t Make Both… or Can They? from 2022-09-22T05:00

All alcohol starts life as sugar, and the sugars used to make agave spirits like mezcal and tequila come from … agave! But the energy source that becomes sugar is also  what powers the agave’s a...

Tequila and the Myth of the Low-Glycemic Index from 2022-09-15T05:00

There’s this idea that, somehow, tequila and mezcal are healthier to drink because sugar from agave has a lower glycemic index than other sugars. Our medical correspondent Dr. Ryan Aycock, the C...

Does Bottling Mezcal and Tequila in Mexico Save Jobs? from 2022-08-25T05:00

Back in 2004, the USA imported over $400 million worth of tequila. Approximately 73 percent of that was tequila in bulk form. So when the Mexican government suggested they were going to change t...

Is Mezcal Pechuga Cultural Heritage or Crass Marketing? from 2022-08-18T05:00

One of the things you hear over and over is that pechuga – the mezcal made (often) by adding raw chicken (or turkey or venison or name-your-protein) – is a special spirit made for celebrations. ...

Why Does Mezcal in the USA Have a Higher Minimum ABV than Mexico? from 2022-08-11T06:00

Mexican regulations require an agave spirit to fall between 35% and 55% alcohol by volume (ABV) to qualify for certification as mezcal. But in the USA, the TTB requires that same spirit to be a ...

Historically, Mezcal is Made with Steam from 2022-07-28T05:00

Read almost any of those “differences between tequila and mezcal” articles, and they’ll tell you that tequila steams their agave, mezcal roasts it underground. But in the cover to this week’s ep...

Mezcal Can Be Made From (A Lot) More Than 40 Kinds of Agave from 2022-07-21T11:03:52

How many different kinds of agave can be used to make mezcal? Well, heck, that’s easy: the regulations allow you to use any of them. So why have there been so many articles saying it’s “more tha...

How Much Alcohol is in Mezcal? from 2022-07-14T05:00

If you hang around a certain crowd, they’ll tell you that mezcal needs to be at least 50% alcohol by volume to be true to the cultural heritage of the spirit. And while that is certainly true in...

Who Put the"Vino"in the"Vino de Mezcal"? from 2022-06-30T05:00

All over Mexico, there are communities where they distill spirits from fermented agave. And in a lot of these communities, they call that spirit "vino de mezcal." But "vino" means "wine," and wi...

Healthy Living Through Mezcal from 2022-06-23T05:00

The cigarettes you smoke and the food you eat will kill you sooner than the alcohol you drink. But make no mistake: in the USA, alcohol consumption is the third leading preventable cause of deat...

The Value of Spirits Awards Competitions from 2022-06-16T05:00

Last year, Chava and I recorded an episode titled “The Best Mezcal is the Most Highly Awarded Mezcal.”  We kind of panned the idea of spirits competitions as anything more than a guide for someo...

Another Drink Towards Oblivion from 2022-05-26T05:00

Okay, we really liked our conversation with renowned food journalist Dan Saladino, author of Eating to Extinction. I...

Are We Drinking Ourselves Into Extinction? from 2022-05-19T05:00

We’ve talked a lot on this podcast about the importance of biodiversity in agave. But Dan Saladino takes that conversation to the next level, explaining how what we eat – and drink – will determ...

The Effects of Alcohol and Your Shrinking Brain from 2022-05-12T11:59:33

Mezcal is good for the soul. But what about the brain? And especially the developing brain? Dr. Ryan Aycock, the Cocktail MD, joins us for the scariest episode that Chava never wanted to record....

A Small Amount of Alcohol a Day May Make You Healthier? from 2022-04-28T05:00

For years, I’ve heard that a glass of wine each day is good for you — makes you healthier, helps avoid heart problems. So will a bottle a day make you even healthier? We call in Dr. Ryan Aycock,...

When You Capon the Quiote Do You Get Better Mezcal? from 2022-04-21T05:00

The capon’d agave — the agave that is harvested after it’s begun reproduction, after its quiote has been cut, after it’s been left to develop and change in the field, healing its wound — is cons...

Travel Mexico -- You'll Love it to Death! from 2022-04-14T05:00

We love Mexico! We love visiting, love eating the food, love drinking the drinks, love checking out the art! We love buying examples of all of these things and we love bringing those things back...

Can Mezcal be Medicine? from 2022-03-31T05:00

Chava got a bug. After consulting the Ebers Papyrus and an appointment with Pliny the Elder, he chose a mezcal shot over a flu shot. Cocktail MD Dr. Ryan Aycock joins us to get Chava back on the...

Immature Agave Makes Better Mezcal from 2022-03-24T05:00

There’s a lot of moral outrage around the harvesting of agave that hasn’t yet reached maturity. But … when exactly is agave mature? By whose standards? And if the agave is getting harvested befo...

Super Sugar Tequila: Fortified with Four Essential Additives from 2022-03-17T05:00

How sweet it is! Mexican regulations allow up to 1% of your tequila to be additives, the four most common being sugar-based syrup, glycerin, oak extract, and caramel coloring. Purists get outrag...

You Think Tequila is Better if you Pay More for It from 2022-03-10T07:00

The Distilled Spirits Council of the United States released their 2020/2021 report and … good lord, you people are drinking a lot. But the real news here is, you’re also paying a lot more for wh...

Jump In! - S1E1 from 2022-03-07T10:26:00.772027

We introduce ourselves and the series, but mainly because we felt obligated to do it. We think it’s more fun to let that information reveal itself naturally. Though there is a nice bit about min...

Perlas Before Swine - S1E9 from 2022-03-07T10:26:00.751913

Dr. Roberto Zenit is a highly regarded professor at Brown University. Nonetheless, he speaks with us about his recently released study of las perlas, the process by which maestro mezcaleros use ...

No Tequila is Mezcal - S2E4 from 2022-03-07T10:26:00.745156

Maybe someone told you that all tequila is mezcal but not all mezcal is tequila. Hell, maybe you read it in the New York Times, USAToday, the Daily Mail, or the Chicago Tribune, or on VinePair, ...

Mercado Day in Mexico - S2E9 from 2022-03-07T10:26:00.735085

All of the fruits and spices and flowers and herbs and meats and magic of Mexico show up in the mercados -- the markets. So you should show up there, too! What should you look for? What can you ...

Tequila: The Perfect Hangover Cure (Cocktail MD Special) from 2022-02-24T05:54:09

Jon Darby got Chava drunk. So we called in Dr. Ryan Aycock, Cocktail MD, to help the most popular Agave Road Trip cohost deal with the resulting hangover and learn methods for mitigating them in...

What’s Heritage, Anyway? - S2E5 from 2022-02-22T00:54:20.891975

The traditional methods of making agave spirits in Yutanduchi de Guerrero, in Oaxaca’s Mixteca region, go back to … the late 1990s? So what does “heritage” mean, in this case?

Mallory O'Meara Drinks like a Woman from 2022-02-17T06:00

Mallory O’Meara says you’re getting it wrong when you offer women fruity drinks. "It's the women who really are the ones who are so much closer to the process and usually so much better at being...

Is Texas Messing with Sotol? from 2022-02-10T06:00

When people talk about mezcal and related agave spirits, they'll often lump in sotol. But it's not made from agave. But it is made in Mexico. But it's also now being made in Texas. And that's ca...

There's Mezcal for Geeks, and There's Mezcal that Sells from 2022-01-27T06:00

You’re an agave geek. You bleed pulque. The stuff that tastes like blue cheese and jalapeños? Costs $150 a bottle? You love it. But that’s not what you’re moving. So we talk about what is going ...

You Got Your Pulque in my Tepache from 2022-01-20T06:00

Okay, so ... not all agaves are created equal. Some have fewer sugars than others. Like Bruto. So they add pulque to start the fermentation. But, wait ... that pulque is also made from Bruto. So...

Give That Juice Another Sniff.... from 2022-01-13T06:00

Do you wash that fruit before you cut it? Add salt after juicing? Freeze it? And before you drink it, maybe give that juice a second sniff...? We're joined in this episode by Dr. Ryan Aycock, Co...

Puntas and Colas and the Heart of Distillation from 2021-12-30T06:00

When I first started learning about heritage agave spirits, I misunderstood the labels that noted “puntas and colas.” I thought that meant that what was in the bottle was a blend of the heads an...

The Many Different Flavors of Mezcal from 2021-12-23T06:00

For decades we’ve seen flavor-wheels for wine, and more recently they’ve been appearing for mezcal. It makes sense, both in terms of market positioning and also trying to define the broad spectr...

Can You be Allergic to Mezcal? from 2021-12-16T14:51:29

You want to drink mezcal, but it makes you itch … gives you a headache … turns you bright red. Are you allergic to mezcal? Is that even possible? Agave Road Trip medical correspondent Ryan Aycoc...

The Best Gifts for the Biggest Mezcal Fans from 2021-11-23T13:46:43

Not gonna lie: Liquor.com has an article with a similar title to this week’s episode, and I know this because their source, Nacho Jimenez, suggested that one of the art prints offered by SACRED ...

Liquid nitrogen cocktails! What could possibly go wrong? (Cocktail MD special) from 2021-11-18T07:00

Liquid nitrogen and dry ice can add some serious Instagram cache to your cocktail … but can also cause some serious trouble. Agave Road Trip medical correspondent Ryan Aycock, MD, MS, joins us f...

Everyone Talks about Mezcal, but No One Drinks It from 2021-11-11T06:00

Yeah, okay, that title is intentionally misleading. I mean, everyone hasn’t heard of it — if they had, we wouldn’t continue to see articles explaining how mezcal is “having a moment.” And clearl...

A Paloma to Die For? A “Cocktail MD” Special from 2021-10-28T05:00

Ryan Aycock is an emergency-room physician who attended bartending school at the same time he attended medical school — because, you know, it’s always good to have a Plan B. The result is that R...

Tequila Sunrise and Mexican Moonshine from 2021-10-21T14:39:25

There’s this thing called a Denomination of Origin. The premise is, “Hey, we’ve got this special product we make here. You can maybe make something like it somewhere else, but what we are making...

Better Soil makes Better Mezcal from 2021-10-14T05:17:34

When you think about terroir, you think about a place. But that place is made up of soil, and that soil informs the plants that grow in it. So what does that mean for agave? And what makes soil ...

Chava's Hair Malfunction from 2021-09-30T05:00

Due to a hair malfunction, this week’s regularly scheduled episode of Agave Road Trip has been bumped to next week. So what will you do in the meantime? You'll have to listen to the shortest Aga...

Mezcal on Ice? Hey. that's Nice! from 2021-09-23T05:00

I think I prefer mezcal at room temperature. I mean, I’ve had it cold and didn’t find it as complex as room temp, which actually helped me get into it, in the beginning. But I’ve also had it out...

It's All About the Water from 2021-09-16T05:00

We argue a lot about which element in the production of agave spirits contributes most to the flavor of that spirit: the agave itself; where that agave was grown and what grew around it; the coo...

How to Start Your Own Mezcal Brand from 2021-08-26T05:00

It seems like we get emails and calls on a monthly basis from someone looking to start their own mezcal brand. So here’s an episode of Agave Road Trip that helps point them in the right directio...

You Can’t Judge a Mezcal by its Bottle from 2021-08-19T05:00

Your friend’s been to Oaxaca, came back with a plastic water bottle of a heritage agave spirit. The only label is your friend’s chicken-scrawl on a piece of green carpenter’s tape. And you love ...

The Best Mezcal is the Most Highly Awarded Mezcal from 2021-08-12T11:11:03

What does it mean that this mezcal won double gold in San Francisco? What does it mean to you, to your bar, and to your customers? What doe...

What is Going on with Bacanora? from 2021-07-29T14:03:01

Maybe you’ve heard of bacanora, that agave spirit from the north of Mexico. But you probably haven’t. Or if you have, you’ve maybe tried one or two. Maybe. And … why is that? In this episode of ...

Mezcal: The Pick-me-up Alcohol that Makes You Fertile but Doesn’t Cause a Hangover from 2021-07-22T05:00

Before the director of the FDA shows up at my door with a warrant … the title of this episode, that’s sarcasm. But it’s all stuff we’ve heard from mezcal enthusiasts — and, to be fair, sometimes...

They Make Mezcal in California! Or Do They? from 2021-07-15T04:05

Is it cultural appropriation to make mezcal in California? Or whiskey in Mexico? It’s a throw-down episode of Agave Road Trip this week!

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What Does It Mean, that My Mezcal is an Ensamble? from 2021-06-24T10:15:12

Sometimes they’re called mezclas, sometimes they're called ensambles, and sometimes that “a” turns to an “e” for “ensemble.” Some geeks call them field blends, as if anyone is doing any blending...

There’s Something about Kendall Jenner in a Huipil from 2021-06-17T05:00

When Kendall Jenner released 818 Tequila, social-media caught fire. It seemed to make a bunch of bartenders mad. Then she appeared on Instagram wearing a huipil and the phrase “cultural appropri...

I've Got a Theory About Long-growth Agaves from 2021-06-10T05:00

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 lo...

The Birth and Death of the CRM (NOM mini-series #4 of 3) from 2021-05-23T14:59:15

Okay, to be fair, that title is 100% click-bait. Or, rather, it’s click-bait if you’re one of the agave geeks who even knows that the CRM is the body that certifies mezcal. Or, rather, that the ...

If You Can't Ferment Raw Agave, How Do We Have Pulque? from 2021-05-20T05:00

I feel like the title of this episode also serves as the description. Unless you don’t know what pulque is. So … pulque is a fermented beverage, and it’s made from the uncooked agave. Now you ge...

Why are So Many Mezcaleros Named Don? from 2021-05-13T07:42:59

I don’t recall in which online forum I saw it, but someone asked the question, "Why are so many mezcaleros named Don?" It made me laugh, but it’s funny because it illustrates one of the translat...

If They Kill NOM 199, will That Kill Uncertified Agave Spirits? (NOM mini-series #3 of 3) from 2021-04-30T06:00

NOM 006 defines what tequila is. NOM 070 defines what mezcal is. Bacanora has NOM 168, sotol has NOM 159, and raicilla … well, give raicilla a minute – they’ll get back to you. But every other s...

The Clay Copita: Authentic Hipster Culture? from 2021-04-29T06:00

A lot of mezcal enthusiasts drink their mezcal from clay copitas. Hell, we drink our mezcal from clay copitas. And we think that’s the best vessel for heritage agave spirits. But is it? And is i...

Who Decides if it’s Mezcal? (NOM mini-series #2 of 3) from 2021-04-23T06:00

Mezcal is a Denomination of Origin, kind of like champagne. It’s controlled by the Mexican government, and that government gets to define what mezcal is. Then there’s a body that certifies mezca...

The Diffuser: Nature’s Answer to Better Tequila from 2021-04-22T11:38:30

Tequila collectors the world over hate the diffuser, the industrial machine that is used to turn blue weber agave into tequila. So Chava and I attempt in this episode to show that the diffuser c...

What's in a NOM? (NOM Miniseries #1 of 3) from 2021-04-16T06:00

Maybe you’ve noticed on the back of your tequila bottles there’s a number preceded by “NOM.” It’s there on the back of your mezcal bottles, too, but it means something different. Or maybe you’ve...

Drink More Wild Agave from 2021-04-15T06:00

Some people will tell you that agave is at risk of becoming extinct. They'll tell you that you should primarily drink mezcal made from farmed espadin. But we tell you, gringo bartenders, that if...

Looks Like Mexico, Tastes Like India from 2021-03-25T11:50:10

Clay fermentation vessels … wood-fired pot stills … glass garafones filled with clear liquid. From the pictures you might think you’re looking at heritage agave spirits in rural Mexico. But in f...

To Monte Alban Mezcal, with Love from 2021-03-18T06:00

Those school-boy days of drinking shots in parking lots are gone, but my affection for Monte Alban Mezcal will live on and on. In the mezcal-geek bubble that Chava and I travel in, you don’t hea...

Tequila vs Mezcal: The Rematch from 2021-03-11T07:00

John McEvoy wrote what has to be the first English-language book for mezcal geeks: Holy Smoke! It’s Mezcal came out in 2014. So when John sent us an email co...

You Can Master the Strange Secrets of Mezcal! from 2021-02-25T06:00

Master this strange power! Sway others at will! This episode of Agave Road Trip shows you in just minutes how to use the mysterious power of Mezcal to influence the thoughts of others, control t...

MEZcal or meZCAL? How Do You Pronounce It? from 2021-02-18T07:00

Chava and I sit down with a couple of copitas of mezcal … or, rather, he sits down with a copita of meZCAL and I sit down with a copita of MEZcal. And we fight over how to pronounce it, whether ...

How Many Agaves Does it Take to Make a Bottle of Mezcal? from 2021-02-11T06:00

It’s crazy enough to think that every other alcohol is made from a sugar source — like grapes, grains, grasses, and starches — that take, at most, a year to reach maturity. Most, in fact, are ha...

Mezcal 2099: The Future of Agave from 2021-01-28T06:00

When we talk about the future of mezcal, the conversation tends to revolve around our fears of agave extinction. But there’s so much more to speculate on! That’s what we do in this episode. What...

Certified Tacos from 2021-01-21T06:00

Some restaurants in the USA are serving what they call tacos, but they’re skipping the certification process, so … should they be allowed to call their tacos “tacos”? Or should they have to call...

Another Freaking Gringo Looking for Jabali… from 2021-01-14T06:00

For hundreds of years, mezcaleros believed that you could not use maguey jabali (agave convallis) to make spirits — it foams so much, both during fermentation and distillation, that it was thoug...

The Mezcal with the Chicken — Pechuga! from 2020-12-31T11:00

Maybe you’ve heard stories of a weird mezcal that is made with chicken. Maybe you’ve heard that it’s tied to celebratory rituals. Maybe you’ve heard that it’s precious and rare. Maybe all of tha...

Did Mezcal Save Fiestas, or Did Fiestas Save Mezcal? from 2020-12-24T11:00

The religious fiestas in rural Mexico are often colored by the heritage agave spirits made in the community — which makes for an especially fun night when those festivities also include firework...

Mezcal Cocktails, Cocktail Mezcal from 2020-12-17T05:21:22

Some mezcal geeks use the term “cocktail mezcal” as an insult. But we know you love cocktails! So let’s talk about why those geeks are wrong and how to make a righteous mezcal that can be used i...

Bad Mezcal from 2020-12-10T11:00

It’s the cleanest spirit you can drink! It’s made from the best sugar source in the world! It’s made by hand! So … how could there possibly be such a thing as bad mezcal? Find out in this episod...

Heads, Hearts, and Tails: Where You Cut Matters from 2020-11-24T19:02

Most people think that when you distill a spirit, what comes out of that still goes directly into the bottle. But, in fact, different distillers make different decisions about which parts of the...

How to Drive in Mexico Without Getting Killed - S2E11 from 2020-11-19T11:00

I tell a lot of stories about driving through Mexico — about the dried-up riverbeds that serve as roads to rural communities, about the car rental agencies that sometimes need to be threatened b...

The Difference Between Tequila and Mezcal - S2E10 from 2020-11-12T19:34:39

What’s the difference between tequila and mezcal? Is all tequila really mezcal? Is all mezcal made by hand? These and other questions are answered in this episode of Agave Road Trip! Agave Road ...

How Much Can I Bring Back? - S2E8 from 2020-10-29T16:30:02

You’re headed to Mexico! Excited to drink agave spirits in their natural habitat! More excited to bring spirits home to share with friends! So … how much are you allowed to bring back?

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