Agave Road Trip

Does Whitexicans have para llevar?

04 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

There’s a restaurant that opened in Queens, New York, a couple months ago with the name Whitexicans. That’s a loaded word – loaded with enough i...

Giving Thanks

27 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

There have been so many things for which to be grateful this year. But, oftentimes, I find myself dwelling on the heartaches and regrets of the year. ...

To AirBnB is human...

20 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In the past decade, housing prices in Mexico City have climbed 148%, fueled largely by digital nomads and a tourism boom. More than 26,000 AirBnB unit...

If you’re selling Mexican food, what do you owe Mexicans?

13 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

If you’re a business owner who makes their living serving food or drinks that are rooted in Mexican traditions, or a brand owner who is selling spir...

Why are agaves not going to seed?

06 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

First I heard from Sergio Garnier that the wild lamparillos on his 24,000-acre ranch in Durango skipped a season. Didn’t shoot quiotes. Didn’t go ...

How do we protect Mezcal brand owners?

30 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

There’s a lot of talk about ensuring that the mezcaleres get paid fairly, and that’s an important conversation. There’s less talk about the pale...

Check your luggage when visiting Mexico

23 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

I see so many agave enthusiasts visiting Mexico and not checking luggage. And Alvin Starkman, who guides visitors to Oaxaca’s palenques, sees even m...

How does Mezcal find new consumers?

16 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

According to the Comercam, production of Mezcal dropped in 2024. It went from 14.2 million liters in 2022 down to 12.2 million liters in 2023 and, las...

The dangers of traveling to Mexico

09 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

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 c...

Mezcal by the numbers

02 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

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 quest...

How to take better pictures in rural Mexico

25 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

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....

Big trouble with ancestral agave syrup

18 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

There was sort of mini-boycott of agave syrup among bartenders about a decade ago, fueled by the industrial product contributing to Jalisco’s monocu...

The difference between celebrating cultural heritage and committing cultural appropriation

11 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

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?&...

The problem with that G4 music video

04 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

“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 nothi...

Does great Mezcal knowledge come with great responsibility?

28 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

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...

The dirty, filthy world of Tequila and Mezcal

21 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

There was this video that my friends at Zignum released years ago that suggested that traditional Mezcal was not clean. That was contrasted recently i...

How can a mezcalere make Mezcal without drinking Mezcal?

14 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

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 wh...

Why you shouldn’t say Latinx (or gringx)

07 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

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 exclusivi...

What happens to Tequila when there’s no more red volcanic soil?

31 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

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 make...

Yes, spirits can be aged in glass

24 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

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 sw...

Mezcal and forgiveness

17 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

I was watching that short documentary that PKGD released about mezcalero Carlos Mendez Blas, “Capitan Palomo.” And I was struck by the revelations...

Another way to taste Mezcal

10 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

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 Herna...

What can Raicilla teach us about Tequila?

03 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

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 say...

The precious world of thoughtful Mezcal

26 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

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 tie...

Are we really drinking less?

19 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

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, ar...

Can Margaritas help us love immigrants

12 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

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 … ...

Agave Road Trip salute to additives!

05 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

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 ...

Blind tastings, decision-making, prejudices, spirits awards, and 818 Tequila

29 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

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...

Chuck Cowdery drinks Mexican whiskey

22 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Chuck Cowdery was called “the dean of American whiskey journalism” by no less than Robert Simonson in the New York Times. So when I decided more t...

Are Mezcal geeks ruining Mezcal? Part 2

15 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Last episode we contrasted the good done through the consumption of heritage agave spirits with the damage caused by same. This episode, we talk about...

Are Mezcal geeks ruining Mezcal? Part 1

08 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

It’s amazing and moving to see mezcalerxs whose lives have clearly improved as a result of the growing interest in agave spirits. But there’s anot...

Some agave can't be farmed

01 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

When I first started drinking Mezcal, I was told that there were some agaves that couldn’t be farmed — that could only grow wild. And I still here...

Gringx bartenders can save biodiversity

24 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In my consumer-focused tastings, I tell attendees that one of the big things I hope they walk away with is, they can lead a more delicious life and su...

Corn as cultural heritage

17 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Mexico has been purchasing about $3 billion of corn annually from farmers in the USA, the vast majority of that corn having been grown from geneticall...

The CRT is no longer the sole certifier for Tequila

10 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

If you want to listen to that October 2023 episode with Khrys Maxwell, it’s “The CRT loses their Tequila monopoly.”You might also want to check ...

Maguey and Madagascar

03 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Check out Riker’s project, MadAgave, on the Web, on Instagram, and on Facebook — and consider making a financial gift. It will help support this i...

You pay more for Tequila

27 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Marissa is also a board member of Tequila That Cares, a philanthropic organization bringing positive change to the agave spirits industry!If you misse...

How do you differentiate different Tequilas?

20 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Shout outs this episode to Cambio Tequila and Puesto! And Howard Gardner’s “Theory of Multiple Intelligences”!See Privacy Policy at https://art1...

Is Mezcal's moment over?

13 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

That one hit is from Australian Traveller: “30 of the best bars in Sydney right now.”See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and Californi...

Puntas: Drop-dead delicious or just drop dead?

06 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This episode was inspired by a post that Mexican distiller Tomas Nava made in the Facebook group Mezcal Society. His post was inspired by the entry fo...

An American Distiller in Mexico

27 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Check out 30A Distilling Co. when you’re in Florida!See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.c...

A Tale of Two USAIDs

20 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

First and foremost, when claims are made about expenses by USAID or any federal agency of the US government, you can research for yourself at usaspend...

The devils in the angel share

13 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Shout out this episode to Steve Catbagan, Denver, and its groovy agave scene; Arik Torren and his Lot 001 Brands, and fog nets. And of Cambio Tequila!...

What do we call them when they’re not all agave spirits?

06 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Shout out this episode to Quiote Mezcaleria!And when in Chicago go visit the desert house at the Chicago Botanic Garden. It’s as close to Mexico as ...

What’s the deal with Rusty Mezcal?

30 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The previous episode that inspired this episode is “The secret origin of Tequila Oro.”Shout out this episode to Jason Cox at 5 Sentidos! Shout out...

Making old ale from agave syrup!

23 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

That incredible beer-not-beer was made by tlachiquero Marco Antonio of pulqueria El rincon de Mayahuel in San Felipe, Guanajuato. I was introduced to...

The Secret Origin of Tequila Oro

16 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This episode was inspired by a bottle by Victor Ramos, sourced from his tasting room in Miahuatlan, Oaxaca, labeled “Mensoncle de Arroqueno.” It’...

Making Mezcal from the flowering agave

09 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Shout outs this episode to Oaxacan speakeasy Hembra, Marco Ochoa of Mezcouting, Sylvia Philion of Mezcaloteca, and Enrique Martinez of Metsal!See Priv...

The ominous threat of Mezcal tariffs

02 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Check out the diverse selection of Mexican spirits being imported by Lot001 Brands! They have Mi Casa Tequila, Parejo (which offers Sotol and Lechugil...

Should we limit the limited-release Mezcals?

26 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Shout outs this episode to Mezonte, Off Premise: Wine, Agave, Whiskey & Craft Beer, and Alambique Serrano Single-Origin Oaxacan Rum!See Privacy Po...

Why is Espadin the only Angustifolia in Oaxaca?

19 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Mezcal geeks love to run down all the varieties of Agave Karwinskii they can name. And when we talk about Agave Americana, we talk about Arroqueno and...

The 400 decisions of Tequila

12 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In addition to our quoted friends at Cambio Tequila and Tequila Torrente, we also mention this episode Felipe Camarena of G4 Tequila and Greg Rutkowsk...

The day celebrating the people who work at bars

05 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

National Bartenders Day is the first Friday of December. That’s December 6 in 2024!Listen to Bridget’s podcast, “Served Up,” here! To listen t...

Another way to bring the desert to your bar

28 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

If you’re in Santiago Matatlan, Oaxaca, go drink pulque at Reina Cortes Cortes’s A&V La Casa del Pulque. Drink the pulque — all the pulque —...

A different approach to additive-free Tequila

21 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

If you’re not already all over the Tequila Matchmaker app, you should be. Scarlet and Grover have built an amazing resource for anyone interested at...

The physical cost of pre-industrial Mezcal

14 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Shout out to Lalo Angeles of Lalocura for his insights about the damage done to the palenqueros who mill agave by hand.Shout out to Jake Lustig of Min...

Can culture and commerce coexist in a bottle?

07 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Want easier access to beautiful spirits? Add your signature to ShipMySpirits.org!Live in Illinois and want easier access to beautiful spirits? Send a ...

What happens when they stop calling it Tequila?

31 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Agave Road Trip is a critically acclaimed, award-winning podcast that helps gringx bartenders better understand agave, agave spirits, and rural Mexico...

When did “smooth” become a dirty word?

24 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Dig whiskey? Dig the blog of the mighty Chuck Cowdery!Want to know more about Hacienda de Chihuahua Sotol? Click here!See Privacy Policy at https://ar...

The argument for pairing chocolate with Mezcal

17 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Thanks to road-tripper Shain Bela Lugosi in San Diego for pointing me to Oslo Sardine Bar!Caputo’s offers the most amazing mail-order selection of c...

Is Mezcal More Authentic Than Tequila?

10 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

People in the Tequila chat groups get pretty outraged by things like diffusers and additives, and the basis for their outrage tends to be that these t...

There Is No Traditional Mezcal in the Marketplace

03 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In the comments section of the Agave Road Trip Instagram page, Craig Reynolds — founder of the California Agave Council — wrote, “Unfortunately,...

The World’s Most Environmentally Sustainable Mezcal Brand

26 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This Mezcal brand replants agave in the wild, uses solar power, and only cooks with certified wood. They convert their bagaso into biodegradable plant...

The Argument for Pairing Tinned Fish With Mezcal

19 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Gone are the days when jars of pickled eggs and pigs feet lined the back of a bar. But a bit of food in your stomach can sure help when you’re out d...

The Most Important Tequila of the Century

12 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Once a century, Agave Road Trip goes out looking for the most important Tequila of that era. Now, there are still a solid 75 years let in this century...

Does the Tequila in Your Margarita Matter?

05 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

I saw a number of posts online suggesting that, if you’re making a Margarita, it doesn’t matter what Tequila you use – it pretty much tastes the...

The Politics of Mezcal

29 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Not everybody who drinks Mezcal is politically liberal. Not everyone carrying a copita in their pocket is a Democrat. Not all of the folks traveling t...

Did Salsa Change Gringos or Did Gringos Change Salsa?

22 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

A recent article in the New York Times suggested, "As more foreigners, especially Americans, visit or move to Mexico City, some taco shops have lowere...

De-caf, Non-fat Tequila

15 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Eric Kozlik of Modern Bar Cart shared with me an email exchange he’d had with a PR agency, where their selling point for a new Bourbon was that it w...

Mezcal Is Smoky Tequila

08 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Mezcal geeks and agave nerds get hot under the collar when someone suggests that Mezcal is smoky Tequila. But … isn’t it? It’s a fire-starter ep...

Uncertified Mezcal Can Kill You

01 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

It’s true: An uncertified agave spirit can kill you. But so can a certified Mezcal. Or a certified Tequila. So … what exactly is the point of cert...

Mezcal Flights or Mezcal Cocktails?

25 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

No question but that most people in the USA are introduced to Mezcal through cocktails. But most bartenders I know — most people I know, in fact —...

Tequila Cristalino: Threat or Menace?

18 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

You can’t log onto a Facebook Tequila group without seeing Cristalino Tequila derided, abused, and generally treated as some kind of punch line. But...

Beverage Testing Institute Does Not Say Mezcal Is the Purest Distilled Alcohol

11 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

“According to the Beverage Testing Institute of Chicago in Illinois, mezcal is the purest distillate or alcohol that exists on the planet and the no...

Horse Piss, Arm Pits, and Other Mezcal Additives

04 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

I like to talk about the 400 decisions that a mezcalerx makes that determines how an agave spirit tastes. But there are other elements beyond their de...

When Did Tequila Stop Being Fun?

27 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

It’s all in the eye of the beholder, I know. But when I think about what Tequila was back in the ‘80s and ‘90s … it was a catalyst for fun. I ...

Yes, There Can Be Additives in Mezcal

20 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In the past several weeks, I have seen in numerous online forums the misstatement that Mezcal can’t have additives. And the misstatement that those ...

A $30 Chicken Dinner Is a Bargain

13 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

John Douglass of the multi-award-winning Louisville bar Pretty Decent is renowned for his hospitality. But he got a bit hot under the collar when one ...

You Can’t Recycle That Bottle

06 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Road-tripper Nathan Mealey checked in to ask, “How do you if a brand is ethical?” So I’ve started having that conversation with a number of peop...

Making Beer With Agave (And Sotol)

30 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

How do you turn 24,000 acres of wild maguey Lamparillo and dasylirion into beer? You bring Mike Schallau of is/was brewing to Durango to hang out with...

Cocktails as Cultural Bridges

23 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

I’ve heard a lot about how bartenders use cocktails as a way to introduce their guests to Mexican spirits like Mezcal, Tequila, Raicilla, Bacanora, ...

What Is the Connection Between Mezcal, Mexican Food, and Museums?

16 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The first time I saw tascalate on a menu it was at Itanoni in Oaxaca. I immediately fell in love with the traditional drink. But finding a second cup ...

Maybe That 12-Year-Old Agave Is Only Five Years Old…

09 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

I was having a conversation with Grace Gonzalez of Tequila El Mayor and she said something that brought into focus a thought that’s been bumping aro...

Mezcal Moto-Rally!

02 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Four wheels good! Two wheels more good? For the last few years, Nick Barreiro has organized a moto-rally for small group of motorcycle-and-Mexico enth...

What Can Cultivated Meat Teach Us About Mezcal?

25 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In his New York Times op-ed about the imploding dream of cultivated meat, Joe Fassler writes, “[It] was an embodiment of the wish that we can change...

Are the Best Bottles of the Year the Best Bets for Your Bar?

18 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Vinepair, Wine Enthusiast, Esquire … seems like every publication these days has their suggestions for what you should have been drinking over the p...

This Bottle Protects Jaguars

11 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

We’ve done a lot of episodes about the importance of biodiversity, but usually we’re talking about plants. Sometimes insects. Bats, on occasion. S...

Are Agave Straws Really Better Than Plastic?

04 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

A trend that’s emerged in the past decade are these drinking straws that are being promoted as made from agave fibers — the agave fibers being a b...

How to Pair Mezcal With Food

28 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

I’m seeing a lot more restaurants expanding their Mezcal selections, and a lot more events pairing Mezcal with food. So what do you eat when you dri...

Why Brands Don’t Certify Their Mezcal

21 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Since I first met Sergio Garnier, before he launched Mezcal Ultramundo, we’ve debated about the relative merits of certifying your agave spirits as ...

The Secret Origin of Bull-skin Fermentation in Mezcal

14 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The fist time I tasted an agave spirit fermented in the skin of a bull, it was all anyone was talking about in Oaxaca. I tasted it at three mezcaleria...

All Bino Mexcal Is Mezcal but Not All Mezcal Is Bino Mexcal

07 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Did the small family producers in Tequila, Jalisco, eat the metaphorical and literal lunch of the big producers in Guanajuato and San Luis Potosi at t...

Rowan Jacobsen Went to Mexico and All I Got Was This Podcast

29 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

I got obsessed with Rowan Jacobsen when American Terroir hit bookstores in 2010, and was recently re-obsessed when his podcast “Wild Chocolate” dr...

Food Journalism Is Still Journalism

22 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

How do you find reliable sources for information about adult beverages? This is a multi-billion dollar industry, there should be reliable places to le...

The Problem With the InsideHook Article About 2023 Tequila Sales

15 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

A couple weeks ago, I threw the Washington Post under the bus for failing to recognize that food journalism is — or should be — journalism. This w...

Why Don’t More Mezcaleros Own Their Brands?

08 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Why are there so few Mezcal and Tequila brands owned by the people who produce them? When I try to rattle off the names of brands of Mezcal and Tequil...

The Problem With the Washington Post Article About Mezcal

01 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Do you want to preserve the biodiversity of agaves? Or do you want to preserve agaves in the wild? Because those are two different things, often at od...

How to Take Your Pet on a Road Trip to Mexico

25 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Heather Morse traveled to Mexico City with her husband, Aaron. And her dog. And her cat. By car. From Las Vegas. If you’ve ever wanted cross the bor...

Leave Tequila Alone!

18 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In a Wine Enthusiast op-ed titled “Is it time to leave Tequila alone?,” spirits and cocktail writer Kara Newman asks, “When it comes to pushing ...

The Cultural Heritage of Agave Syrup

11 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

There’s Mrs. Butterworth’s, and then there’s fine Vermont maple syrup. And the same extremes exist for agave syrup. But here’s the thing: the ...