Agave Road Trip

How Many Dogs Can You Bring Back from Mexico?

05 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Maguey mutts! Palenque pups! Fido de mezcal! We did an episode about how much mezcal you can bring back from Mexico -- now we talk about how to get a ...

A Small Amount of Alcohol a Day May Make You Healthier?

28 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

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...

When You Capon the Quiote Do You Get Better Mezcal?

21 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

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 ...

Travel Mexico -- You'll Love it to Death!

14 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

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 t...

And Sometimes, Even When It's Certified, It Still Ain't Mezcal

07 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Profeco, the consumer-protection agency of the Mexican government, ran an analysis of 36 certified mezcal brands. They flagged a bunch of them for var...

Can Mezcal be Medicine?

31 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

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. R...

Immature Agave Makes Better Mezcal

24 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

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 sta...

Super Sugar Tequila: Fortified with Four Essential Additives

17 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

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 extra...

You Think Tequila is Better if you Pay More for It

10 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

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...

It Ain't Mezcal if it Ain't Certified

03 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

There's a Denomination of Origin for mezcal -- has been since 1997. The Mexican government gets to decide what is and what isn't mezcal. So if the Mex...

Tequila: The Perfect Hangover Cure (Cocktail MD Special)

24 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

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 hango...

Mallory O'Meara Drinks like a Woman

17 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

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...

Is Texas Messing with Sotol?

10 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

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...

What Exactly is Artisanal about Artesenal Mezcal?

03 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In 2020, 86% of all mezcal was classified as “artesenal.” Twelve percent was just straight-up “mezcal,” so … made in a more industrial way. ...

There's Mezcal for Geeks, and There's Mezcal that Sells

27 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

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 wh...

You Got Your Pulque in my Tepache

20 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

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...

Give That Juice Another Sniff....

13 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

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 j...

The Perfect Recipe for Mezcal

06 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

An ensamble mezcal is made from a number of different agaves — generally whatever has reached maturity at the same time. Or … is it? Maybe there’...

Puntas and Colas and the Heart of Distillation

30 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

When I first started learning about heritage agave spirits, I misunderstood the labels that noted “puntas and colas.” I thought that meant that wh...

The Many Different Flavors of Mezcal

23 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

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 positi...

Can You be Allergic to Mezcal?

16 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

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? ...

Zero-proof, Non-alcoholic Mexican Cocktails

09 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

One of the hundreds of trends in the world of drinks right now is the zero-proof, nonalcoholic cocktail. Which is what we used to call an iced tea nor...

Should Mezcaleros Sign Exclusive Contracts?

02 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Sometimes the palenquerx who made your mezcal is the brand owner. But that’s rare. Even being a part-owner is rare. Usually the producer is a free a...

The Best Gifts for the Biggest Mezcal Fans

23 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

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...

Liquid nitrogen cocktails! What could possibly go wrong? (Cocktail MD special)

18 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

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...

Everyone Talks about Mezcal, but No One Drinks It

11 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

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 expl...

I Brought it Back from Mexico! Can I Serve it in My Bar?

04 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

You went down to Mexico on some brand trip. But you managed to break away for a day and visit some independent agave spirits producers. You listened t...

A Paloma to Die For? A “Cocktail MD” Special

28 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Ryan Aycock is an emergency-room physician who attended bartending school at the same time he attended medical school — because, you know, it’s al...

Tequila Sunrise and Mexican Moonshine

21 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

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 someth...

Better Soil makes Better Mezcal

14 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

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 do...

All Tequila used to be Mezcal, but now Mezcal is becoming Tequila

07 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Over the last few months there have been a flurry of stories in the news that basically boil down to “celebrities are destroying Mexico by starting ...

Chava's Hair Malfunction

30 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

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 meant...

Mezcal on Ice? Hey. that's Nice!

23 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

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 int...

It's All About the Water

16 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

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 agav...

I Know Art When I Drink It

09 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Chava spends a lot of time talking with me about the differences in how artisans are treated than artists. But it’s usually while I’m driving 90mp...

The Secret Origin of Mezcal

02 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Mezcal has been “having a moment” for at least fifteen years. The New York Times, Food & Wine, Thrillist … heck, even Better Homes & Gar...

How to Start Your Own Mezcal Brand

26 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

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 Tr...

You Can’t Judge a Mezcal by its Bottle

19 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

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 ...

The Best Mezcal is the Most Highly Awarded Mezcal

12 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

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 does it *not* ...

Welcome to Agave Road Trip

05 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

If you're just now joining Agave Road Trip - strap on in! Over the past year we've traveled far and wide throughout the world of agave spirits and we'...

The Golden Age of Mezcal

05 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

You’re amazed by how delicious mezcal is. It’s got your attention in a way that no other spirit does. And you think, Man, where was all this amazi...

What is Going on with Bacanora?

29 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

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 ...

Mezcal: The Pick-me-up Alcohol that Makes You Fertile but Doesn’t Cause a Hangover

22 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

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 ...

They Make Mezcal in California! Or Do They?

15 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

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!Find extra p...

Does Mezcal Change When Aged in Glass?

08 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

When you age alcohol in wood, it of course takes on the properties of the wood. But what about when you age it in glass? Some experts say no. But expe...

The Intersection Between Wine and Mezcal

01 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

When we think about spirits, we tend to think of a commodity alcohol that tastes the same from one batch to the next. And while that’s certainly tru...

What Does It Mean, that My Mezcal is an Ensamble?

24 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Sometimes they’re called mezclas, sometimes they're called ensambles, and sometimes that “a” turns to an “e” for “ensemble.” Some geeks ...

There’s Something about Kendall Jenner in a Huipil

17 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

When Kendall Jenner released 818 Tequila, social-media caught fire. It seemed to make a bunch of bartenders mad. Then she appeared on Instagram wearin...

I've Got a Theory About Long-growth Agaves

10 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

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 som...

Maybe Syrup Isn't All That Simple

03 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Most cocktails call for a sweetener of some type. Maybe there’s a better way to make simple syrup? Learn how to sweeten your cocktail game in this e...

The Birth and Death of the CRM (NOM mini-series #4 of 3)

23 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

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 b...

If You Can't Ferment Raw Agave, How Do We Have Pulque?

20 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

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, a...

Why are So Many Mezcaleros Named Don?

13 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

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 ...

The World’s Most Expensive Bottle of Mezcal!

06 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

A lot of people are blown away by how expensive mezcal is. But … is it? I mean, is it really? We talk the price of mezcal in this  episode of Agave...

If They Kill NOM 199, will That Kill Uncertified Agave Spirits? (NOM mini-series #3 of 3)

30 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

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 minut...

The Clay Copita: Authentic Hipster Culture?

29 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

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 f...

Who Decides if it’s Mezcal? (NOM mini-series #2 of 3)

23 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

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

The Diffuser: Nature’s Answer to Better Tequila

22 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

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...

What's in a NOM? (NOM Miniseries #1 of 3)

16 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

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, ...

Drink More Wild Agave

15 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

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....

River Rocks, Mountain Rocks, Volcanic Rocks: Mezcal Rocks

08 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

We talk a lot about the 400 decisions that palenqueros make in the process of producing heritage agave spirits. That’s the result of using pre-indus...

What's Smoke Got to Do with It?

01 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Before you can ferment those agaves to make alcohol, you’ve got to convert the carbohydrates into sugars. One way to do that is cooking. And one way...

Looks Like Mexico, Tastes Like India

25 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Clay fermentation vessels … wood-fired pot stills … glass garafones filled with clear liquid. From the pictures you might think you’re looking a...

To Monte Alban Mezcal, with Love

18 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

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 bubb...

Tequila vs Mezcal: The Rematch

11 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

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...

The Only Correct Way to Drink Mezcal

04 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

If you’re not pouring a cross on the ground as a gift to the earth … if you’re not bowing to the south in gratitude to the land from which your ...

You Can Master the Strange Secrets of Mezcal!

25 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

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...

MEZcal or meZCAL? How Do You Pronounce It?

18 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

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. A...

How Many Agaves Does it Take to Make a Bottle of Mezcal?

11 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

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 mos...

"Milpa" is Spanish for "Regenerative Viticulture"

04 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

If you dip your toe into the world of wine, some buzz phrases you’ll see are “regenerative viticulture” and “regenerative agriculture.” But,...

Mezcal 2099: The Future of Agave

28 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

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 specula...

Certified Tacos

21 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

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 ...

Another Freaking Gringo Looking for Jabali…

14 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

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

Modern Bar Cart take-over

07 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Not an actual episode of Agave Road Trip, but a cleverly disguised episode of Modern Bar Cart, Eric Kozlik’s cocktail podcast for home bartenders an...

The Mezcal with the Chicken — Pechuga!

31 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

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...

Did Mezcal Save Fiestas, or Did Fiestas Save Mezcal?

24 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The religious fiestas in rural Mexico are often colored by the heritage agave spirits made in the community — which makes for an especially fun nigh...

Mezcal Cocktails, Cocktail Mezcal

17 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

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...

Bad Mezcal

10 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

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...

Who Says It's Not Mezcal?

03 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Mezcal can only be made from the heart of the agave. Or … wait? It can be made from the leaves? And sometimes that worm in the bottle isn’t just f...

Heads, Hearts, and Tails: Where You Cut Matters

24 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

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 ...

How to Drive in Mexico Without Getting Killed - S2E11

19 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

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 a...

The Difference Between Tequila and Mezcal - S2E10

12 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

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 i...

Mercado Day in Mexico - S2E9

05 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

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, ...

How Much Can I Bring Back? - S2E8

29 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

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 … h...

How to Drink Spirits Neat - S2E7

22 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The margarita is almost certainly Mexico’s greatest ambassador. But how do you move from drinking cocktails to drinking neat spirits? We suggest one...

15 Days to Distill - S2E6

15 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Many men and women in rural Mexico started learning to make agave spirits when they were 10 or 11 years old, from their parents. Then some learned in ...

What’s Heritage, Anyway? - S2E5

08 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

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 “...

No Tequila is Mezcal - S2E4

01 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

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 Ma...

Gringo Guero - S2E3

24 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Some folks are wondering what we mean when we say “gringo.” Here’s the deal….Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast ...

The Arnold Palmer of Pulque - S2E2

17 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Before there was mezcal, there was pulque: the undistilled, fermented sap of the uncooked agave. If you’ve never had it, you’ll want to go find it...

What's in My Tequila? - S2E1

10 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Some tequila bottles say they're 100% blue agave. Others don't. So ... what exactly is in those bottles? Lou and Chava speak with David Suro of Siembr...

Perlas Before Swine - S1E9

06 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Dr. Roberto Zenit is a highly regarded professor at Brown University. Nonetheless, he speaks with us about his recently released study of las perlas,...

Hasta Pronto! - S1E8

17 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The season wrap includes Tecate I.V. drips, bartender super powers, and the value of time in rural Mexico.Find extra photos and related links at agave...

Oh, Wood You? - S1E7

17 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

To age or not to age, that is the question. And Lou and Chava attempt to answer it, along with mezcalero Mariano Vazquez. They also talk the proper ma...

Be Still My Heart - S1E6

16 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

This is where we separate the alcohol from the water – we talk about distillation with mezcalero Jesus Franco. And traditional ceramics. And Oax...

Fantastic Fermentation - S1E5

16 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

We give a nutshell explanation of how agave turns from sugar to alcohol and are joined on the occasion by mezcalero Amando Alvarado Alvarez. We also t...

The Grind - S1E4

16 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

After you cook your agave, you’ve gotta mill it – make tiny, little pieces of those giant, cooked agaves. How do you do that? We explain it here...

Get Roasted - S1E3

16 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

That agave won’t just start fermenting, you know. You’ve gotta make it delicious for yeast before yeast makes it delicious for you. We talk with...

What is Agave? - S1E2

16 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

We give a nutshell explanation of how agave turns from sugar to alcohol and are joined on the occasion by maestro mezcalero Amando Alvarado Alvarez. ...

Jump In! - S1E1

09 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

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 it...