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 the future. Join us for the biggest headache of our series in this episode of Agave Road Trip! Find extra photos and related links at agaveroadtrip.com Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network. Support Agave Road Trip by becoming a member ! Agave Road Trip is Powered by Si...
Feb 24, 2022•32 min•Ep. 79
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 able to discern different flavors,” says the author of Girly Drinks: A World History of Women and Alcohol. Join us for a conversation about gendered drinking in this episode of Agave Road Trip! Find extra photos and related links at agaveroadtrip.com Photo Courtesy of Mallory O'Meara Heritage Radio Netwo...
Feb 17, 2022•31 min•Ep. 78
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 causing some waves. Is Texas messing with sotol? We skip through that minefield in this episode of Agave Road Trip! Find extra photos and related links at agaveroadtrip.com Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network. Support Agave Road Trip by becoming a member ! Agave Road Tri...
Feb 10, 2022•27 min•Ep. 77
In 2020, 86% of all mezcal was classified as “artesenal.” Twelve percent was just straight-up “mezcal,” so … made in a more industrial way. And only 2% was classified as “ancestral.” So is “artesenal” as artisanal as the name suggests? And who knows what that word even means? Chava gets quizzed on the mezcal NOM in this episode of Agave Road Trip! Find extra photos and related links at agaveroadtrip.com Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network. Support Agave Road ...
Feb 03, 2022•28 min•Ep. 76
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 to sell to those customers in this episode of Agave Road Trip! Find extra photos and related links at agaveroadtrip.com Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network. Support Agave Road Trip by becoming a member ! Agave Road Trip is Powered by Simplecast . See Privacy Policy at ...
Jan 27, 2022•30 min•Ep. 75
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 ... how does the pulque ferment? Chava freestyles his science-like ideas in a car in Miami to try to explain what's going on in this episode of Agave Road Trip! Find extra photos and related links at agaveroadtrip.com Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network. Support Agave...
Jan 20, 2022•26 min•Ep. 74
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, Cocktail MD, for the lowdown on bacteria and how it can sneak up on you either in a gringx bar or on the roadsides in rural Mexico! Find extra photos and related links at agaveroadtrip.com Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network. Support Agave Road Trip by becoming a member ...
Jan 13, 2022•24 min•Ep. 73
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’s a precise recipe that’s been handed down for generations? But how does that work within the confines of nature? We cook the cookbooks in this episode of Agave Road Trip! Find extra photos and related links at agaveroadtrip.com Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network. Support Agave Road Trip by becoming a member ! Agave...
Jan 06, 2022•19 min•Ep. 72
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 and tails of a distillation — but in fact the heart of the distillation had been adjusted with the heads and tails. But, then … maybe I was wrong about being wrong? We look closely at the cuts in this episode of Agave Road Trip! Find extra photos and related links at agaveroadtrip.com Heritage Radio Network...
Dec 30, 2021•15 min•Ep. 71
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 spectrum of different flavors you’ll find in mezcal and other agave spirits. But … what if banana tastes different to me than it does to you? The flavor training wheels come off in this episode of Agave Road Trip! Find extra photos and related links at agaveroadtrip.com Heritage Radio Network is a listener supp...
Dec 23, 2021•20 min•Ep. 70
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 Aycock, MD, MS, joins us for another Cocktail MD special that’s nothing to sneeze at! Find extra photos and related links at agaveroadtrip.com Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network. Support Agave Road Trip by becoming a member ! Agave Road Trip is Powered by Simplecast . See ...
Dec 16, 2021•25 min•Ep. 69
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 north of the border and an agua fresca south of the border. And, yeah, I recognize that it’s not simply that. But it’s also that … and more! We talk Mexican terroir, traditional herbs, and delicious liquid flavors in this week’s episode of Agave Road Trip! Find extra photos and related links at agaveroadtrip.com Heritage Radio Network is a listener su...
Dec 09, 2021•18 min•Ep. 68
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 agent. And sometimes they are asked to sign contracts with the brand that is sourcing their mezcal — sometimes those contracts require exclusivity. Is that okay? We do a deep dive into the fine print in this episode of Agave Road Trip! Place your bid for our Virtual Agave Road Trip at heritageradionetwork.org/auction Find extra photos and related link...
Dec 02, 2021•23 min•Ep. 67
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 is among the best gifts you can get for mezcal lovers. And I know this because I suddenly got flooded with orders for that print. So I wanted to offer our take on the best gifts, to see if we could get the same kind of search-engine love. Find extra photos and related links at agaveroadtrip.com Heritage R...
Nov 23, 2021•23 min•Ep. 66
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 for another Cocktail MD special that is sure to be a gut-buster! Find extra photos and related links at agaveroadtrip.com Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network. Support Agave Road Trip by becoming a member ! Agave Road Trip is Powered by Simplecast . See Privacy Policy at...
Nov 18, 2021•24 min•Ep. 65
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 clearly someone is drinking it. I mean, you are, right? But … how deeply has it penetrated drinks culture in the USA? Or in Mexico, for that matter? And how can you get more of your customers to drink it? We run the numbers in this episode of Agave Road Trip! Find extra photos and related links at agaveroadtrip...
Nov 11, 2021•21 min•Ep. 64
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 to our episode, “How Much Can I Bring Back?,” and now you have 120 liters of heaven that you want to share with all the angels who visit your bar. So ... can you? It’s the Law & Order episode of Agave Road Trip! Find extra photos and related links at agaveroadtrip.com Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network. Supp...
Nov 04, 2021•24 min•Ep. 63
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 Ryan is acutely aware of all the things that can go wrong in a bar. The things that can result in your guests winding up on a gurney in his emergency room. This episode of Agave Road Trip is the first in a series of regular appearances during which Ryan Aycock, the Agave Road Trip medical correspondent, he...
Oct 28, 2021•22 min•Ep. 62
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 here? It’s our cultural heritage. And we’re going to protect our cultural heritage.” So Champagne? That’s protected. Scotch? That, too. And Tequila. But is the Denomination of Origin protecting the cultural heritage? Or is it protecting an income stream? In this episode of Agave Road Trip, Chava and I ch...
Oct 21, 2021•24 min•Ep. 61
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 good, what makes it bad? And, ultimately, what does that mean for wild agave versus farmed agave? These questions and more in this episode of Agave Road Trip! Find extra photos and related links at agaveroadtrip.com Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network. Support Agave Ro...
Oct 14, 2021•22 min•Ep. 60
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 tequila brands” and “gringos are destroying Mexico by drinking too much mezcal.” So Chava and I dig into those stories, argue about their relative veracity, and point out all the inaccuracies! It’s an “On the Media” episode of Agave Road Trip! Find extra photos and related links at agaveroadtrip.com Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonp...
Oct 07, 2021•28 min•Ep. 59
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 Agave Road Trip ever to find out! Find extra photos and related links at agaveroadtrip.com Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network. Support Agave Road Trip by becoming a member ! Agave Road Trip is Powered by Simplecast . See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and Ca...
Sep 30, 2021•4 min•Ep. 58
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 of the still and it was delicious, but … that had to have been at least warm, right? So what’s the right temperature to serve mezcal to your customers? We talk temp in this episode of Agave Road Trip! Find extra photos and related links at agaveroadtrip.com Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported ...
Sep 23, 2021•17 min•Ep. 57
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 cooking process; the yeast that converts the sugar to alcohol, or the mezcalero who oversees the decisions throughout the process. But … when we’re drinking a 50% ABV mezcal it’s only half alcohol. The other half is water. Is that the answer? That water contributes the most to the flavor? We debate that and ...
Sep 16, 2021•25 min•Ep. 56
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 90mph on Mexican toll roads, so I just nod and watch for cars coming at me. In this episode of Agave Road Trip, he forces me to pay attention to the conversation … which also includes an interview with and music by maestro mezcalero Temo Garcia and the International Congress of Peanuts. Click here for more info on Lou and Chava's appearances at Tales of th...
Sep 09, 2021•25 min•Ep. 55
Mezcal has been “having a moment” for at least fifteen years. The New York Times, Food & Wine, Thrillist … heck, even Better Homes & Gardens are writing breathlessly about “tequila’s smoky cousin.” But … how did that happen? When and why did mezcal become a *thing*? We reveal the secret origins of mezcal in this episode of Agave Road Trip! Click here for more info on Lou and Chava's appearances at Tales of the Cocktail . Find extra photos and related links at agaveroadtrip.com Episode Ar...
Sep 02, 2021•31 min•Ep. 54
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 direction … and maybe helps gringo bartenders think about what they could ask that next brand representative who walks in offering “the best mezcal in the world.” Find extra photos and related links at agaveroadtrip.com Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network. Support Agave Road T...
Aug 26, 2021•17 min•Ep. 53
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 that bottle. So when you see a new mezcal come to market in a fancy bottle, you think, Well, that can’t be good. Or … can it? We talk packaging in this episode of Agave Road Trip! Find extra photos and related links at agaveroadtrip.com Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast netw...
Aug 19, 2021•21 min•Ep. 52
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* mean? We talk spirits competitions in this episode of Agave Road Trip! Find extra photos and related links at agaveroadtrip.com Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network. Support Agave Road Trip by becoming a member ! Agave Road Trip is Powered by Simplecast . See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and Califo...
Aug 12, 2021•23 min•Ep. 51
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've got many more adventures planned! Find extra photos and related links at agaveroadtrip.com Agave Road Trip is Powered by Simplecast. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info ....
Aug 05, 2021•4 min•Ep. 51
