COVID-era innovations in Oaxaca’s service industry has it reimagining its post-pandemic future, now
I would say that survival is the best measure of success in any pandemic, and it is an imperative that is not achieved alone. In Oaxaca, during COVID-19 times, I have seen an incredible amount of innovation, support, and resilience
Can transparency be too clear?
Interesting news this week in the form of an email from Silvia Philion of Oaxaca's Mezcaloteca: The project of Mezcaloteca seeks to generate traceability and honesty - fair trade, by sharing in our labels the name, community and recipe of the
On touring and other such things
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The cueva collection at the Mezcalosfera palenque.[/caption]
I get a lot of inquiries about how to visit palenques while in Oaxaca and I am quick to recommend different kinds of experiences depending on what people are looking for. We have a standing guide to tours and I am happy to add a new one to the list - Mezcouting from Andrea Hagan. She's got a great background in food sovereignty and in her years in Oaxaca has worked with the University of Vermont, Susan Trilling, and Mezcaloteca. She's crafted her tours, like the others we recommend, on the relationships she has developed in different communities thoughout her years here. You want hands on traditional cooking classes - with deep dives into milling and processing and masa making with your mezcal visits - this is your person.
Mezcal Heavy Métl
William Scanlan has been a man on a mission for quite some time. You may have seen him toting bottles of Real Minero, Rey Campero, and Mezcaloteca to tastings across the United States. Now you will see those bottles independent
When an espadin is not "just" an espadin
File under things that have been weighing on my mind. So many times I have heard the following words - oh, it’s just an espadin. With the heavy focus on silvestres, and the more exotic the better, espadins have somehow
Los Borrachos – throwing a mezcal tasting when #lovewins
It takes some cojones to throw a mezcal tasting in San Francisco during the annual SF Pride celebration. Add to that the historic Supreme Court decision on same sex marriage, a Giants home game, and the farewell Grateful Dead concert, and
Mezcal club updates price and releases new shipment
Correction: Tory Smith got into contact with us after seeing this post to correct two points, the original post has been updated accordingly. The last shipment contentained Nuestra Soledad San Baltazar, El Tinieblo Edition Especial, and Sabios de Lua. The Buen Viaje Ensamble
Marco Ochoa dives deep into the world of mezcal
Mezcaloteca founder Marco Ochoa (no, not that one) gave a great presentation at Mesamerica 2014 which I wish we'd attended. Check out their program to get a sense for how awesome it must have been. Studded with stars like Alice
Truth in mezcal labeling, for once a positive trend
It's a long tradition reinvigorated by Mezcaloteca but now the full monty label detailing exactly what's in bottle of mezcal is becoming a trend. Makers like Vago are putting that information right on their labels and are even being superseded
Saluting the blends
I dropped into Mezcaloteca the other night with some friends. It was an oddly quiet night since it was a Friday, the end of the month which is payday for everyone. It also happened to be the night before the