Why is there a QR Code on my bottle of mezcal?
[et_pb_section fb_built="1" _builder_version="3.19.17"][et_pb_row _builder_version="3.19.17"][et_pb_column type="4_4" _builder_version="3.19.17"][et_pb_text _builder_version="3.19.17"]It’s been almost a year and half since NOM 70 was implemented and we’re finally beginning to see one major part of the roll out on our bottles - the inclusion of a qr
A very special tasting at Madre!
I had a chance to meet Ivan Vasquez, owner of Madre! at the recent Culver City screening of Agave: The Spirit of a Nation and arrange time for a visit while I was in Southern California for the week. It’s
Spirited women
Just back from the San Antonio Cocktail Conferences (my recap is here) where I was able to attend some terrific seminars helmed by a few leaders in the industry, who happen to be women. I say it like that because I am becoming increasingly uncomfortable with how marginalizing it feels to use the phrasing female bartenders, female distillers, female brand ambassadors, etc when really, we have been here all along. The rest of the world is just waking up to that. By putting female, or woman before laymen's terms, it continues to make us more of a novelty or side bar, rather than the truth of the matter - we are fully integrated in this business, as marketers, as writers, as owners and as consumers.
Agave on screen goes big time
Why does mezcal need to be the torch bearer for sustainability?
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New library in Santa Catarina Minas. Photo by Graciela Angeles[/caption]
This is not a rhetorical question and in fact it remained at the forefront of my mind as I spoke with brands, mezcaleros, development people, and academics while I was in Oaxaca, and prompted so many more questions. Why is there such an intense focus on sustainability within the mezcal industry? Just what is it about mezcal that inspires such a hard core call for sustainability?
Mexico in a Bottle DC – kicking off 2017
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The Mexican Cultural Institute in Washington, D.C.[/caption]
In the spirit of transparency, here's some background on how the whole idea of how Mexico in a Bottle - Washington, D.C. came about: DC is my hometown, but now, my immediate family lives with me on the West Coast. I miss DC, I miss my friends, and I really needed to come up with a reason to visit. Then there was a random meeting and conversation I had with Pati Jinich, the terrific Mexican chef, culinary anthropologist, and resident chef at the Mexican Cultural Institute in DC. She told me that the Mexican culinary scene in Washington was growing. A seed was planted and I told Max that DC needed to be on our shortlist of event cities for 2017.
In Memorium: Don Lorenzo Angeles
We are tremendously sad to hear the news that Don Lorenzo Angeles, the patriarch of the Angeles family which is responsible for Real Minero Mezcal, has died of lung cancer. Anyone who met him can vouch that he was a
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
Women – the new face of mezcal?
Let’s get one thing clear, women have always been part of the mezcal industry. Historically mezcal production has been a family affair and women were intimately wound into most aspects from selling the mezcal at markets, to preparing the meals, to
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