There was sort of mini-boycott of agave syrup among bartenders about a decade ago, fueled by the industrial product contributing to Jalisco’s monoculture of blue weber agave. Or maybe fueled by a feeling that agave should only be used to make spirits – I’m still not 100% clear on that. And then there was the rise of the “new” agave syrup, which is really the original agave syrup, which is made in an entirely pre-industrial manner, in places other than Jalisco, from agaves other than blue weber. And it’s awesome! But it doesn’t taste like the agave syrup bartenders expect. So … what do you do with it? And, for that matter, what do you do with Mezcal that doesn’t taste like smokey Espadin and Tequila that doesn’t taste like the stuff that thwarted you in college?

Agave Road Trip is a critically acclaimed, award-winning podcast that helps gringx bartenders better understand agave, agave spirits, and rural Mexico. This episode is hosted by Lou Bank with special guest Adam Murphy, an engineer who makes cocktails.

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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? Or was it a multi-cultural slip-up? 

Agave Road Trip is a critically acclaimed, award-winning podcast that helps gringx bartenders better understand agave, agave spirits, and rural Mexico. This episode is hosted by Lou Bank with special guest Fabiola Santiago of Mi Oaxaca. It was recorded a day or two before Mr. Chavarria issued an apology for releasing these huaraches. You can read his apology here.

Episode Notes

To sign up for Mi Oaxaca’s online course “Introduction to Mezcal Through Indigenous Worldviews,” which takes place online Tuesdays from October 7 through November 11, click here!

To read Dan Saladino’s introduction to Eating to Extinction, click here!

That news I mention, about visas being issued by the USA to people who make a monetary deposit? Read about that here.

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“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 nothing like the majority of commenters, was also not uncommon. Which is interesting, right? Because absolutely nothing changed about the Tequila in the G4 bottle. So … why would anyone stop drinking something they like because of a music video they don’t like?

Agave Road Trip is a critically acclaimed, award-winning podcast that helps gringx bartenders better understand agave, agave spirits, and rural Mexico. This episode is hosted by Lou Bank with special guest Shawn Miller of PKGD Group.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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, what exactly does that responsibility look like?

Agave Road Trip is a critically acclaimed, award-winning podcast that helps gringx bartenders better understand agave, agave spirits, and rural Mexico. This episode is hosted by Lou Bank with special guest Linda Sullivan of seynasecreto.

Episode Notes

Sign up for Mi Oaxaca’s Fall 2025 Six-Week Online Course, “An Introduction to Mezcal Through Indigenous Worldviews”!

Shout outs this episode to Mijenta Tequila’s Maestra Selection No. 1, Burger King, ketchup!

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There was this video that my friends at Zignum released years ago that suggested that traditional Mezcal was not clean. That was contrasted recently in a conversation I had with master tequilero Felipe Camarena, who suggested that county water with all its chlorine and other chemicals wasn’t clean. And then maestro mezcalero Eduardo Angeles has a further take on what “clean” means. So what exactly does it mean in the process of making spirits? How much does it matter? Find out in the filthiest episode yet of Agave Road Trip!

Agave Road Trip is a critically acclaimed, award-winning podcast that helps gringx bartenders better understand agave, agave spirits, and rural Mexico. This episode is hosted by Lou Bank with special guest Michael Schallau of is/was Brewing with wisdom from Felipe Camarena of G4 Tequila and Eduardo Angeles of Lalocura.

Episode Notes

Shout outs this episode to Sleep Walk Chocolate, David Hammond, Zignum Mezcal, Campanilla, Mezcal Villasuso, and 30A Distilling!

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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 what can bartenders and chefs take from this?

Agave Road Trip is a critically acclaimed, award-winning podcast that helps gringx bartenders better understand agave, agave spirits, and rural Mexico. This episode is hosted by Lou Bank with special guest Linda Sullivan of seynasecreto with wisdom from mezcalero Isidro Rodriguez of Rio de Parras, Michoacan, a poetic pause from Agave Road Trip poet laureate Larry Beckett, and a quick translation from Regina Gonzalez.

Episode Notes

If you enjoyed Larry Beckett’s poem, “True Words,” you can find it in Song to the Siren, a collection of Larry’s lyrics!

Shout outs this episode to Regina Gonzalez, Dark Matter Coffee, Greg Rutkowski of Finca 18, Budweiser, blue cheese, Arte Agave, and Malort!

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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 exclusivity – the word implies. But now I’m told it’s not the right term. I try to watch my language in this episode of Agave Road Trip!

Agave Road Trip is a critically acclaimed, award-winning podcast that helps gringx (?) bartenders better understand agave, agave spirits, and rural Mexico. This episode is hosted by Lou Bank with special guest Dr. Héctor García Chávez of Loyola University Chicago with supporting wisdom from Erika Latines.

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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 makes that Mezcal so special. But … those are not forever things, right? If the minerals produce an agave that makes a delicious spirit, that means the agave is taking something from that soil — is consuming those minerals. And if they aren’t replaced … does that mean no more delicious Tequila and Mezcal?

Agave Road Trip is a critically acclaimed, award-winning podcast that helps gringx bartenders better understand agave, agave spirits, and rural Mexico. This episode is hosted by Lou Bank with special guest environmental scientist Regina Gonzalez of SACRED with supporting wisdom from Rodrigo Mestas of Tequila Torrente.

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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 swear they do change. The agave geeks are right and, now, we finally have proof. It’s an evidentiary episode of Agave Road Trip!

Agave Road Trip is a critically acclaimed, award-winning podcast that helps gringx bartenders better understand agave, agave spirits, and rural Mexico. This episode is hosted by Lou Bank with special guest Linda Sullivan of seynasecreto with Patrick Timmis of PKGD and a cast of dozens from Arte Agave Chicago tasting through a unique flight from mezcalero Victor Ramos to help demonstrate our point.

Episode Notes

Shout outs this episode to SACRED’s Futures program, Tales of the Cocktail, CH Distillery, Malort, Patrick Timmis of PKGD, Arte Agave Chicago, Eduardo Angeles of Lalocura, Dark Matter Coffee, Big of Big Works, Tony at Spilt Milk!

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I was watching that short documentary that PKGD released about mezcalero Carlos Mendez Blas, “Capitan Palomo.” And I was struck by the revelations in that film and how I think there’s something in Carlos’ world view that could solve the problems around immigration.

Agave Road Trip is a critically acclaimed, award-winning podcast that helps gringx bartenders better understand agave, agave spirits, and rural Mexico. This episode is hosted by Lou Bank with special guest Chef Oto Michel of Estrella Negra with wisdom from Carlos Mendez Blas of Mezcal Palomo.

Episode Notes

If you haven’t yet watched “Capitan Palomo,” do that here.

This episode cover is from the Loteria illustrated by Jose Guadalupe Posada.

Shout outs this episode to PKGD, the National Association to Protect Children, Erika Valenciana’s “Brewer," Steven Pinker's The Better Angels of Our Nature, The HERO Child-Rescue Corps, Blue Oyster Cult’s “In Thee,” Lalocura, and Milt Rosenberg!

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