If you’re not already all over the Tequila Matchmaker app, you should be. Scarlet and Grover have built an amazing resource for anyone interested at any level in Tequila.

They started the Additive-Free Alliance, a coalition of Tequila brands, retailers, consumers, and producers of other agave-based products who are dedicated to processes that do not use additives.

“An Undercover Operation, a Raid and the Fight Over What Makes a True Tequila,” Wall Street Journal, June 29, 2024

If you want to learn about the 1990 Nutrition Labeling and Education Act and what came before it, check out “History of Nutrition Labeling” from the National Library of Medicine.

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Shout out to Lalo Angeles of Lalocura for his insights about the damage done to the palenqueros who mill agave by hand.

Shout out to Jake Lustig of Mina Real and Mezcal Don Amado for his efforts to reduce smoke in the lives of the people from whom he sources his spirits.

Shout out to Neta for supporting the healthcare of mezcalero Celso Garcia.

Shout out to Dark Matter Coffee and Maguey Melate for supporting healthcare costs for some families in need in rural Oaxaca.

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Want easier access to beautiful spirits? Add your signature to ShipMySpirits.org!

Live in Illinois and want easier access to beautiful spirits? Send a letter to Deputy Governor Andy Manar!

Read the article that inspired this episode: “U.S. Craft Distilleries Are in Crisis,” Food & Wine, July 31, 2024

That quote from Peter Holland, rum expert and Foursquare Distillery’s UK brand ambassador, appeared in “Could independent bottlers transform rum?,” The Spirits Business, September 24, 2024

Haven’t heard about Empirical’s Doritos spirit? Click here!

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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 Marissa Paragano of The Tequiladies. 

Note that this episode was recorded on September 25, 2024 -- before some of the latest developments regarding additive-free Tequila.

Marissa is also a board member of Tequila That Cares, a philanthropic organization bringing positive change to the agave spirits industry!

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Dig whiskey? Dig the blog of the mighty Chuck Cowdery!

Want to know more about Hacienda de Chihuahua Sotol? Click here!

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Thanks to road-tripper Shain Bela Lugosi in San Diego for pointing me to Oslo Sardine Bar!

Caputo’s offers the most amazing mail-order selection of chocolate!

Read Rowan Jacobsen’s Wild Chocolate book, on sale now!

When in Chicago, drop into Dark Matter’s Sleep Walk Chocolateria!

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People in the Tequila chat groups get pretty outraged by things like diffusers and additives, and the basis for their outrage tends to be that these things aren’t traditional. But if it’s tradition they’re looking for, why aren’t they drinking Mezcal? Isn’t that more traditional than Tequila? And what exactly is tradition? It’s the most authentic episode of Agave Road Trip ever!

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 master potter Rufina Ruiz Lopez!

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.

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In the comments section of the Agave Road Trip Instagram page, Craig Reynolds — founder of the California Agave Council — wrote, “Unfortunately, there is virtually no significant amount of truly traditionally produced Mezcal left in the marketplace. It’s not environmentally or economically sustainable. An unfortunate fact that is difficult to accept.” I don’t accept that, but Craig did accept my invitation to debate the matter on 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 Craig Reynolds of the California Agave Council.

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

This Mezcal brand replants agave in the wild, uses solar power, and only cooks with certified wood. They convert their bagaso into biodegradable planters. They are a model of best practices in the industry. And they just left the market because no one supported them. We question what you really care about 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 Linda Sullivan of seynasecreto.

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

Gone are the days when jars of pickled eggs and pigs feet lined the back of a bar. But a bit of food in your stomach can sure help when you’re out drinking. So what should the new bar snacks be? And how can they enhance your drinks menu? Sustainable-seafood expert Barton Seaver makes the case for canned fish. We go fishing for a new bar-snack direction 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 Linda Sullivan of seynasecreto with insights and wisdom from Barton Seaver, one of the world’s leading sustainable seafood experts and educators. 
 

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