Elixir of the Gods

Our last hurrah for this season. The god of weather was in a good mood and so we were able to meet and record outside during a cold but sunny winter day in Berlin.

Here are the spirits we tasted this time:

• Los Danzantes Arroqueño
• Lopez Real (the travelling bottle)
• Lalo's magic juice
• Flor del Desierto Sotol
• Sietes Noches (thanks Fernando)

We will continue to record for Season 4, which will probably take us the better part of the year. In the meantime you can check out great Agave content from these shows in order of first appearance:

• Show de Vie - https://showdevie.com/

• Maestros del Mezcal - http://maestrosdelmezcal.com/

• Hey Hey Agave - https://tuyo.nyc/blogs/hey-hey-agave

• Agave Lessons - https://www.agavelessons.com/

• Mezcal del Bueno - https://audioboom.com/channels/4999525/

• Agave Road Trip https://agaveroadtrip.com/

If you are looking for places to buy Agave and Sotol spirits in Europe, we have compiled a separate page for you.

Connect with us!

• Elixir of the Gods Instagram - @elixirpodcast
• Elixir of the Gods Facebook - @elixirofthegods
• Elixir of the Gods Twitter - @elixirpodcast
• Elixir of the Gods Mail - [email protected]

The second part of our conversation. If you missed part 1, you can find it here.

We also would like to thank Claas von Zombory who kindly provided us with samples of Flor del Desierto Sotol.

Get in touch with Isaac from Casa Montes

Instagram - @sotolcasamontes

Facebook - @sotolcasamontes

Get in touch with Sergio from Flor del Desierto

Instagram - @sotolflordeldesierto

Facebook - @sotolflordeldesierto

Twitter - @sotolflor

Get in touch with Us:

Elixir of the Gods Instagram - @elixirpodcast

Elixir of the Gods Facebook - @elixirofthegods

Elixir of the Gods Twitter - @elixirpodcast

Elixir of the Gods Mail - [email protected]

In this chapter we are exploring Sotol and the craftsmanship behind it. Though there are many parallels to the Agave universe and Sotol makers suffered from the same injustices as their maguey cousins, it is a different world with unique challenges and opportunities. Isaac and Sergio are behind two separate brands but have the same mission, namely that Sotol is recognized as a high quality artisanal product that stands for itself. They share their know how of the history and give us their outlook on the future.

There is also a fascinating part about rattle snake venom.

Get in touch with Isaac from Casa Montes

Instagram - @sotolcasamontes

Facebook - @sotolcasamontes

Get in touch with Sergio from Flor del Desierto

Instagram - @sotolflordeldesierto

Facebook - @sotolflordeldesierto

Twitter - @sotolflor

Get in touch with Us:

Elixir of the Gods Instagram - @elixirpodcast

Elixir of the Gods Facebook - @elixirofthegods

Elixir of the Gods Twitter - @elixirpodcast

Elixir of the Gods Mail - [email protected]

For this chapter, which we recorded back in July, we invited a guest who really doesn't have to be introduced. We'll do it anyway ;-)

Ulises Torrentera's love for literature has brought him to Mezcal and his love for Mezcal has inspired his literature. For example, his non-fiction book Mezcalaria, first published in 2001, is a result of his research for a novel.

Ulises does not use his creativity for writing alone. He runs In Situ, a Mezcaleria in Oaxaca and also owns the In Situ and Farolito Brands. And he occasionally uses his hands to craft a batch of our beloved spirit himself.

Thank you for sharing your wisdom with us!

We spoke to Ulises in Spanish with on-the-fly translation to English.

Get in touch with Ulises:

Instagram - @ulisestorrentera

Twitter - @ulisestorrenter

Website - https://www.insitumezcaleria.com/

Facebook - @insitu.mx

Mail - [email protected]

Get in touch with Us:

Elixir of the Gods Instagram - @elixirpodcast

Elixir of the Gods Facebook - @elixirofthegods

Elixir of the Gods Twitter - @elixirpodcast

Elixir of the Gods Mail - [email protected]

Our guest Silvia escaped from a life in marketing industrial products and took a very different path. As one of the co-founders of Mezcaloteca she has taken on the quest to educate people about the history and culture of Aguardientes de Agave. Learn more about her work on the preservation of traditions and her legendary library in Oaxaca in this spectacular chapter!

(This was our first remote recording, so please excuse the occasional audio problems)

Get in touch with Silvia:

Instagram - @mezcaloteca

Twitter - @mezcaloteca

Website - https://www.mezcaloteca.com/

Facebook - @mezcaloteca

Mail - [email protected]

Get in touch with Us:

Elixir of the Gods Instagram - @elixirpodcast

Elixir of the Gods Facebook - @elixirofthegods

Elixir of the Gods Twitter - @elixirpodcast

Elixir of the Gods Mail - [email protected]

Teddy knows almost every Mezcal lover in Europe, and almost every Mezcal lover in Europe knows Teddy. He has a unique way to manage getting his hands at as many different varieties of this wonderful juice.

In this chapter you can follow along on his journey starting at his very first sip - or as he calls it "kiss" - and he tells us about his time in Mexico as well as his efforts promoting our beloved spirit to his friends.

Get in touch with Teddy:

Instagram - @stefkebeer

Get in touch with Us:

Elixir of the Gods Instagram - @elixirpodcast

Elixir of the Gods Facebook - @elixirofthegods

Elixir of the Gods Twitter - @elixirpodcast

Elixir of the Gods Mail - [email protected]

Yes! Elixir of the Gods is back for a new season! Over the year we have recorded some (in our view) very insightful and enlightening conversations, but for this one we just wanted to have a good time.

In this chapter you will find out more about the upcoming season and we are enjoying a carefully selected flight together - even though we recorded in two different places.
We will release a new episode every two weeks from now on.

In the coming chapters we will have guests, most of them from Mexico, amongst them an enthusiast, a librarian a story teller and two Sotoleros. We keep their names a secret for now :-)

We are also looking for people who have experience in glass ageing and have expert knowledge about Bacanora.

Spirits tasted:

And last but not least: "the cabinet":

This is a short one. And the last one for a little while. We are recapping season 2 , which has enabled us to have some outstanding conversations with giants of the Agave world. Thanks again to all our guests and to you for listening and giving us feedback!

For Season 3 we will try to keep up the quality and we are looking forward to it (we hope that some of the ideas we have hatched already will become a reality...

For those of you who are in Berlin, you can meet Diego at the Craft Spirits Berlin convention March 7 & 8.

But stop! Before turning your device off, please enjoy the interview with Alex from Auroom in Munich. He is a listener of the first hour and you will experience his love for Agave in our interview. Every time Albert visits Auroom, it feels more like a Mezcaleria, as the Agave expressions are taking over. But nonetheless you will also find excellent cocktails there too. Unfortunately we did the interview back in July 2019 before his trip to Oaxaca - so we might have him as a guest in the 3rd season as well.

Please also check out our Map of Bars and feel free to contribute.

Reach out:

• Elixir of the Gods Instagram - @elixirpodcast
• Elixir of the Gods Facebook - @elixirofthegods
• Elixir of the Gods Twitter - @elixirpodcast
• Elixir of the Gods Mail - [email protected]

In this chapter we are joined by Cate, a tequila nerd and wonderful conversation partner. She gave us some insight into her experiences at the Fortaleza bartender program last year - a trip let her experience the hard work, craftsmanship and arts of creating Agave spirits first hand. (If you want to learn more about Fortaleza, you can listen to our episode with Don Guillermo here.) She also shared some amazing spirits from her personal collection with us, one of them a "dusty bottle" of Herradura which gave Diego some serious goosebumps. Enjoy!

Photos from the recording:

• The suitcase
• Geeking out before the recording
• Cate's coa
• Our flight (it was first class)

Photos from Cate's trip:

• Don Guillermo at his estate
• Fiona attacking a maguey plant
• Out in the fields
• Fortaleza tahona
• Blending

Explore further:

• Tommy's Mexican Restaurant (San Francisco)
• Documentary: Agave: The spirit of a nation
• Stefano Francavilla, Fortaleza ambassador
• Ashtin Berry
• Megs Miller/FAM Bar

Fact checks:

• Fortaleza uses their own family yeast and no accelerators
• Herradura was purchased by Brown-Forman Corporation in 2007
• El Tesero: "Don Felipe" is Carlos, Lily, Jenny, and Felipe's grandfather, not father. Theirs Dad's name was also Felipe, but he wasn't "Don Felipe".

Not mentioned on the Show:

• El Tesoro (the brand) was purchased by Beam a few years ago, but all El Tesoro is still made my Carlos at La Altena (Nom 1139)
• Agave and Mezcal business women of Jalisco

Reach out:

• Cate on Instagram
• Elixir of the Gods Instagram - @elixirpodcast
• Elixir of the Gods Facebook - @elixirofthegods
• Elixir of the Gods Twitter - @elixirpodcast
• Elixir of the Gods Mail - [email protected]

Fernando - co-owner of our Berlin's most favorite Mezcal bar "La Tentación" - has planned a spectacular trip to his birthplace Oaxaca from September 1st to September 10th 2020. When we read about it, we wanted to create some more awareness of this tour to our listeners and asked Fernando if he can walk us through the schedule. So we could learn more about the Mecca of Mezcal and you can decide if you want to join this trip. You can contact Fernando directly ( [email protected] ) or get in touch with La Tentanción:

https://www.facebook.com/tentacionbeer/

http://www.tentacionmezcalothek.de/

https://www.instagram.com/tentacion_de/

Get in touch with us!

https://twitter.com/ElixirPodcast

https://www.facebook.com/elixirofthegods/
https://www.https://www.elixirofthegodspodcast.com/
https://www.instagram.com/elixirpodcast/

Schedule:

Tuesday, September 1st

• 15:00 - 17:00 Oaxacan Buffet
• 18:00 - 21:00 Mezcal tasting at In Situ
• 21:30 - 22:30 Tacos for dinner!

Wednesday, September 2nd

• 07:00 - 14:00 (3. Sep)Visit to Paranubes (Oaxacan Rum and prizewinning as the product of the year at the BCB)

Thursday, September 3rd

• 15:00 - 16:30 Traditional food at the Hotel
• 09:30 - 22:30 Oaxacan Craft Beer & Mezcal tasting + Dinner + Surprise

Friday, September 4th

• 08:00 - 09:30 Traditional oaxacan breakfast at the hotel
• 10:30 - 14:00 Hierve el agua + Mitla
• 15:00 - 17:30 Palenque Gracias a Dios (Mezcal & oaxacan gin) + Traditional food
• 19:30 - 22:30 Mexican cantina + dinner

Saturday, September 5th

• 07:00 - 08:00 Traditional Breakfast at the Hotel
• 11:00 - 16:00 Visit to a Miahuatlan Palenque + Mezcal tasting + Food
• 18:00 - 19:59 Mezcal tasting at Neta
• 20:00 - 22:00 Tacos for dinner

Sunday, September 6th

• 09:00 - 10:00 Traditional Breakfast at the hotel
• 11:00 - 15:00 Visit to Teotitlan del Valle + Tlacolula Market + Food at the market
• 16:00 - 18:00 Santo Domingo Museum
• 19:00 - 22:00 Slow food dinner + Mezcales at La Biznaga

Monday, September 7th

• 07:30 - 08:30 Traditional Breakfast at the hotel
• 11:00 - 15:00 Visit to Real Minero & Proyecto LAM
• 15:30 - 16:30 Traditional food at Conchita
• 17:00 - 19:00 Mezcal tasting at Ocotlan with Mr. Santaella
• 20:00 - 22:00 Mezcal tasting at La Mezcaloteca
• 22:30 - 23:30 Tlayudas for dinner

Tuesday, September 8th

• 09:00 - 10:30 Tacos de guisado at La Abuela
• 11:30 - 16:00 Cooking class + visit to the market by Rodolfo Castellanos (Mexico's Top Chef 2016)
• 16:01 - 18:01 Cocktail class
• 18:01 - 23:59 Day off so you can do some tourism at the city center

Wednesday, September 9th

• 07:00 - 08:00 Traditional Breakfast at the hotel
• 09:30 - 14:00 Monte Alban
• 15:00 - 16:00 Nieves(Oaxacan Ice cream) at La soledad Church
• 16:30 - 17:30 Traditional food at the Pasillo de Humo
• 18:00 - 19:00 Aguas de Casilda
• 19:01 - 23:59 Day off (With some recommendations)

Thursday, September 10th

• 08:30 - 09:30 Traditional Breakfast at the hotel
• 11:00 - 15:00 Visit to "Los Danzantes" palenque + Mezcal tasting + Food(To be confirmed)
• 15:01 - 16:01 Last toast of the trip