Fransisco Terazas has been a jack of all trades in the agave and wider hospitality world for well over a decade. If you’ve been a longtime lover of mezcal and/or bars with good Mexican spirits programs, you have almost certainly enjoyed the fruits of his labor without knowing it. He is a behind the scenes,… The post In their own words: Who is Francisco Terrazas appeared first on Mezcalistas ..read more

When word got out that 60 Minutes was doing a segment on mezcal, a lot of us deeply entrenched in mezcal  world began holding our breath. So much trepidation around how they would approach the subject, who was going to be interviewed, what would be the focus and of course would they get the “story”… The post 60 Minutes does mezcal appeared first on Mezcalistas ..read more

Ongoing series of what to pair with mezcal Sometimes the garden is bursting with an herb that is so exquisite that we have to preserve it, and one of my favorite ways of preserving the fresh flavor is to macerate it in mezcal. This year my Thai basil stole the show and I just had… The post Perfect Pairing Cocktail Edition: Thai Basil Mezcal Slushy  appeared first on Mezcalistas ..read more

In the world of agave spirits, you’ll hear norma, norm, and NOM tossed around a lot in conversation. This can be confusing, but it’s not that complicated—unless you start reading the fine print. NOMs are sets of rules that govern Mexican industries–in other words, the established norms. (Normas in Spanish.) Tequila has a NOM, as… The post Norma, norm, NOM appeared first on Mezcalistas ..read more

With an oversaturated market of emerging mezcal brands, it’s refreshing to actually feel excited about a newcomer, which is exactly the sentiment about Celebrante, a mezcal brand from Durango. Chances are you’ve already heard multiple people wax poetic about the Durango mezcal, or perhaps you’ve been the one to turn friends and fellow mezcal lovers… The post Celebrante Mezcal: The Emergent Gem From Durango  appeared first on Mezcalistas ..read more

A bacanorero is a distiller of bacanora, a regional mezcal from the northern Mexican state of Sonora. The word is roughly synonymous with mezcalero and tabernero. The female form is bacanorera, and women are becoming increasingly involved in the production and promotion of bacanora brands. Between 1915 and 1992, bacanora was illegal. Bacanoreros were outlaws who… The post Bacanorero (bacanorera) appeared first on Mezcalistas ..read more

Terpenes, Esters, Yeasts, and the Magic of Fermentation What defines the flavors of mezcal? Mezcal is defined by the terpenes found in agave and natural fermentation without added yeast. The different alcohols, acids, aldehydes, and esters that impact the flavors of mezcal are produced during fermentation.   One of the most widespread studies on the volatile… The post Where do mezcal flavors come from? appeared first on Mezcalistas ..read more

As you peruse the agave spirits section at your local liquor store, you may have noticed that some bottles are not labeled mezcal, tequila, bacanora, or raicilla. If you have a particularly keen eye, you may have noticed that you no longer see raicilla or mezcal on the labels of brands that once practically defined… The post Destilado de Agave (agave distillate) appeared first on Mezcalistas ..read more

Ongoing series of what to pair with mezcal Chances are you have too much zucchini to know what to do with, or know someone who does and is trying to give you some. There’s no shortage of ways to use up delicious calabacitas, and one of my go-tos is to turn it into an easy… The post Perfect Mezcal Pairing: Cheesy Zucchini Bake & Celebrante Cenizo appeared first on Mezcalistas ..read more

Las Almas Rotas’ Shad Kvetko stumbled across an article from 1902 about Bacanora in The Oasis, a newspaper in Nogales, Arizona that might just be the first one explaining what is Bacanora. He transcribed it for us below. Mezcal Manufacture: An important industry in Mexico, yielding a valuable product May 24th, 1902 The traveler in… The post A piece of Bacanora History appeared first on Mezcalistas ..read more