Mezcalistas

02/07/2025

Attention attention - ticket sales are now LIVE for Mexico in a Bottle Chicago. Don't miss out on getting your tickets early, the event always sells out! If you are industry, reach out because we have a special deal for you!

Mexico in a Bottle returns to Chicago for an afternoon of mezcal, Mexican craft spirits, food, art, music and more!

02/06/2025

If you really want to show someone how much you love them, get them some mezcal! Just in time for the big Dia de Chocolate, aka Valentine's Day, is a list of 8 mezcals that pair very well with chocolate and make the perfect I love you gift.

Says Tess Rose Lampert, "As someone who has been professionally pairing alcoholic beverages with food for nearly two decades, I can say with the utmost confidence that it’s hard to go wrong with mezcal and chocolate. You could take virtually any mezcal and pair it with any chocolate with good enough results. This leaves so much room for experimentation and finding a signature style- whether that’s pairing your favorite bottles with your favorite chocolate bars, or creating a chocolatey recipe to pair with the mezcal you already have on hand. This round-up of bottles represents some of my tried and true pairing principles when it comes to thoughtfully pairing mezcal and chocolate, including my experientially informed belief that tepeztate is king when it comes to chocolate pairings."

Check out her recommendations for mezcals, along with suggestions of how to make pairings. Link in bio to mezcal pairings, or here: https://www.mezcalistas.com/8-mezcals-to-pair-with-chocolate/

02/05/2025

Chances are, if you have been in the agave spirits space for a while you have probably had the pleasure of meeting Misty Kalkofen. She has been a mentor to many including several of us on the Mezcalistas team and has educated so many people about agave spirits over the years.

From her work with , , , to name just a few, has made a mark! But did you know she also studied theology, is a published author and is a die hard Packers fan?

Tess Rose Lampert had a chance to learn what made Misty who she is today in our continuing series, In their Own Words. Read the full piece, link in bio to featured story or here: https://www.mezcalistas.com/misty-kalkofen/

Pictured:
➡ Misty in a photo by Caitlin Cunningham Photography LLC.
➡ Pedro Jimenez of Mezonte, Misty and Ryan Fitzgerald of at Mexico in a Bottle

02/04/2025

Sign of just how chaotic the tax or not to tax situation has been. When Susan boarded her plane home from Guadalajara yesterday, the 25% tax against Mexico and Canada was set to begin today. By the time she landed a few hours later, everything had changed and the article she had been working on, obsolete.

Last-minute phone calls pull the North American neighbours back from the brink of a trade war, but the US is still targeting Chinese imports.

02/02/2025

Domingueando in Jalisco.

02/02/2025

Here’s news…

MANILA, Philippines — Emperador Inc., the global brandy and whisky conglomerate led by tycoon Andrew Tan, is expanding its premium product portfolio with the majority acquisition of a Mexican company that owns premium mezcal brands. Emperador, through its Mexican subsidiary Casa Pedro Domecq, acqu...

01/29/2025

Over the past couple of years there has been increasing conversation around the issue of biopiracy and how that relates to agave. Much of that is due to the increasing cultivation of agave outside of Mexico and its use in agave distillates. It is a complicated issue to wrap your head around because to talk about biopiracy is to re-examine thousands of years of agriculture and trade through out the world.

So what is biopiracy? The term refers to the exploitation of biological resources and traditional knowledge without proper acknowledgment or compensation to the communities that hold them. In the case of agave, a plant deeply tied to Mexico’s cultural and ecological heritage, the issue is complicated by the fact that maguey plants grow naturally in other parts of the Americas, including California.

Contributor Joahna Hernandez goes deep into the topic and looks at agricultural history, other cases of biopiracy and how it is all tied up in cultural heritage and ownership. Trust us when we say this is one story you do not want to miss. Link in bio to the featured story or here: https://www.mezcalistas.com/biopiracy-in-mexico-impact-and-resistance-in-small-agrosystems/

Have comments about the article? You can share them in the comments section of the article on the website.

Pictured:
➡ farm in California
➡ Agave field in the northern central valley in California
➡ Wild agave deserti in Anza Borrego state park in southern California
➡ Agave seeds in Mexico

01/24/2025

What's it like to revisit the first sotol you ever tried?

Publisher Susan Coss writes about the experience of sipping on sotol from industry pioneer Hacienda de Chihuahua for the first time in nine years. It first came into the market in 2007, not long after sotol received its DO and remains as relevant today as when it first launched in the market.

Check out the full story, link in bio to blog, or here: https://www.mezcalistas.com/sotol-pioneer/

01/22/2025

We often talk about the magic of fermentation in mezcal production and the various factors that go into developing flavors. Last year, contributor Omar Muñoz did a deep dive into how yeasts, esters and terpenes develop flavors during fermentation. In his latest piece for us, Muñoz explores how the fermentation tank materials themselves influence flavors as well and hones in on three key factors: porosity, temperature and time.

"By the time mezcaleros begin distillation, fermentation is generally in its decline phase, leaving few active yeasts in the container. However, dormant yeasts remain present in the environment. When yeasts do not encounter favorable fermentation conditions, they slow their metabolism, entering a period of inactivity. During this phase, they may occupy the pores of fermentation containers to shelter themselves, awaiting suitable conditions to reactivate... The time that yeasts remain viable in their inactive state is crucial for determining their influence on mezcal flavors, as it directly affects the time it takes for yeasts to inoculate the agave must."

Read more about the exact hows and whys, link in bio to featured story or here: https://www.mezcalistas.com/fermentation-tanks-the-flavor-of-mezcal/

Pictured above are various types of fermentation tanks and their porosity percentages.

📷 by

01/21/2025

The 25% tariffs proposed on Mexican (and Canadian) goods is still in play. Do you think it will actually happen?

Trump underscored his intention to use tariffs as a tool of international economic policy and an increasingly vital source of government revenue.

01/16/2025

The saga of the agaveros in Tequila continues.

On the surface what appears to be a fight over the integrity of tequila is really a story of agrarian rights in a vastly changed political and economic landscape. When the Governor of Jalisco and other government representatives were a no show at a meeting they arranged, agaveros were left wondering if anyone will hear their concerns.

reports. Link in bio to blog for the complete story or here: https://www.mezcalistas.com/breaking-tequila-news/

Image by Remberto Galván Cabrera. The text translates to: “I prefer peace. But if trouble must come, may it come in my time, so that my children may live in peace.”

01/16/2025

Looking for a cozy winter treat? As part of our ongoing series on perfect mezcal pairings, Tess Rose Lampert shares a winter recipe for pairing mezcal with apples.

Says "Mezcal is traditionally taken on cold mornings before leaving the house to fortify the body against chilly temperatures. This is in keeping with nearly every culture that adopts their signature spirit as a remedy or medicine, not just as a delicious tipple. Thinking of this, I wanted to create a pairing that could just as easily complement a morning sip or two of mezcal before heading out into the cold, or be enjoyed as a nightcap with dessert."

Check out the complete pairing note including mezcal recommendations, tasting notes and recipe - link in bio to mezcal pairings or here: https://www.mezcalistas.com/perfect-mezcal-pairing-deep-winter-edition-cinnamon-baked-apples/

01/15/2025

It's that time of year when we look into our agave crystal ball to identify 5 trends we'll see this year.

Tess Rose Lampert breaks it down for us "The world of agave spirits is not slowing down. By any metrics, interest in mezcal and its many variations continues to grow, especially internationally. As we look ahead to what’s likely to trend, a few themes jump out. Some build on agave trends we saw grow in 2024, and others seem to be just breaking out now. My predictions for growth in 2025 are based on chats with people all over the world and in every corner of the industry."

Link in bio to blog for the full article or here: https://www.mezcalistas.com/agave-trends-2025/

01/13/2025

Our happy Mezcal Monday story is actually a story about tequila. It could have huge reverberations not only for tequila, but also for all agave spirits.

Last week, agaveros gathered in Tequila to protest alleged dirty deals, abusive tactics, and serious corruption in the tequila industry. These are not new allegations as the Mexican Agave Council had previously asked the Mexican government to look into the problems the farmers were seeing but these are by far and away the most public accusations and protests in years.

While the plummeting price of agave, which is now running about 1-2 pesos per kilo, is a primary concern for the farmers, they also allege other practices like increasing adulteration of product they feel are endangering the very integrity of the spirit itself. Contributor Felisa Rogers was on the ground and had a chance to speak with leaders of the council and farmers. She also provides great background and context for how this moment arrived.

Link in bio to featured story or here: https://www.mezcalistas.com/tequila-industry-corruption/

Pictured above:
➡ Agaveros marching in Tequila
➡ Julián Rodríguez Parra, president of the Mexican Agave Council, addressing the crowd.

01/12/2025

Well this would be long over due...

If passed, the USPS Shipping Equity Act could clear the way for mail carriers to deliver alcoholic beverages directly to consumers.

01/11/2025

And just like that tickets for Mexico in a Bottle DC are on sale!

If you are industry, drop us a message as we have a deal for you.

Mexico in a Bottle returns to Washington, DC for an evening of mezcal, Mexican craft spirits, food, art, music and more!

01/08/2025

It's Dry January, the annual ritual that began as an add on to the New Year diet ritual. The idea was to reset your body, clear it of toxins after the gluttony of the holidays, but it has grown into something more in the past few years helped by the introduction of non alcohol (NA) products and a culture far more open to NA drinking.

Often times second thought products, today we are seeing an influx of NA spirits made with the same diligence as many small craft alcohol spirits. Tomonotomo, a new brand out of agave, is one of those. But, despite hailing from the world’s mezcal capital, Tomonotomo is not trying to make an alcohol-free alternative to mezcal. It’s not about attempting to make a replica spirit with no alcohol. Instead they have created something new. A 0% ABV drink that celebrates agave, aimed at the premium spirit bracket.

Contributor Anna Bruce had a chance to dig deeper into the story and it is an interesting look into process, trial and error and maintaining the integrity and flavor of agave. Link in bio to featured story or here: https://www.mezcalistas.com/non-alcoholic-mezcal/

01/04/2025

Happy 2025! Our first story of the year is all about cheese and what are the 8 best ones to pair with agave spirits. answers the question Should you pair cheese with mezcal and has put together a guide to finding the perfect cheese to pair with tequila, how to pair raicilla with cheese, what to pair with a pechuga, what to pair with añejos, what not to pair with añejos, and more….

Link in bio to what to pair with mezcal or here: https://www.mezcalistas.com/pair-cheese-mezcal/