Author: Albert

Radio, Podcast, Music and Agave Nerd.
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S2.Ch2: Oaxaca – with Axel Huhn from Mezcaleria Berlin

In this episode we are welcoming Axel Huhn who is one of the true Agave pioneers in Germany. Many years ago life brought him to Oaxaca and in return his continuously bringing back some excellent spirits which you can order at mezcaleria.de. While our intention was to talk mainly about the state of Oaxaca our conversation drifted into more general subjects like sustainability and the impact that the Mezcal boom has on the regions. Enjoy this episode responsibly.

Barro negro pottery

Teotitlán (and the rugs)

Rufino Tamayo

More info on Francisco Toledo who unfortunately passed away shortly after we recorded this episode.

The 2006 protests in Oaxaca

Alfredo Harp Helú and his foundation http://www.fahho.org/

Sergei Eisenstein

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Season 2, Chapter 1: Jalisco – with Christian Schrader Goette from Agavera

Our guest today is Christian Schrader Goette from Agavera, an online shop around Mexican culture.

He comes from Guadalajara in the state of Jalisco and we are using this opportunity to talk about spirits from this region – which is so much more than “just” Tequila.

Christian is also the organizer of Agave Hub, which will take place in Berlin on October 8th.

Correction: During our conversation we made a mistake while talking about the aging of Tequila and Mezcal (they have the same regulation): Blanco: unaged Reposado: at least 2 months and until one year in contact with wood Añejo: more than 1 year in contact with wood

And in the case of Tequila there is an extra category called “extra añejo” which requires more than 3 years in contact with wood.

Christian & Diego

The spirits we tasted

Show Notes

The evolution of Agave in Jalisco

New machinery

Movies

Ismael Rodriguez: Nosotros los pobres & Ustedes los ricos

Book

AGUA DE LAS VERDES MATAS, Jose Luis Vera Cortes

https://www.gandhi.com.mx/agua-de-las-verde-matas-tequila-y-mezcal

Tutsi

Ancestral distilled from Wixarika Culture, traditionally made for ceremonies, rituals and festivals. For the Wixarikas, the Tutsi is not just a drink, it is an entity that is given life.

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Intermission – Season 2 Preparations

We need your participation in finding Europe’s best Mezcal places.

Just a quick heads up on what we are working on. And we need your help too, because we want to find and share with you cool Agave spirit bars all across Europe. Help us find them!

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/elixirofthegods/
Insta/Twitter: @elixirpodcast
Mail: elixirofthegodspodcast@gmail.com

Also, if you are in Munich, meet Alex at Auroom (www.auroom.de). Here are some pictures of my visit.

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The limitations of denominations with Esteban Morales Garibi

Spotify Player:

For this episode we met Esteban Morales Garibi (La Venenosa, Derrumbes) from Mexcio in Diego’s office. Some of the photos on this blog were made by him. Esteban is well connected in the Mezcal scene, he knows many small Agave spirit producers in Mexico and is involved in different small but high-quality brands. He also started his own farm and he is a business partner of Diego who imports crafted spirits to Europe.

We discussed about the importance of the small families for the culture of Agave spirits and also the problems that come with categorizing our beloved “Elixirs of the Gods” into denominations of origin. We also talked about why it is a good thing that agaves and their distillation are spreading across the globe.

Esteban in Berlin
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Live at the Berlin Podcasting Meetup

Our friends at Bear Radio invited us to The Venue Berlin so that we could introduce Elixir of the Gods to a live audience. We went through the basics and also invited Maria and Cassandra on the stage to have a tasting with us

On Stage for the live tasting

We only had time to taste one bottle, Diego brought a bottle of Fidencio Clasico.

A special thanks to Jill from Bear Radio and of course Maria and Cassandra for being on stage with us!

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At the “Puntas, Gracias” pop-up store

About this chapter

For this special chapter we were invited to a basement inside a barber shop, where the pop-up “Puntas, Gracias” is located.
Christian Schrader and Tom Bullock want to make Agave spirits accessible to anybody and share their knowledge and experiences. Based on your individual preferences you can taste four different spirits in a session and they will guide you through the experience. You also can purchase bottles there.

We recorded this chapter to give you a feeling for the experience.

Spirits tasted

  • Caballito Cerrero
  • La Higuera Sotol
  • Nezcaloteca Arroqueño
  • La Venenosa Raicilla Puntas
The beautiful spirits

Links

Puntas, Gracias on Facebook

Reservations

Agavera (run by Christian)

Tom’s book “The Mezcal Experience” (Amazon)

The Mezcal Experience

Destille Berlin (March 2 & 3)

Pictures

Albert, Tom, Christian and Diego
Garrafa

Jícaras
Cups made from Jícaras
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It’s a wrap!

Chapter 6 concludes the first season of Elixir of the Gods! Now we have a favor to ask. Did you like the format? What else would you like to hear about? Where did we mess up? Do you have a recommendation you want us to try? Would you like to join us for a tasting?

Reach out to us and let us know! (Twitter, Instagram: @elixirpodcast, Facebook: @elixirofthegods, Mail: elixirofthegodspodcast [at] gmail [dot] com) 

Also, let your friends know about us.

Thanks for listening!

Albert & Diego

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Chapter 6: Sotol Tasting

The cousin of Mezcal. Traditionally a Mezcal, but now a days we know it is not an Agave, but a Dasylirion. 

The plants are very similar and in this chapter we will try to explain the differences between them.

We will be trying the same brand, but different varieties of Dasylirions, which is not something that was common in the past years. 

La Higuera Leiophyllum

La Higuera Wheeleri

La Higuera Cedrosanum 

Leiophyllum
Wheeleri
Cedrosanum