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A piña for espadín · Sips, Suds, & Smokes

• 0:00
  > Announcer>On the next episode of sips, Suds.
• 0:03
  > Mike>And smokes, Mezcal, and specifically espadine, which is the most popular variety of agave used to produce mezcals. We have Del Maguey Vita Classico from San Luis del Rio, we have Ray Camparo Espadinhoven from Candelaria Igole, we have Monte Lobos Espadinhoven, Rancho Loma Larga in Santiago Matalan in Oaxaca, we have Vago Ensemble in Barro, a blend with 50% espadine hoven. Gracias. Adios.
• 0:33
  > Mike>Pechuga de guajuo, Guajolote espadin, Hoven.
• 0:39
  > Mike>Espadine is the most widely used agave variety for mezcal. The do for mezcal is nine regions, and these plants must be grown and cultivated in those regions. The vast majority of espadine comes from Oaxaca.
• 0:53
  > Announcer>We'll be right back after this break.
• 1:17
  > Announcer>Brought to you almost live from the dude in the basement studios. Why? Because that's where the good stuff is. It sips, suds and smokes with your smoking host, the good old boys.
• 1:50
  > Announcer>And now it's sipping.
• 1:59
  > >Hey, welcome to this SIPS episode where everything good in life is worth discussing. We are the best thing on at 2am and we thank you for choosing to listen to us instead of the food chain.
• 2:10
  > >And groundbreaking discussion on stadium food.
• 2:13
  > >This looks good, doesn't it? So, uh, for journalist Kunwar, uh, Kaldoon Shahid has lived and breathed cricket since he was a young age. And there's a technique of eating whilst watching the game. When a fast bowler. I was going to do an Indian accent.
• 2:30
  > >When a fast bowler, his is. Has a long run up and the Pakistani fast bowlers have long run up. You wait until the delivery is done and have one or two spoonfuls of Birani during that time. So, yes, not bad. Thank you. I've offended both a country and an individual all in the same moment.
• 2:49
  > Carrie Ann>That was a continent.
• 2:50
  > >It's a gift.
• 2:51
  > Carrie Ann>That was an entire continent offended just now.
• 2:57
  > >Well, this is good old boy Mike. Uh, and, uh, joining me today on pharmaceuticals with Mike, our good old gal, Carrie Anne.
• 3:05
  > Carrie Ann>I'm not trying to offend anyone.
• 3:10
  > >M. All right, I'll. I'll hang with that for a moment here, so. And good old boy Michael.
• 3:16
  > Mike>How we doing? I'll offend, uh, some people in Oaxaca, I'm sure.
• 3:19
  > >Well, you know, everybody has to have a gold mic, so I appreciate that.
• 3:22
  > Mike>I love their product, though.
• 3:24
  > >Um, so Carrie Ann has, uh, a blog and all things spirits related at straight, uh, up 615. Michael is an author of many cocktail books, including my favorite, which is Garden to Glass. He's also hosts his own podcast, which is Liquid Gold. One of my favorite episodes is on Corpse Reviver number two.
• 3:44
  > Mike>Bring the some absinthe, the greatest morning cocktail ever created.
• 3:48
  > >So I have to say, I actually fell in love with the, uh, cognac version. First was number one, and I really found my favorite was Pierre Ferrand. Um, but I moved to the absinthe so hard and fast.
• 4:04
  > >And so, uh, I make those on a routine and regular basis. So I really enjoyed that episode a lot.
• 4:09
  > Carrie Ann>I hope Sazrak picked that up. Send you some extra.
• 4:13
  > >Yeah, that'll be great. Um, well, our, um, sip segments are all about wine, distilled spirits, tea, and coffee. Um, good old boy Michael is. Tell us a little bit more about our episode today.
• 4:24
  > Mike>All right, here's what we're going to discuss in this segment.
• 4:27
  > Mike>Mezcal. And specifically Espadine, which is the most popular variety of agave used to produce Mezcals, we have Del Maguey Vita Classico. From San Luis del Rio, we have Ray Camparo Espadinhoven. From Candelaria.
• 4:41
  > Mike>Iagole, we have Monte Lobos.
• 4:43
  > Mike>Espadinhoven, Rancho Loma Larga in Santiago, Matalan.
• 4:48
  > >In.
• 4:48
  > Mike>In Oaxaca, we have Vago Ensemble In Baro, a blend with 50% espadine hoven. Gracias. Adios.
• 4:57
  > Mike>Pachuga de Guaju.
• 4:59
  > Mike>Guajolote. Espadine Hoven.
• 5:02
  > Mike>So I only had one road. Road bump.
• 5:03
  > >Um, it's pretty good. Well, if you need a primer on agave spirits, which includes Mezcal, check out our Agave 101 episode. I'm just going to apologize in advance for butchering the pronunciation of these brands, these towns, all these nice Spanish words that this good old boy cannot simply roll. My R's well enough. And I flunked out of Spanish in the ninth grade, and nearly all of the Spanish I know was acquired from Taco Bell commercials.
• 5:30
  > Carrie Ann>Yo quiero Taco Bell.
• 5:33
  > >So Carrie Ann has the honor, uh, of going over our SIPs ratings for today.
• 5:38
  > Carrie Ann>So we'll be tasting and discussing these Mezcals and rating them with these sip Ra Sips ratings, plus our signature sounds. Here are those ratings now.
• 5:49
  > Carrie Ann>1. Give me a glass of water to wash out my mouth water.
• 5:58
  > Mike>Bring water.
• 5:59
  > Carrie Ann>Two. Nice. But what else do you have?
• 6:04
  > Carrie Ann>Well, isn't that nice?
• 6:06
  > Carrie Ann>3. Interesting.
• 6:09
  > Carrie Ann>What was it interesting?
• 6:14
  > Carrie Ann>4. Let's keep this one a secret to ourselves. Pour me another.
• 6:19
  > >That's Classified.
• 6:23
  > Carrie Ann>And five, the Holy Grail. Oh my. I was unaware anything could be this good.
• 6:28
  > >Oh my goodness.
• 6:30
  > Carrie Ann>Yes, yes, yes.
• 6:33
  > >Michael's going to introduce us to espadine.
• 6:37
  > Mike>Espadine is the most widely used agave variety for Mezcal. The do for Mezcal is 9 regions and these plants must be grown and cultivated in those regions. The vast majority of espadine comes from Oaxaca. The initial smokiness, a hallmark of mezcal, is often balanced by earthy vegetal notes that reflect the agave's origin. This brings us to our first mezcal. The Del Maggi Vita Classico is a handcrafted mezcal alongside the tropical riverbed in the village of San Luis del Rio, where the Red Ant river flows naturally. Fermented and twice distilled in wood fired copper stills.
• 7:16
  > Mike>Village state is San Luis del Rio, Oaxaca. The palenquero is Pasiano Cruz Nolasco. The agave varietal is Espadin ABV comes in at 42%. They are doing that on a copper still and uh, it was really good.
• 7:33
  > >What are some of your other tasting notes here, Michael?
• 7:36
  > Mike>Uh, I got some cool stone fruit notes on this one.
• 7:39
  > Mike>Uh, some like really neat lemongrass stuff on the finish. Um, this one notable, I feel like, because this is the one mezcal that you might find most often around the country, the easiest one to find.
• 7:50
  > >I agree. You know, they, they're branding with the very iconic green bottles and very common artwork are very distinguishable. But you know, a lot of people, um, the one thing I've seen them get confused about is thinking, oh, well that's only one product and they don't recognize that each one of those green bottles is something completely different.
• 8:11
  > >Yeah. Um, Carrie Ann, what do you think?
• 8:14
  > Carrie Ann>Mhm. I think across the board, like we always pick up a pepper note on the ah, Mezcals, but this one is more like a serrano than a black pepper. There's something like slightly spicy to it, but like vegetal.
• 8:28
  > Carrie Ann>I really, I thought it was really nice.
• 8:30
  > >Um, I got a lot of sweet grass, you know, off the nose with.
• 8:33
  > Carrie Ann>Uh, this, I love that sweet crab.
• 8:35
  > >And um, you know, the pepper was very light, you know, with this, it was not kind of overbearing and just kind of clubbing you over the head. Um, super squeaky clean.
• 8:47
  > >I mean it was just on and off the palate and you know, there was just not like a lot of things hanging around and I really love that. Um, had a very fiery, you know, pepper finish off the Back end.
• 8:58
  > >I just thought that, you know, if somebody were just to say, you know, what's the flag bearer for Mezcal? This would probably be on my short list, you know, for sure.
• 9:08
  > Mike>Definitely.
• 9:08
  > >Um, what was your rating for this?
• 9:13
  > >All right, we'll go with a four here for, uh, this classified. For the, uh, Del McKay Vita Classico, our, uh, SIPS rating was a four. You know, I.
• 9:25
  > >The. You know, the comments that I had, you know, kind of leading into this were just that, uh, how complex, you know, espadine can get. And yet at the same time, it has. It can be just, like, super, very iconic like this, you know, as well. Um, and you guys are, you know, all nodding your head here. So, I mean, there's definitely a lot, you know, very iconic element in a way that, you know, dumb gay hair has actually captured that and done it so consistently. I m. Mean, it's a product I've probably. I've tasted, you know, five, seven years now, and it's like, man, it tastes exactly the same way today. This is the first time I tasted it.
• 10:03
  > Mike>Yeah. To me, I feel like it's gotten lighter over the years, um, because I feel like it used to be a little bit smokier back when Mezcal was just starting to become a thing in. In the United States.
• 10:15
  > Mike>But I feel like they've been smart, that they've kind of gone more, um, nuanced, lighter.
• 10:22
  > >Um.
• 10:22
  > Mike>Um, that. That's what it seems like to me anyway. But maybe I'm just drinking more Mezcal these days.
• 10:29
  > Carrie Ann>I think it. I mean, the reason I rated it at three against their fours is it just. It.
• 10:35
  > Carrie Ann>It lacks some of the character that I really like in a pure espadding.
• 10:39
  > >Oh, well, I think we're about to get to some of that character, uh, definitely with some of these other products made with espadine. So I'm looking forward to all of the ones that we're going to go in our lineup today.
• 10:49
  > >But, uh, thought this was a good, you know, opening salvo for sure. Well, uh, we'll be right back right after this break.
• 11:01
  > >Hey, welcome back to Sip, Suds and Smokes. On today's episode, we are going over Mezcal and specifically talking about products that are made with espadine. And so our first product was the Del Maguey Vita Classico, which we actually rated a 4 under protest by Kerrianne.
• 11:20
  > >So, um, well, Carrie, uh, Ann is going to actually introduce our next espadine products.
• 11:27
  > Carrie Ann>So next up, we have Ray Campero Espadinhoven it is from Candelaria Yagole, Oaxaca.
• 11:36
  > Carrie Ann>It's a, uh, 48.6 ABV distilled twice in copper stills.
• 11:42
  > Carrie Ann>And the bottle we have today was made in May of 2020 from lot D5033E.
• 11:51
  > Carrie Ann>Maestro is Romulo Sanchez Parada.
• 11:56
  > Carrie Ann>Candelaria Yagole is a sacred place. Its inhabitants number just over 100, and young people are few and far between.
• 12:05
  > Carrie Ann>Hardship, lack of employment, and a bleak future have led the remaining population to migrate in this imposing and rugged setting, where the river that meanders through the town mourns the departure of its children who head north to seek new dreams. It is the same place where nature has capriciously dotted the canyons and slopes of the ravines with agave and leaves the soil fertile after the storms.
• 12:31
  > Carrie Ann>This is a place where they know how to make a mezcal.
• 12:36
  > Carrie Ann>The Sanchez.
• 12:41
  > Carrie Ann>The Sanchez distillery, located in this corner of Oaxaca, has been operating for over seven decades. And its master distillers have been making mezcal and improving upon the generational knowledge for.
• 12:59
  > >Sorry, seven decades.
• 13:00
  > Carrie Ann>Thank you. Their knowledge has given them experience to understand and respect the land, water, and fire. For several years now, this family of mezcal makers has shared their knowledge and employed several people from the community and more recently, from the region's towns. In this palenque, not only is the distillation done, but friendly ties are also forged to rebuild the community fabric and keep the mezcal tradition alive.
• 13:27
  > Carrie Ann>Ray Comparo describes this as having aromas of sweet agave smoke, citrus, and vegetal notes. Flavors include agave, smoke, pepper, and often citrus, vanilla, and mineral undertones. Definitely, like the vegetal green pepper stands out to me. And the lime zest, kind of. Those are the two big flavors I feel. Describe this one.
• 13:54
  > >Yeah, things got definitely kicked up, you know, with this, for sure. Um, I wrote very pepper nose and almost like twice the pepper, you know, um, on up front for this, it was, you know, almost kind of this, you know, attacking kind of thing. You know, it's just kind of playing out. Um, and, you know, I had this, um, earthy element to it. Um, you know, didn't really kind of move all the way to, I don't know, smoke. But, um, it definitely had a earthy tone to it. Um, of definitely a peppery finish off this, for sure.
• 14:30
  > Carrie Ann>Pick up just the hint of smoke, like, on the back, on the finish. But it's not like there.
• 14:35
  > >But it's just kind of like in the background.
• 14:37
  > >Yeah. Michael, what'd you think?
• 14:39
  > Mike>Yeah, I thought it was really big, bold, um, especially compared to the Del Maguey, um, this one has a lot more going on. I also got some cool, like, spices in there, like cinnamon, m clove, a little bit like some cool baking spices are in there. So just thought it was really complex, really delicious.
• 15:01
  > >Uh, what's your. What's going to be your rating for this?
• 15:04
  > >You sure that's your rating, Mike?
• 15:07
  > >Right. Our SIPs rating here for the uh, Ray Comparo Espadine Hoven is going to be a four. That's classified.
• 15:18
  > >And you know, um, the. I think the storyline here, you know, for uh, Ray Comparo is they are very much about the people, you know, that's in their company. That was the thing that really impressed me is that they're kind of one of the early brand adopters, you know, as well.
• 15:37
  > >And I like the fact that we've had both Dell Maguey and Ray Comparel, you know, literally, you know, back to back here. And a lot of it is even the way in the maturity that, you know, they've. They've been selling their products as well.
• 15:52
  > >They've been around, you know, for quite some time now.
• 15:55
  > >Ray, uh, Compare doesn't have nearly the complexity, um, of a lot of their product line. But I really think this Espadine is, ah, I think such a. Another great example and yet something completely different than, uh, the. Than the Del Maguey was. So, um, I like the story that we're kind of weaving with these products as well.
• 16:17
  > >All right, so we're going to change things up and uh, with this something different because this is our only Mezcal, um, Artisanal that's actually in the, in the uh, lineup here. Michael's going to introduce this product, which is from Monte Lobos.
• 16:32
  > Mike>Yeah, this is Monte Lobos. Espadin Hoven, uh, from, uh, Rancho Loma Larga in Santiago matalan in Oaxaca. ABV on this one clocks in at 43.2.
• 16:48
  > Mike>Uh, this is Mezcal Artisanal.
• 16:51
  > Mike>And the still is copper with direct wood fire. There's a roast that they do in a stone pit with Encino and pine wood from lot KP6924. The Maestro is Ivan Saldana and Guadalupe Garcia. They describe this as, uh, on the nose, some damp earth with freshly cut grass, honey, citrus, asparagus and smoke. And on the palette, green maguet with nuts, earth and smoke. I love this one. And I honestly think this would be a good, like, introduction for a lot of people from Mezcal because It's so much lighter than it's hard to find.
• 17:38
  > Carrie Ann>I agree with all of that, except for, I don't know who tasted this on their nose. The nose is like confectionary almost. There's something so sweet and vanilla y and tastes like, or smells like baked goods.
• 17:55
  > Mike>Yeah, like one of those good bakeries that makes like tres leches cake.
• 17:58
  > Carrie Ann>Mhm.
• 17:59
  > Mike>It smells like what, what it smells like.
• 18:00
  > Carrie Ann>I am not getting any damp earth here.
• 18:03
  > >Yeah, I mean, that was the very first thing that I wrote down was sweet. Yeah, for sure.
• 18:11
  > >Um, some of my own tasting, uh, notes here. Beyond just sweet, you know, very complex, um, and you know, very. Ah, I thought it was, uh, nice, um, and kind of easygoing. Um, I love the finish off of this as well. Um, I really had a tough time, you know, putting adjectives and really kind of nailing something down, you know, within the taste profile. Um, it was all that complexity that I was really kind of torn about. I'm like, man, there's just like, you know, 15, 20 things going on here. And I. It's like, how do you deconstruct, you know, that complexity kind of going on here?
• 18:49
  > >So, um, it's definitely one of those things where every time I've gone back to it, I pick up something, you know, just different than I did in the first or the last taste, you know, out of this. I have a sneaky feeling that both, uh, water food, um, would really change things up with this and I think present itself, you know, in a different way, you know, each time. Because those other things that, uh, you know, might be hanging around on your palate or you ate just, you know, or sipped it, you know, right before or after that, I would think would have some, you know, influence, you know, about how that would, would go down.
• 19:25
  > Carrie Ann>So the nose totally carries through to the palate that it's a mouthful, but I mean, it still maintains that very confectionary taste as well as the way your mouth feels like it's a little creamy almost.
• 19:36
  > >So what's your rating for this one?
• 19:39
  > >Oh, well, how about that? So our SIPs rating here for the Monte Lobos Espadine Joven is going to be a five. Oh my goodness.
• 19:48
  > Carrie Ann>Yeah, yeah, yeah.
• 19:51
  > Carrie Ann>That's what she said.
• 19:53
  > >Yeah. We'll be right back after this message.
• 19:59
  > >Hey, welcome back to Sip Studs and Smokes.
• 20:02
  > >And on today's episode, we are going over Espadine Mezcals, uh, from a variety of producers. And, uh, we just covered the product from Monte Lobos Espadine Havan, which we gave a five. Oh, my goodness.
• 20:22
  > >So our next product is actually going to be from Vago. Um, this is a very popular brand. You can find, you know, Vago in a lot of places. So, you know, um, some of these products may be a little more difficult to find, but this particular product, which is the ensemble and Barro, you, uh, can find, you know, in a lot of places. The mes. This is a mezcal, uh, ancestral. It's, uh, Havan, which means it's young. Uh, the village is Sola de Vega, uh, in southern Oaxaca.
• 20:53
  > >Uh, the still was clay. This is specifically lot S02ECM20. It was made in March of 2020. The Maestro was Dior, a, um, soft bouquet of pine needles and fertile earth. Its full body has an essence of charred cinnamon and finishes with notes of pumpkin and chestnuts.
• 21:16
  > Carrie Ann>I don't know who tasted that.
• 21:22
  > Mike>I do have roasted vegetables as one of my notes that I did think it was super complex and, like, strange in a good way.
• 21:31
  > Carrie Ann>I got, like, the feeling of a Sichuan berry. Like, that numbs your tongue for a second.
• 21:36
  > Mike>Yeah.
• 21:37
  > Carrie Ann>And then, like, the taste that follows that up is a little anise. Um, but it does have that vegetable quality. But then there's something that, like, literally tongue numbing for just a second.
• 21:48
  > >Yeah. You know, this definitely. It played, like a huge band, you know, on my palate.
• 21:55
  > Mike>Yeah, pretty much.
• 21:56
  > >Um, I mean, it was. It was just. Was a lot of heavy sugars, you know, right up front.
• 22:02
  > >Um, a lot of pepper. The body on this was really big. I mean, this. I mean, it tasted, you know, two to three times the style of body that, you know, some of these other products that we've had here. Um, it had a really long finish off of it still. You know, pepper was. Was present off of it. But, man, this thing had a lot going on, and I just. I love the whole thing.
• 22:26
  > Carrie Ann>What's the proof on this one?
• 22:29
  > Mike>Uh, hundred proof.
• 22:30
  > Carrie Ann>Okay, there you go.
• 22:31
  > >Um, a little bit more, uh, octane in the barrel as well.
• 22:35
  > >Um, yeah, I wouldn't even mind going back and trying this with a touch of water just to see if it changes, you know, any, you know, really that dramatic. But, man, I like this a lot. Um, and it was interesting. This was a bottle I've had for a little while, and it was a lowrider. And you could tell because I kept on going back to it, uh, quite a bit, which means that I was trying it neat. I was trying it in a variety of cocktails. You know, I was probably you know, tasting it in, um, a lot of different ways.
• 23:03
  > >And, um, um, I really, uh. You know, the whole Vago line is. Is really.
• 23:09
  > >I've yet to have anything in their product line that I went, you know, this one was just okay. They're all exceptional. Yeah, for sure.
• 23:17
  > Mike>Really good.
• 23:18
  > >Uh, what's your rating here for the, uh, for the Vago?
• 23:22
  > Carrie Ann>Oh, my God.
• 23:23
  > >We agree across the board is a. Is a SIPs rating of 4 for the Vago ensemble and borrow. So definitely, uh, um, you know, that.
• 23:34
  > Carrie Ann>Would make a really nice Mezcal. A Negroni situation.
• 23:37
  > Mike>Oh, yeah. Definitely cut through all those big flavors.
• 23:40
  > Carrie Ann>Hm.
• 23:41
  > >Any, uh, anything else that you would think you would do with, you know, with this one or with cocktails?
• 23:48
  > Mike>I think for cocktails, this could be a really interesting one to do something really unique. Like they mentioned pumpkin to do like a really cool, like, pumpkin cocktail or, ah, a cocktail where you're using vegetables, which is. Can be hard to do. But, um, I would definitely try it with celery juice. Yeah, totally.
• 24:08
  > Mike>You could do a really amazing, like Mezcal bloody, uh, Mary with this one where it would still come through making watermelon rind.
• 24:15
  > >So m. Yeah. Michael, when you approach, uh, when Mezcal cocktails are to you, do you start with the Mezcal and then you think about, you know, what, I'm going to go with that, or do you think more about the other components that you might be making with a cocktail and then you're trying to find a Mezcal to kind of fit into. It's kind of like, you know, do you start from the top or the bottom?
• 24:43
  > Carrie Ann>It depends on the goals of your list.
• 24:45
  > Mike>Yeah. Sometimes you have like, an idea for a drink that you're just like, chasing after the right spirit to use with it.
• 24:51
  > Mike>Um, but with this one, there's so many different tasting notes and unique ones. Like, I never taste roasted cauliflower and spirit usually, or charred pumpkin. You know, stuff like that. And then you're like, huh, huh. Well, I'm getting that I could probably make something really unique where that.
• 25:09
  > Mike>Where you're honoring the. The spirit too, where you're picking out, um, different tasting notes and accentuating those.
• 25:16
  > >Yeah. You know, I think that there's probably a lot more trial and error, you know, with Mezcal, uh, cocktails specifically, where I'm always, I don't know, it's very rare for me to charge in with.
• 25:30
  > >With a Mezcal cocktail and say, I'm absolutely going to nail this on the very first try.
• 25:35
  > >Um, I always wind up with, something's off, I know what to fix, or something's off, and I'm not quite sure. But here's two or three things that I'm going to adjust or try, you know, from there. And, you know, I find that there's, you know, two things that I wind up doing. One is I'm trying to accentuate what the Mezcal is trying to do, and I'm trying to drop, you know, bag other things that are in that cocktail, or the vice versa of that, which is, you know, the Mezcal is basically not in balance with the rest of the ingredients in this that I'm going for.
• 26:14
  > >And that's always, you could argue, this.
• 26:17
  > Carrie Ann>Is a cocktail in itself. I mean, I think the way that they've chosen those ingredients and how much of which agaves they put into it was very, very intentional. And I think it's really beautiful. I would like to just, like, sip on it on an ice cube.
• 26:30
  > >I actually did not go over the variety of, uh, you know, agaves. Can you read off that label there?
• 26:35
  > Mike>Yes. So we have, uh, 60% espadine, 36% coyote, and 4% Mexicano. So those are different varieties that are in there. So it's pretty cool.
• 26:45
  > >Yeah. So in this lineup, I think this is the only product that has such a broad range of agave in it as well.
• 26:54
  > >And, um, so I think that, again, that can. That can make your, you know, approaching it as a cocktail, you know, product easier or far more complex, you know, as well. It's like that, you know, the Del McGee is, you know, exactly. You know, where you're starting. I mean, it's like somebody handing you a, uh, blanco Tequila. You know, it's like, I know exactly what this is going to taste like every single time. So you absolutely know the baseline that you're always going to be working. Um, as opposed to, you know, some of these, uh, blended Mezcals, it's like, this one's going to taste this one.
• 27:32
  > >But, you know, is the next batch or the batch after that going to be, you know, just like this? So that's always the challenge.
• 27:39
  > Mike>Yeah. And it's just like, Mezcal cocktails are like life. When in doubt, make a margarita.
• 27:47
  > Carrie Ann>And this one is like, I think of everything we've been tasting, tasting today. It's, um. The finish just goes on and on and on. Where a lot of them are, when we say they're clean, I mean, the. They're hitting you on the palette, and then they're Almost immediately gone. This one I can still. It's still lingering. I think it's kind of. I might want to change my writing up.
• 28:08
  > Mike>That's a big one.
• 28:10
  > >Are there other Vago, uh, products that you can recall off the bat about it? Michael?
• 28:15
  > Mike>The elote one is awesome.
• 28:17
  > >It is a very unique, uh, version in the lineup. And I almost, you know, uh, I really love that as well. But the story here that we're going over is espadine. I agree. I love that elote, uh, version as well. It's not, as somebody says, you know, I'm going after corn. It's like, whoa, this is going to be, you know, very abrasive. And it's exactly the opposite of that. Yeah, yeah.
• 28:40
  > Mike>Delicious.
• 28:41
  > >Yeah, I love that one as well.
• 28:44
  > >Well, um, you know, uh, so far we're cooking along and I really appreciate all of the, uh, espadines that we've gone, uh, so far. I'm really looking forward to this next one because it's not just about the Mezcal, um, but it is about family, it's about festival, it is about all of the culture that's surrounding this. And you don't get a lot of this particular product that actually crosses the border. So I'm really looking forward to not only talking about this particular product, but, you know, you get to hear a lot more about how, um, these products have been incorporated into the cultures, you know, that they're made as well. So I'm looking forward, you know, to part of that discussion.
• 29:30
  > >Well, hopefully you've enjoyed following along with us so far.
• 29:33
  > >And, uh, we'll be back right after this break.
• 29:41
  > Carrie Ann>With Pachuga.
• 29:42
  > >With Patouga.
• 30:01
  > >Hey, welcome back to Sip Suds and Smokes. On today's episode, we are going over Mezcals that are made with espadine, which is a variety of agave plant.
• 30:12
  > >And, uh, we've gone over some really great products so far.
• 30:15
  > >Um, the last product we went over was, uh, Mezcal Vago Ensemble Ambaro, uh, which we rated a 4. So.
• 30:23
  > >And, you know, we talked a little bit about, uh, some cocktails, you know, that we've kind of approached, you know, uh, with making. But it's this next storyline that Carrie Anne's going to go over that all of a sudden it's going to be weaving culture and a spirit, um, with Mezcal as well. So I look forward to this.
• 30:41
  > Carrie Ann>Tequila is life. Mezcal is life.
• 30:45
  > >Mhm.
• 30:46
  > Carrie Ann>So our, uh, next product is Gracias. Ah, Dios Pechuga de guajalot how's that sound? Mezcal Artisanal. It's an espadine, it's a hoven, and it's very delicious. Um, it is made in a copper still. It is made by Oscar Hernandez Santiago. This is lot 110 with only 200 bottles produced. Uh, gracias a dios. Pachuga is made with agave, uh, espadine, wild turkey, not the bourbon and fresh fruit. Mezcalero Oscar Hernandez made the special release in honor of the Day of the Dead, which has a, um, massive celebration in Oaxaca. After the party for the special release.
• 31:38
  > Carrie Ann>Nope, sorry. After the party for the Day of the Dead, Oscar used all of the fruit that people had brought to him to make this mezcal pachouga. Before the second distillation, wild turkey meat and fresh fruit were added to the distillate to create this special festive mezcal. The fruit were added were local cocoa, pecans, bananas, apples, pineapples, and raisins, which could be why I thought it tasted like rum.
• 32:08
  > Carrie Ann>Um, the nose is very strong, peppery, and very much a lot. Um, it's hot.
• 32:14
  > Carrie Ann>It's going to give you some Caribbean flavor. Um, I think blind tasting this, I wouldn't off the bat, uh, peg it as a mezcal. Um, but the flavor, um, it incorporates a lot of, like, cinnamon, allspice, poblano pepper, ground white corn.
• 32:31
  > Carrie Ann>And it does fill your mouth. Um, thick viscosity and long lasting from the rich coating.
• 32:41
  > >Uh, some of my own tasting notes here. The first thing I wrote down was complex. Um, it's just very well balanced. Um, is the way I would describe, you know, this, um, this is not more of the same, you know, ah, if there's a corner where, which one of these things is not like the other, this is totally, you know, in a very different, um, experience. Um, you know, it was, ah, it was very subtle.
• 33:09
  > >Um, you know, I didn't find that there was something that was just jumping out at me that was saying, hey, this is the dominant, you know, uh, flavor profile.
• 33:19
  > >I just really was really good. Um, I mean, I love the storyline as well, and I just. It's interesting when, you know, I always tell people when I'm traveling that the way I tend to enjoy traveling is through food. Uh, because if, you know, the food of the region, you know, the people of the region, and that includes, you know, alcohol as well and other drinks and products that are available. And I think that this, this to me was saying, what would you know, the town of Santiago Matalan Uh, actually, you know, taste, like, in a glass. And to me, that's.
• 33:57
  > >That's what I'm. I'm tasting is the culture of that environment. Mike, Michael, what you think?
• 34:02
  > Mike>I thought it was really cool. Um, the thick mouthfeel is really nice. Um, it makes me want to drink it, like, after a meal. Makes me want to drink it, like, after Thanksgiving or Christmas. It reminded me. One of my tasting notes is figgy pudding at Christmas.
• 34:18
  > Mike>So it had that vibe to it, which was really cool.
• 34:21
  > Mike>Um, there's just not a lot of things like this. Um, and you were talking about traveling and having cool spirits. Reminds me a little bit of pitoro in Puerto Rico. Oh, if you're in Puerto Rico and you go to, like, a small restaurant, maybe at somebody's house. We went to one, um, where it was just, like a family cooking, you know, whole red snapper. And then at the end of the meal, they would offer you their own family recipe of pitoro. They were using, like, tamarind and pineapple in theirs. But I. I had another one when we were on the island where people, uh, were using coconut. A lot of coconut, a lot of spices.
• 34:59
  > Mike>And I know that's like their own rum that they make, and then add a bunch of different ingredients. Families have different recipes.
• 35:05
  > Mike>They usually pull it out around Christmas time, bury it in the backyard, pull it back out. So that's pretty.
• 35:11
  > Mike>It's. It reminds me of that.
• 35:12
  > Carrie Ann>That's funny. I was going to say, uh, like Clarin in. In Haiti, because everybody has their own m. Way to go. Um, it's just now commercially available in the U.S. um, but that's something very personal to each family and what kind of clarion they might make or distribute amongst their friends. I think, like, that community, that sense of community and what it brings together. Um, and I love the. The idea that this is made from the fruits that they brought this guy.
• 35:41
  > Carrie Ann>Um, because I think, like, the reason it tastes like rum to me is where rum is made from sugar cane. Now you're adding in the sugars from these fruits and all of the flavors we might get out of sugar cane, that would equal pineapple or banana are actually in there.
• 35:55
  > Carrie Ann>And it's a. It's just really cool in your mouth.
• 35:58
  > >Yeah. Let's rate this up. Cool in your mouth conversation.
• 36:01
  > >So what's your rating gonna be here for the, uh, pachuga?
• 36:04
  > >How about that? Well. Oh, my God.
• 36:07
  > Carrie Ann>Yes, yes, yes, yes.
• 36:11
  > >So our sips, uh, rating here for the, uh, Gracias Dios Pachuga. El Jalante boy, I really butchered. That was a five. Um, but so the one example that I was.
• 36:22
  > Carrie Ann>Sorry, Oscar.
• 36:23
  > >Yeah, ah, um, the one example I was going to throw out when I think of, you know, combining culture and a beverage is limoncello. Um, because uh, you know, in Italian cultures, um, uh, the dowry that is paid for, um, on the bride side is the limoncello recipe, um, that is only passed around through a point of marriage. And it's, you know, spoiler, it's lemon and sugar. Yeah.
• 37:00
  > >Hey, you know, I've, I've seen a lot of Nonna's that go. Mine is much better than yours. So, um, but um, I just, I, I uh, love this storyline. But more importantly, I really, really love this. And if you can get your hands on, you know, a pachuga, um, hopefully you'll have the opportunity to enjoy it, uh, much like we have today.
• 37:23
  > Carrie Ann>Um, anybody worried about the whole Wild Turkey thing? No, it is more for ah, the ceremony of it. Ah, and the steam is going up through the turkey and then being at.
• 37:36
  > >The end of the day.
• 37:37
  > Mike>I know, um, it's ornamental Wild turkey.
• 37:42
  > >What'd you guys think of this flight?
• 37:45
  > Carrie Ann>I'd do it again.
• 37:46
  > >Great example, really amazing.
• 37:47
  > Mike>Yeah, all kinds of different varieties. You've got light, subtle, uh, clean, you've got big smacking you in the face, uh, roasted vegetables. Um, and then we started off with like stone fruit, pear, lemongrass. Really cool.
• 38:03
  > Carrie Ann>And the smoke is all over the place. From hardly noticeable to a good part of the tasty notes.
• 38:08
  > >Well, I hope you'll check out mezcal espadines on your own because um, such a great variety of things you'll get to enjoy. Well, I want to thank my co host for being here, Carrie Ann. Tell us uh, anything you got going on and uh, tell us, you know, what's your favorite color of the day?
• 38:27
  > Carrie Ann>Black. Always black. Um, I have a lot going on which will be revealed soon. Straight up615 on Instagram and dot com.
• 38:37
  > >Good old boy Michael. Thanks for being here. Tell us all about Liquid Gold with books and anything else.
• 38:42
  > Mike>Yeah, you can find my books@mikewolfbooks.com I um, feel like people who listen to the agave episodes would like my book Cheer, which has a whole agave section and tiki section as well.
• 38:53
  > Mike>Um, um, next up I'll be working on a book about trees, so.
• 38:58
  > Carrie Ann>Wow, interesting. In a tiki drink.
• 39:02
  > Mike>Oh yeah, definitely. Pachuca Mai tai's for the win.
• 39:06
  > Carrie Ann>Mhm.
• 39:06
  > >Interesting. Well, this is good boy Mike asking you to come back and to keep on sipping.
• 39:13
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• 39:22
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• 39:25
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• 39:51
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• 40:12
  > Mike>Uh, this has been a one tan.
• 40:26
  > Announcer>Hand production of Sips, Suds and Smokes, a program devoted to the appreciation of some of the finer slices of life from the dude in the Basement Studios. Your host, the Good Old Boys will see you all next time.