Elixir of the Gods

Hi, we are Diego and Albert and we would like to share our passion for the world of Agave spirits with you.

In this first chapter we will try to differentiate the Agave distills, uncover some myths, and explain how to drink it. We will give some information about the Appellations of origin and explain a bit about the complexity and variety of the Agave plant.

The goal is to try and give you an idea of the process Agave distills go through to become Spirits. The process is complicated but very interesting. If you know the process for other distills, then it will not be so hard grasp the idea, but each distill has its own characteristics. The 3 most important factors: The Plant: The star of the show, which variety of Agave is being used. The Terroir: The territory and the soil were the plant grows. The Hand: The technique and the personal touch of the producer.

Espadin subspecies tasting. 3 Different Espadines, from different regions, with different techniques. - Raicilla La Venenosa Tabernas - Mezcal Mina Real Blanco - Mezcal Fidencio Clásico

In this chapter we are going to go for the methods. We have seen the process but now we go a bit deeper. The methods are the different techniques used for each stage of the process. The method begins with the Jima, the different tools used for cutting. The cooking, the different ovens. The mashing, how do they mash the plant once its cooked. The fermentation, times, tools, yeasts, etc. The distillation, most common techniques per region.

We will be trying Bacanoras the pride of the north. Typically a Mezcal, but with its own local Appellation. The Plant in this case is an Angustifolia, but the subspecies is Pacifica. Not a very common drink, but give it a try, you might like it. - Bacanora Cielo Rojo - Bacanora Yoowe - Bacanora Rancho Tepúa

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

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.

We were invited to a podcasting meetup at "The Venue" Berlin and had the chance to share our passion. Of course we also brought a bottle so everybody could get a taste.

For this episode we met Esteban 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.

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, visit Alex at Auroom (www.auroom.de). You can find a selection of his spirits in the show notes.

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. Agavera: https://agavera.jimdo.com/english/home/ Agave Hub https://askhelmut.com/events/2019-10-08-18-00-hallesches-haus-agave-hub-d98fc9d3-4b4b-4255-89b7-25b2323d94a2 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.

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.

We went to BCB to meet with some very respected people in the Agave industry. This intro-episode is just a quick warm-up before we go deep. We were able to have conversations with Sergio "Cache" Mendoza (Don Fulano, Derrumbes), Don Guillermo Ericsson Sauza (Fortaleza) and from Rome's famous "La Punta" Mezcaleria: Roberto Artusio and Cristian Bugiada (they are involved in many other things too).

Our guest Sergio "Cache" Mendoza takes us to Mexico with his poetic words and his passion. In a conversation respectful to the brothers Tequila and Mezcal we also learned that there used to be five levels to describe the maturity of agave plants. Recorded at Bar Convent Berlin (please excuse the background noise).

We took advantage of BCB to speak to Don Guillermo Erickson Sauza, an absolute legend in the industry. Of course we talked about his brand "Fortaleza" but the conversation went deeper into family and why Guillermo's heart is in Mexico.

Roberto Artusio and Cristian Bugiada are Italian Mezcal legends. Roberto is the owner of Jerry Thomas Speakeasy and Cristian Bugiada is a partner of Freni e Frizioni. Together they created La Punta Expendio de Agave in Rome, which is a Mezcaleria, only dedicated to Agave spirits and offers more than 600 expressions. Their passion for Agave did not go unnoticed by Mexico's official regulatory board for Mezcal (CONSECO REGULATOR DE MEZCAL or CRM ) and it officially declared them “Mezcal Ambassadors”, an honor which at the time of our interview only five people outside of America have received. We took the chance to speak to Roberto and Cristian during BCB. We dug deeper into their passion for everything Maguey, their other projects and the connection they feel - as Italians - to Mexico. Our interview with them also starts our long announced series of European bar recommendations. We had to do this interview in a noisy environment, please excuse the not so optimal sound quality You can find our evolving European Map of Mezcal bars here: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1ld6xDBs1V40TuyybiTJpGy3_JwUNOOlm&usp=sharing Please don't hesitate to contact us with your recommendations. Connect with us: Mail: elixirofthegodspodcast@gmail.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/elixirofthegods/ Instagram: @elixirpodcast Twitter: @elixirpodcast

Carl and Albert took a walk through Berlin to talk about our favourite topic! A couple of days before Carl made an experiment in Berlin's La Tentancion Mezcaleria where he served the same drink three times, but each time with a different Agave spirit, showing how little details can make a big impact. Albert wanted to know more about his approach towards mixing spirits that are not predictable and about his history with Tequila and Mezcal. You can find "The Barking Dog" and other great European bars on this custom map: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1ld6xDBs1V40TuyybiTJpGy3_JwUNOOlm&usp=sharing The Barking Dog on Social Media: https://twitter.com/BarkingDogCPH http://facebook.com/barkingdogcph http://thebarkingdog.dk 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/

This bar episode takes us to Manchester. Already in July 2019 and only equipped with a tiny microphone (so please excuse the sound quality) Albert met with Adam to discuss the love for Agave based spirits in Northern England. Crazy Pedro´s mixes Pizza and Agave, so it is not a classical Mezcaleria, however their range of spirits is excellent. No matter if you like your spirits in pure form or in a cocktail, Crazy Pedro's can fix you up in three locations. We have marked all of them in our custom map for you. Get in touch with "Crazy Pedro's:" https://crazypedros.co.uk/ https://www.facebook.com/CrazyPedros/ https://www.instagram.com/crazypedros/ https://twitter.com/CrazyPedros/ 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/

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 ( fernando@tentacionmezcalothek.de ) 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

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 that let her experience the hard work, craftsmanship and arts of creating Agave spirits first hand. 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! If you are listening to this episode on Spotify - you can find the show notes with pictures and links here: https://www.elixirofthegodspodcast.com/?p=344

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. Albert & Alex 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 - elixirofthegodspodcast@gmail.com

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.

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 as possible. 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 - elixirofthegodspodcast@gmail.com

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 - lamezcaloteca@gmail.com 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 - elixirofthegodspodcast@gmail.com

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 - mezcalaria@hotmail.com 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 - elixirofthegodspodcast@gmail.com We recorded this episode back in July and it is a mixed English-Spanish episode.

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 rattlesnake 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 - elixirofthegodspodcast@gmail.com

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 rattlesnake 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 - elixirofthegodspodcast@gmail.com

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. This chapter's sprits: - Los Danzantes Arroqueño - Lopez Real Espadín (the travelling bottle) - Lalo's magic juice (Sacapalabras Pechuga) - Flor del Desierto Sotol - Sietes Noches Espadín (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: https://www.elixirofthegodspodcast.com/?page_id=419 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 - elixirofthegodspodcast@gmail.com

For our season premiere we mingled with the crowd again, and it was glorious. Starved for face-to-face human contact the European spirits world met up at BCB - in a new location and at a smaller scale than the years before. Nevertheless we were able to capture interesting conversations on our audio device. We met old friends and found new ones. A big thanks to Gernot, Ioannis, Iván, Bernardo and Nikša for their time and insights Elixir of the Gods Instagram – @elixirpodcast Elixir of the Gods Facebook – @elixirofthegods Elixir of the Gods Twitter – @elixirpodcast Elixir of the Gods Mail – elixirofthegodspodcast@gmail.com

You might have already met Bernardo and Nikša in our season premiere, but it took us about two years from being introduced to the first bottle of Noble Coyote at a bar in Munich to get to this conversation that we recorded back in July 2021. In fact, the recording was the first time we saw each other. And as always it did not take us long to go deep into a conversation about our favorite spirits, with Bernardo linking his biologist background to starting a Mezcal brand and Nikša's passion to bring parts of his Mexican experiences to Europe. In this talk we are learning about curanderos, infusions, brining up agave seedlings, the discovery of a new species, the Oaxacan community system and of course, amongst other things, we had to touch the CRM as well. Thank you both for sharing your thoughts and wisdom so openly and transparently. In the show notes and on the blog we have attached some images from the farm where Bernardo is growing the seedling that are later delivered to the farmers as well as some photos from the first batch of the newly created Ensemble. Elixir of the Gods Instagram – @elixirpodcast Elixir of the Gods Facebook – @elixirofthegods Elixir of the Gods Twitter – @elixirpodcast Elixir of the Gods Mail – elixirofthegodspodcast@gmail.com

Carl Wrangel is our guests on today's chapter. He represents Agave love from a bartender and bar owner perspective. We do not know how different the European knowledge of our beloved spirits would be without Carl, but we are pretty sure it would be less educated and less passionate. In our conversation we tag along Carl's journey starting as a kid, when he wanted to have a hangover from a tequila, along to his first bar gigs, trips to Mexico, coincidences, genetic memories, his businesses and end at his current life as a father. Weh have a guest host, Esteban Morales, who himself advocates the diversity of Mexican craft spirits through his brands La Venenosa and Derrumbes and is a good friend of our show. Join our Agave family, have some drinks and enjoy a conversation that goes deep.

For this season we went on a road trip through the state of Jalisco and we had the opportunity to meet the maestros, maestras and their families at their homes. Where it seemed appropriate Cate and Diego recorded their conversations that we are now sharing with you. Albert was with us only in spirit (and he provided all the technology and knowledge for us to record). This chapter is a warm-up conversation between our new co-host Cate (welcome!) , Diego and Albert and provides the context for the things to come. We will publish three more chapters together with this one. We hope you enjoy this incredible experience - which already took place in 2022. A big thank you to our guide Esteban Garibi. Without your relationships this trip would not have been possible.

Preview Text snippets Tuxpan. Arturo, his Family, Carnitas, Raicilla, Tradition. We were so excited to begin our travel and get to meet one of the greatest producers. Arturo is young but comes from a long line of producers. The tradition in this Taberna is vibrant.

We made it to Cabo Corrientes! First Stop: "Rancho el Cono" Don Chalio and Blanca, explained everything about their taberna and the tradition that runs in the family for generations.

Preview Text snippets This is the third stop, the beach! Don Beto and Dona Juana took amazing care of us, and Dona Juana is a mean cook!

Unlike most other maestros in this season, Benito's family doesn't have a long tradition of distilling. His scientific approach, love for the plants, and approach to leadership, however, make him a rising star. His products are exciting and innovative.

El Lobo is a legend. Soft spoken, much like his products, he uses a philosophical approach to create unique flavors. You will always immediately know a Lobo expression when you try one.

It's a wrap. On the drive back to Guadalajara, Esteban, Cate and Diego reflect on their journey and all the places they visited, but didn't have the opportunity to record.