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Does Bottling Mezcal and Tequila in Mexico Save Jobs?
Episode 105
Back in 2004, the USA imported over $400 million worth of tequila. Approximately 73 percent of that was tequila in bulk form. So when the Mexican gov…
4 years ago
Is Mezcal Pechuga Cultural Heritage or Crass Marketing?
Episode 104
One of the things you hear over and over is that pechuga – the mezcal made (often) by adding raw chicken (or turkey or venison or name-your-protein) …
4 years ago
Why Does Mezcal in the USA Have a Higher Minimum ABV than Mexico?
Episode 103
Mexican regulations require an agave spirit to fall between 35% and 55% alcohol by volume (ABV) to qualify for certification as mezcal. But in the US…
4 years ago
Does Mezcal Help You Hydrate?
Episode 102
Since mezcal is often around 50% ABV, that means it’s also around 50% water. Does that water help hydrate you? What about the water in beer, which is…
4 years ago
Historically, Mezcal is Made with Steam
Episode 101
Read almost any of those “differences between tequila and mezcal” articles, and they’ll tell you that tequila steams their agave, mezcal roasts it un…
4 years, 1 month ago
Mezcal Can Be Made From (A Lot) More Than 40 Kinds of Agave
Episode 100
How many different kinds of agave can be used to make mezcal? Well, heck, that’s easy: the regulations allow you to use any of them. So why have ther…
4 years, 1 month ago
How Much Alcohol is in Mezcal?
Episode 99
If you hang around a certain crowd, they’ll tell you that mezcal needs to be at least 50% alcohol by volume to be true to the cultural heritage of th…
4 years, 1 month ago
How Dangerous is Mexico?
Episode 98
When I tell people about my trips to Mexico, it's not uncommon for them to ask how dangerous it is. Chava and I debate the relative threats of Mexico…
4 years, 1 month ago
Who Put the "Vino" in the "Vino de Mezcal"?
Episode 97
All over Mexico, there are communities where they distill spirits from fermented agave. And in a lot of these communities, they call that spirit "vin…
4 years, 2 months ago
Healthy Living Through Mezcal
Episode 96
The cigarettes you smoke and the food you eat will kill you sooner than the alcohol you drink. But make no mistake: in the USA, alcohol consumption i…
4 years, 2 months ago