Spirits are quite a weird thing. They are everywhere; you engage with them constantly at bars, concerts and restaurants and yet, it is rather difficult to share your thoughts and ideas about them. People get shy and weird when you try to dissect the origin, flavors or implications of a spirit.- Why can’t you just shut up and have fun! - I’ve been shouted at many, many times. That is why I find tremendous joy in the little but great community of mezcal and sotol enthusiasts that I’ve encountered in Mexico City. It is a tiny one, but with these gentle souls I get to talk about cities that most people have never visited and I get to refresh my memory and re-spark my curiosity about things that I missed when I visited this or that producer. In this conversation with Megs Miller, mastermind behind Salon de Agave in Mexico City, we try to go through all our memories connected to Chihuahua and beautiful spirits we found there. I hope you enjoy this one!

In this episode on Heritage Mezcal, I had the opportunity to have a delightful conversation with Eric Zandona. He is an incredibly booze-informed gentleman, and the organizer of the ADI’S International Spirits Competition, which, if you were to ask me, offers a great chance for brands of all sizes to break into the US market. Especially if you have something that may shock the nerds. They are not sponsoring this episode, but after being invited a few times as a judge, I can say that I’ve never met a group of people that cared about and loved spirits with such passion. That being said, this episode covers a lot of ground, but was originally inspired by a petition published in Change Org by Pepe Tequilas titled: “Highlighting the Importance of Protecting Agave’s Biocultural Heritage”. I prefer not to throw any major spoilers in this introduction, but let's just say that both Eric and I would love for agave spirits' beauty to prevail for at least another thousand years. 

Agaves and humans have always had an intimate relationship  but, believe it or not,  a significant part of if has nothing to do with booze. As we've discussed before in this podcast agaves provided to our ancestors with many charms; from clothing to nourishment. But given the fact that many of these relationships have disappeared, this wider understanding of agave is quite hard to imagine. That is why Marcela Sandoval has been researching how and why and with which consequences did humans domesticated agave. While most of us keep on speculating how agave fields looked a few decades ago,  she gets to inspect traces that go back thousands of years.  Please welcome Marcela and the incredible agave-stories that  she has to share. 

Pox, the quintessential Chiapas spirit, is probably the most mysterious Mexican drink that I've encountered in my life. It was a big part of my early 20's, but I never truly understood its technicalities or cultural relevance. Happily, thanks to Javier Oroz, who I just interviewed a few weeks ago (go check the Bacanora episode), I got to meet Zury Guindi.Zury started bottling bottling Pox back in 2011 under the umbrella of "Siglo Cero". When even mezcal was just starting to happen, he decided to dedicate his life to corn, panela and wheat instead of worshipping agave. In this episode we try to cover as much as we can about this fascinating and delicious drink. Hope you enjoy it!This episode was recorded at Som, Zury's bar in Mexico City. Nested in the heart of Condesa I can't emphasize enough how fun is to go through all their menu. You'll get to try Pox, rum, raicilla, mezcal, tequila and many other bizarre and lovely Mexican spirits. 

This is the beginning of a series where both Roy and Chava go around the many venues that hold agave collections that they think are pretty and tasty. Some may be the usual suspects but others may be hiding in plain view, just like Tahona Mezcal Room. Join Chava and Julie Mann Wharton in a conversation that includes tips on how to party when in Brazil, the different types of cachacas you should look for and how this tasting room came to be. Saludcita!

Vinasse, which are maybe the most offensive byproducts when making mezcal or tequila, can be neutralized in a number of ways. Scientists are always trying to offer more efficient and cost effective options to neutralize this nasty stuff, and one of  those experiments was brought to our attention by our brilliant medical correspondent, Ryan Aycock (aka Cocktail MD).  The technical specifics of how Titanium Dioxide nanoparticles can neutralize vinasse is not really the main focus of this episode, but we decided to delve into what would happen if this approach were to be adopted by the industry at large. What would all that Titanium Dioxide could possibly mean to the health of those applying it to the vinasse or those in the vicinity of the distilleries?  It all may sound very sci-fi and complicated, but this conversation tries to show that every decision has repercussions that may not be incredibly evident right away and that fighting one type of pollution may create other challenges.  Finally, this is the full citation of the article mentioned in the episode:Alicia Rodriguez Arreola, Marciano Sanchez Tizapa, Florentina Zurita, Juan Pablo Morán-Lázaro, Rocío Castañeda Valderrama, José Luis Rodríguez-López & Alejandra Carreon-Alvarez (2018) Treatment of tequila vinasse and elimination of phenol by coagulation–flocculation process coupled with heterogeneous photocatalysis using titanium dioxide nanoparticles, Environmental Technology. 

As most things that have been created in Northern Mexico, Bacanora tends to create more questions than answers. It may have an active Denomination of Origin and there are some really awesome brands out there bringing delicious juice, but many of the stories linked to its origins are still obscure. In this conversation with Javier Oroz (mastermind behind @bastardosdelbacanora and @santocuviso) we tried to briefly explore Bacanora's convoluted history. We hope you enjoy it!

How big is it too big? When does a mezcalero stops being "small batch" and migrates to something that could be labeled as not truly artisanal?In this conversation with jóven Jon Darby (patrón at @sin_gusano) we dabble around some some of these questions, while sipping some rarities, that according my invitee prove that he may not be the worst purist in this industry.I hope you enjoy this one. 

A popurrí is the ultimate mix, an intense collage of songs merged together to accelerate enjoyment.  I am sure that the term has been confined to music because if someone were to create the "taco popurrí" it would be too much for humanity to withstand.  But jokes aside, this episode is exactly that, a "Popurrí" . Fabio Raya, one of my favorite scientists on earth,  was in town and we decided to talk all things  agave in one shot while we were sipping gorgeous pulque.   I hope you enjoy this one. 

So many of the most valuable Mexican products  are tremendously fragile. A perfectly ripe zapote, a prime "lechón", a fresh habanero salsa and my always beloved pulque. In this episode with Cesar Ojeda, aka @intergalacticyeastieboy,  we talk about some of his most recent experiments  regarding pulque fermentation, we touch a bit on social justice and we do laugh quite a bit. Welcome to Heritage Mezcal, I hope you enjoy this one.

There are many ways to access the very vast diversity within Mexican food and drinks. Some love spirits, others honey or tea. But Martina ( from @colectivoamasijo) has been working with many different producers from around the country trying to showcase milpa-based agricultural products. We hope you enjoy this episode that delves into the many faces of Mexican agriculture.

If there has been an agave that I've been aggressively celebrating for the last few years, it definitely has been Lamparillo.I still remember the first time I tried and I was so confused.I just didn't know that an agave could create that specific set of flavors and aromasBut most importantly I couldn't imagine the kind of landscape that could foster such an unique agave.To better understand this convoluted story please welcome Sergio Garnier, patrón at Ultramundo Mezacal, and his tremendous love for the dessert.If you want to buy the puntas box, that includes the lovely lamparillo puntas, head to MagueyMelate.com and find the "Heritage Mezcal Box" in its shop. Available starting June 10th. 

Arguably the first person to coin the term pulque aristocracy was Jose Vasconcelos, one of Mexico's most famous intellectuals.Using this term he was referring to the many families that recognized in pulque a profitable industry that fueled both exceptional festivities and everyday work.But now pulque is almost a rarity in Mexico City, and the once buoyant business is  an almost extinct tradition. I had the chance to talk with Martina Manterola, whose family was part of such aristocracy, exploring her memories, interests and frustrations around this wonderful agave ferment.  Hope you enjoy this one.

Different places ask for different drinks, even certain music styles, in my opinion, need specific booze pairings. And even though I am always the first to complain when I can't find delicious complex spirits in the middle of the night. I am starting to understand that calibrating which booze is served on a dancefloor is a important as the stage and lights design.Without further adieu, please welcome Roberto Ávila, and his many insights on  how to create accurate booze experiences.

There are so many reasons why people may start a mezcal brand.  Some do it for the  money, some for love and some others because the craft has been in their families for generations. But regardless of how you started, nobody, to my understanding, has found a perfect formula to maintain exceptional quality while still paying the bills.Without further adieu please welcome Sergio Garnier, from Ultramundo Mezcal,  and his rather atypical approach to owning a mezcal brand.

Like many agricultural products, agaves have developed a complex relationship  with humans over millennia. Some agaves were chosen to make rope, others to extract pulque and maybe the luckiest of them all to create mezcal. But there've been many other more subtle ways in which people have chosen their favorite agaves to deal with. In this conversation with Fabio Raya we talk about the agaves that were favored in Brazil versus those that we decided to love in Mexico.

For a while I was not sure if I  wanted to publish this episode. But I think there are quite a few  things hiding in the middle of this conversation that somehow relate to the clash of cultures within mezcal. Without further adieu please welcome Dalton Kreiss and his impressive affection for dogs.

This episode is not about a new religion, so don't you worry. This episode is about trying to better understand some of the people in the tequila, mezcal  and agave spirits multiverse that I would say have a very clear and unmovable set of ideas of how these categories should behave. So I decided to do an episode, with my  good friend Jon Darby. I've referred to him before as one of the worst purists in the business, but he knows I say with affection.Without further adieu please welcome Jon and his intense and tender love for mezcalito.

I've been thinking so much about the things that are so close to us, so ubiquitous,  that we decide to erase them completely. Octavio Paz, our literature nobel prize,  explores this intensively in his famous book "The Labyrinth of Solitude". He talks about "Ningunear", which is the act of making someone, no one. We've done this to so many Mexican products. but a group that I believe has been  ninguneado like no other, are the thousands of traditional herbs that are still used today   for making delicious infusions. Without further adieu please welcome Monica Favila, and her love for all glorious herbs and teas.

Having a conversation with Vinik is never a straight line. We always allocates the unexpected crevices, he finds ways of expanding what may seem bland and inoffensive.He may even be a spy, considering his very  avid interest on maps, borders and the rivers that run through them. But the most important thing, is that he is a rather entertaining human to share conversations and mezcalitos. Without further adieu, please welcome Vinik Jure, and his aggressively eclectic mind. 

Welcome to the longest episode I've ever recorded. And usually I would say this as a warning,  but while listening to it I realized that this conversation touched on so many things that I believe are critical not only to cacao  but to all Mexican craft, including agave spirits.Without further adieu please welcome Jose Lopez Ganem and his poignant perspective on how we can  create a slightly better world through cacao.

There are a multitude of different names that people use to call agave spirits around Mexico. The most prominent ones are obviously Tequila and Mezcal. But if you travel a bit more you'll find names like Tepe, Ixcateco, Minero, Bacanora, Raicilla and so on and so on.Tuxca is one of those names. But I find that currently there is a good  amount of misinformation about the origin  and history of such a name. So I decided to  invite Edwin, who is currently  making his doctoral thesis about historical tabernas, to give us a little bit more insights into what Tuxca really means. Please welcome Edwin Mayoral,  and his passion for vino de cocos y vino de mezcal.

I've always been fascinated about how things travel and get to be transformed. One of my favorite stories on the matter is how Jose Luis Borges decided to learn Icelandic just to have access to language that has been frozen in time within a very cold and isolated island (excuse the pun). Mexico is the complete opposite, both our language and our culture has traveled and has been transformed in a multitude of ways. In today's world, in which a big part of having a restaurant or a bar is being able to "play" and engage with the ingredients and techniques of over cultures, I like to think of this as a "Translate and Expand" approach. I had been wanting for a long time to interview someone that had a good deal of experience doing such a thing and having Matthias Inglemann as an invitee was a strike of luck that I very grateful for. Hope you enjoy this episode!

The controversies around who gets to use the words tequila or mezcal are never ending. All of which are linked to how the PDOS, or Protected Designations of Origin, for each one of these products were written.That is why I decided to invite the man I call the “Cheese Superman” to this podcast. I find cheese to be very relevant to understand this matter because one of the first PDOs, back in 1925, was created to protect Roquefort and fight its counterfeits. According to the Roquefort official website this has allowed for  Roquefort to be serenely modern and more relevant than ever. Please welcome Zach Berg and his cheesmongering parlance.

If you want to pick up a quick fight with a mezcal nerd you just need to start throwing compliments to añejos and reposados.It'll get even worse if you claim that the best Tepextate you've ever had spent 12 years in bourbon barrels  and that the most complex sotol you've ever encountered was pink and shiny  from resting in barrels  previously used to mature red wine. Even at the risk of creating some violent confrontations  I wanted to explore the world of aging,  but instead of using the very controversial agave as a study case, I decided to delve into the intricacies of aging sugarcane spirits.So without further adieu please welcome Keegan Meneses and his  tremendous passion for all things rum.

For the last months I've realized that just like mezcal, so many other Mexican culinary products have been neglected over the years. By now we've touched on traditional fermented products like tolonche, we've explored coffee fermentation, herbal infusions and now, naturally, it is the turn of honey. To understand honey's extremely ample world I was lucky enough to have Arlette Gómez as an invitee. She has one of the most gifted palates I've ever encountered and her encyclopedic memory was able to juggle every one of my silly questions. I hope you enjoy it!

Agave spirits have been around for at least a few hundred years and within that time they've traveled, they've evolved,  they've been prosecuted by the authorities, they've been neglected by modernity and finally, just around 25 years ago, they started to win the hearts of the spirits and cocktail nerds. Now mezcal is a global phenomena, but to be absolutely honest, that is rather surprising. So I've been tracking some of the people that arrived at this scene right when things were starting to change. In this episode I was lucky enough to have John McEvoy as an invitee. He was there when nobody could explain what mezcal was at gringo bars, when bottles had hotmail emails stamped on their sides, and even decided to invest in the category when it  was unlikely for mezcal to secure any growth. Without further adieu please welcome John, better known as Mezcal PhD. 

This may be the most  heartbreaking episode that I've ever done. In this conversation with Dalton Kreiss we'll go over mezcal logistics. Because it is not enough to find a very delicious mezcal. Which is a lot of work already, but you also have to deal with regulations, transportation and all sorts of mysterious things before someone can actually acquire what you've chosen with a lot of love. So if you are planning to start an agave spirits brand this may be the episode that could convince you to do otherwise.  You may prefer to just stay as a committed nerd, instead of  having to endure all of the pains that we'll describe in this episode. Without further adieu, welcome joven Dalton and his unparalleled passion for logistics.

There is not a unique approach to making mezcal or coffee, so it shouldn't be surprising to realize that there are many different ways to dissect their flavors.  A few episodes ago I had a long and illuminating conversation with Eric Kozlik about flavor and I wanted to compare and contrast our discussion from a coffee perspective.Coffee is an interesting study-case because it is one of the most consumed commodities in the world. So I had always thought that their tasting protocols were rather strict and homogenous.  Regardless of the medium, be it honey, mezcal, tea or coffee; we are all trying to find and sell the most delicious things possible.  But how exactly do we identify and describe deliciousness? Does it change depending on the country and culture? Is it a static thing? Or maybe it does change depending on who you are and how you perceive yourself.  Grab some pretty coffee and let's talk about its flavors. 

I listened to this episode with Roberto Ávila (school manager of the Bartending European School in Mexico) a few times trying to come up with a proper introduction. But like I mention at the end of it, it is a bit like a Simpsons episode. The narrative arc is over the place and we jump  from working in Dubai to drinking like a Mexican teenager; from how to pair your tacos to how to run a bar. Hope you enjoy this rather eclectic approach. 

If there is something that is practiced by every culture I’ve ever encountered is boiling leaves, herbs and/or flowers to make comforting or delicious drinks. In my household my mother preferred teas over conventional medicine : anis estrella for the stomach, manzanilla for insomnia and bugambilia to scare the flu away were amongst the many other “creations'  that she came up with over the years to alleviate even the most stubborn of pains. But it was not until I tried tea in Taiwan that I found an amazing array of flavors connected to the different leaves, processes and ways to prepare it. Tea leaves, just like agave, are great  and ancient storytellers. Not only have humans consumed tea for thousands of years but some of the trees used to make puer   can be more than hundred years old. When I met  Mónica Favila, today’s invitee, I was thrilled at the prospect of better understanding this medium and trying some of the delicious expressions that she collects.

Everything that I read and hear around agave spirits these days suggests that the people and places that sustain this heritage are at risk.It is clear to me that we are at a time that if we don't do something there may be a day when homogeneity will take over. The days of thinking about the possibilities brought by the ample agave diversity will be gone and we'll end up with something as boring as the cavendish banana. At the same time there are many ways to resist, to promote change and to make people care deeply about mezcal and the artisans that make it. While reading @vinikjure essays I realized that many of them referred to “joyful resistance”, which seemed a way more effective approach than the usual hostility or mockery that I get to see in this industry. This approach does have its limitations, but in this episode I think we do a fairly good job in exploring many of the reasons why working from this framework may allow us to further empower the full mezcal multiverse.

Every country is a brand. If you want to buy cameras you are probably looking at Japan or Germany;  if you have an interest in silk or denim, you may look for French or Italian goods.  But when we talk about Mexico, what does our national brand stand for?  What is our global reputation? Is our vast biocultural heritage being promoted or are we just being reduced to tequila, tourism and avocados?  Beyond some ontological drama, is our brand strengthening the overall economy and promoting social equality or is it just making money for a few very visible entities?I know these are extremely loaded questions but somehow we found a way to make a multitude of jokes around them. Please welcome to the podcast  José López Ganem and his infinite set of academic parables.

The main reason why I started this podcast was to have conversations that  could expand how we understand  agave spirits.  You may have noticed this by now, most of the episodes are not directly about mezcal, but about the places, the people and the cultures that make mezcal possible and fascinating. In this episode I wanted to delve into flavor. To truly dissect  what bitter, sweet or funky mean when we talk about spirits. After listening to the brilliant way in which my friend Eric Kozlik explored the concept of smooth in  his podcast Modern Bar Cart.   I knew that he would be the best person to have a conversation about this infinitely complex area of study.

Many of the most appreciated spirits in the world are the consequence of clashing a base spirit with some sort of modifier. Think about every brown spirit, made with fairly uninteresting grains, but then, after spending enough time interacting with wood,  they get the chance to become complex and glorious. Mallort, big shout out to CH distilleries, Chartrouse  and every Amari under the sun, are some of other examples of beloved spirits that have been modified with external elements in some way or another. Yet when we talk about mezcal, the idea of using modifiers, with the exception of pechugas, makes most people uncomfortable.  Why the hell will you dilute or interfere with agave's essence, people claim, this plant that took such a long time to grow and which patiently collected information from the soil and its immediate environment should be consumed at its purest form in order to truly honor its origin. But then, oh how I love my Mallort and my worm infused mezcales. So I decided to have a conversation trying to get to the bottom of this with one of the industry's worst purists, my friend Jon Darby. 

Unlike most people that would typically enjoy alcohol on their free time, it is  not uncommon that given my line of work, that on a normal Tuesday I'll be busy sampling ten or more mezcales.  That is the reason why I've been trying to educate myself, finding the best ways not to destroy my body. But it turns out that there are a multitude of versions of what a non dangerous intake of alcohol means. Canada claims that if you have  3 drinks a week  you are asking for trouble, while Japan is happy to suggest that   half a liter of beer or a glass of sake a day may  not hurt at all.  In these series of episodes, with Cockatil MD Ryan Aycock, I've been trying to better understand the news articles that come my way. On this episode lets talk about how alcohol may be damaging your DNA.

Now that a significant number of people know that most of Mexico distills either agaves, dasylirions, sugarcanes or fruits, I believe it is a great time to delve into the different regions that articulate this country. "La Laguna" is a region, that I rarely get to talk about, it that covers municipalities of both Durango and Coahuila, two massive states with a vast agave and dasylirion spirits tradition. Sergio Garnier, founder of Mezcal Ultramundo, helps us have a better understanding of this mysterious area.  And for the adventurous here is the Google Maps for "La Jarochita": https://maps.app.goo.gl/XbuNdMsQuVUGqDUX6 

If you can distill agave and/or sugarcane then every other "sugar-source" is open for grabs. Be it mango, zapote or even mesquite; mezcaleros have long experimented with other sources either to find new flavors or to limit their expenses. In this conversation with Dalton Kreiss, founder of Maguey Melate, we discuss the prominence of mango as a cult produce that almost rivals the avocado craze, the many ways in which Mexican brandies may take the US market by storm and the technicalities behind these unorthodox spirits. 

In this podcast we've been discussing fermentation as a verb, almost comparing it to an erupting volcano. We've explored the many was in which agave and even coffee are transformed by this process but we haven't really explored yeast in detail. What exactly is it? How does it survive? Are there better yeasts than others? Can different yeasts create distinct flavors?I can't claim that we came up with clear-cut answers to all of these questions. But we definitely tried our best. Please welcome again Cesar Ojeda and his infinite curiosity for all things fermentation. 

This is the longest ever recorded episode of this podcast. But I just couldn't stop talking and picking Shak Zapata's brain. He is not only a grand barista capable of pulling espressos that will make you weep out of excitement but he has also traveled extensively to secure  some of the best Mexican coffees. On this episode we explore the hows and whys of fermenting this powerful bean. Make sure to grab an espresso from Shak at Casa Cardinal:https://www.instagram.com/casacardinal/ A big shout out to the "Anímate" employee resource group at Crunchyroll for sponsoring this episode.

Markets are places to find mundane objects, make friends and enjoy the most voluptuous fruits. They are as useful as they are mysterious, a bastion for diversity and pleasure. I decided to invite Vinik Juré to talk specifically about the many markets that happen during the week in the central valleys of Oaxaca. I hope you enjoy it. A big shout to the "Animate" employee resource group at Crunchyroll for sponsoring this episode 😘 

Let's forget about mezcal for a moment and think about sugarcane spirits, better known as aguardiente by some and rum by others. In this episode I had the pleasure to chat with Keegan Menezes, a rum lover, which had long and detailed answers to all of my silly questions. Here is a small bio of him as written by the man himself:Keegan Menezes started out as a cocktail bartender when he was in Oxford at university, although he left his professional cocktail-making career behind he has remained part of the London Cocktail bar scene. He is known for his depth of knowledge across all spirits categories including and his favourite and the best spirit – R(h)um.He has traveled around the English and French Caribbean, visiting Distilleries; enhancing his personal relationship with the distillers and of course, tasting Rhum/Rum. He uses his knowledge to help bars and London bartenders understand all the different aspects of the Sugarcane spirit category, and how they can be used in Cocktails and as straight-up spirits.Keegan has consulted with various rum brands on blends, packaging and market strategy.

Is there such a thing as traditional mezcal? And if so. Who is entitled to establish what that is and how should it be maintained? In this episode with author and historian Eric Zandona we explore the paradoxes and complexities linked to preserving such a vast biocultural heritage. 

In the agave multiverse there are a number of artifacts that you'll find all around Mexico; with all sorts of different geometries and fabricated with a diverse set of materials: hats. In this chat with Laura Ramos, from "House of Belrio", we discuss with her what does it mean to be a hat designer, the influences of the "Golden Age of Mexican Cinema" and how to use nature as guide when choosing what to fabricate. 

Salmiana is maybe one of the most well distributed better kept secret amongst agave spirits. In "El Bajío", which comprises a good part of Guanajuato, San Luis Potosí and Zacatecas; Salmiana is the the preferred agave to create a vast array of spirits with a long history that sustained some of the mining extravaganzas in the region. This first episode with Darian is meant a soft introduction to an agave that has slowly but surely won my heart.  After a long career as a Business Jerk of All Sorts (TM), Darian Martyniuk realized there were a few things in life that he loved, and two of them were agave spirits and baseball. So one day, he decided to combine the two and another passion, travel, and create a business centered around those things - traveling the world to watch baseball, traveling Mexico to (occasionally over-) indulge and learn about in agave spirits, and eat various parts of (once thriving but now less so) animals wherever he landed. This podcast is the (erratic yet oddly intriguing) partial result of this adventure.

When I first read Fabio's profile I was rather suspicious. A genetist in the agave realm? Isn't the point to just leave agave alone to be glorious and genetically diverse? Well, turns out that Fabio does a significant number of great ideas to continue the centuries-old-interaction between agave and humans. Here is Fabio's profile on his own words. You can find him in LinkedIn as Fabio Raya:I’m BA in Biotechnology (UFSCar at Araras) and MSc. in Genetics and Molecular Biology (Unicamp). I’ve worked with Next-Generation Sequencing at the Integrated Genomics Cores (HTSF - UNC at Chapel Hill), one of the largest sequencing facilities in the US. In 2017, I’ve founded ECRA Biotech, a synthetic biology start-up that develops and manufacture kits for diagnostics and genetic engineering. There, I’ve worked on the development of more than 15 biotechnological products for research and molecular diagnostics, including RNA/DNA extraction kits, DNA polymerases, reverse transcriptases, and other specialties enzymes.At Unicamp, I’m a Ph.D. candidate, also in Genetics and Molecular Biology, and the curator of the "Germplasm Bank for Climate Change". My research work focuses on Agave, plant biotechnology, plant breeding, bioeconomy, and biorenewables production in semiarid regions.

We would all love to think that agaves are the most untainted agricultural product given its propensity to prosper in the "wild". But now, given the size of the tequila and mezcal industry, it is clear that pesticides are being used in unprecedent quantities to keep this machinery going. In this episode we try to get the basics of how pesticides work and their consequences from a medical perspective. Dr. Ryan Aycock is a practicing emergency physician in the Panhandle of Florida and holds faculty appointments with both Florida State University's and the University of Central Florida's Colleges of Medicine. He has presented at Tales of the Cocktail and is a frequent guest contributor to the Agave Road Trip podcast. His previous writings have won the American College of Legal Medicine's Hoffman Bioethics Writing Competition. The Florida House of Representatives named him its Doctor of the Day in 2022. An Air Force veteran, he deployed to Southwest Asia and Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom as a Critical Care Air Transport Team's flight commander.

We have the pleasure to keep the conversation going with Cesar Ojeda (aka @intergalactic_yeastie_boy). This time we talk about  how a palenque/taberna/vinata is nothing like a "distillery" and why the landscapes surrounding a palenque/taberna/vinata are critical to the yeast populations that will ultimately create either pretty or dull flavors.Dr. César Iván Ojeda Linares completed his undergraduate studies at the Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana, later he studied at the Institute of Ecology of the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, with a stay at Kyoto Sangyo University. He did his Ph.D. at the Ecosystems and Sustainability Research Institute. He is currently doing a Postdoctoral stay at the UNAM Botanical Garden. His line of research from him is ethnobiology, particularly because he is making a novel proposal within ethnobiology, ethnomycrobiology. In his last years, he has studied how different cultural groups consciously or unconsciously manage microbial communities for the production of fermented beverages, thus identifying possible yeast domestication processes. In the same way, he actively participates in disseminating science, seeking to recapture the importance of fermented foods in the food landscapes of Mexico.You can find Cesar at @intergalactic_yeastie_boy