Follow three passionate Agave spirit enthusiasts into the world of Mezcal, Bacanora, Raicilla, Sotol, Tequila and more, and tag along on their journey to learn about the culture and tradition surrounding this beautiful drink. We are Cate, Diego and Albert and of course we are going to sample what some call "Elixir of the gods"- a lot of it! A Mexican-German-American co-production, made in Berlin.
https://www.elixirofthegodspodcast.com
episode 20: S2.C9: Bartender Work Program - with Cate Czerwinski
A hands on experience in the heart of Tequila land
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 let her experience the hard work, craftsmanship and arts of creating Agave spirits first hand. (If you want to learn more about Fortaleza, you can listen to our episode with Don Guillermo here.) 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!
Photos from the recording:
Diego, Albert, Cate & our silent contributors- The suitcase
- Geeking out before the recording
- Cate's coa
- Our flight (it was first class)
Photos from Cate's trip:
- Don Guillermo at his estate
- Fiona attacking a maguey plant
- Out in the fields
- Fortaleza tahona
- Blending
Explore further:
- Tommy's Mexican Restaurant (San Francisco)
- Documentary: Agave: The spirit of a nation
- Stefano Francavilla, Fortaleza ambassador
- Ashtin Berry
- Megs Miller/FAM Bar
Fact checks:
- Fortaleza uses their own family yeast and no accelerators
- Herradura was purchased by Brown-Forman Corporation in 2007
- El Tesero: "Don Felipe" is Carlos, Lily, Jenny, and Felipe's grandfather, not father. Theirs Dad's name was also Felipe, but he wasn't "Don Felipe".
Not mentioned on the Show:
- El Tesoro (the brand) was purchased by Beam a few years ago, but all El Tesoro is still made my Carlos at La Altena (Nom 1139)
- Agave and Mezcal business women of Jalisco
Reach out:
- Cate on Instagram
- 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