Mezcalistas

08/15/2025

In the world of mezcal, has there ever been anything more maligned than the category known as cremas?

A gifted bottle of a crema de bacanora from the makers of was the impetus of Mezcalistas publisher Susan Coss' new piece that explores the history of cremas in Mexico. Found across the country in different forms, dairy based and not, they are hugely popular. What would Christmas in Mexico be without rompope, or a trip though Jalisco be without a stop for a pajarete?

In this story, Susan makes a case for cremas and why we shouldn't be so quick to dismiss them.

Link in bio to News for the complete story or here: https://www.mezcalistas.com/crema-de-mezcal/

08/13/2025

Fresh on the heels of our story last week about semillas del pulque, a tour of some of Mexico City's pulquerias!

Contributor Leigh Thelmadatter took on the enviable task of visiting several pulquerias with Patricia Cardoso, founder of , a company that promotes pulque through tours, events and more. What followed was a day of visiting some of the city's best known, and a few lesser known, pulquerias served with insight into the illustrious and raucous history of pulque in Mexico City.

What had been a thriving scene of more than 2000 pulquerias across the city, has now dwindled to less than 100 formal businesses. It begs the question, will the newly found interest in pulque revive the scene? As Leigh explains in her piece, that might depend not only on the pulque supply, but also on changing city administration and new rules and regulations.

Check out the full piece, link in bio to News or here: https://www.mezcalistas.com/where-why-and-how-to-drink-the-best-pulque-in-mexico-city/

Pictured above:
➡ Pulque selection at La Hermosa Hortensia
➡ Author Leigh Thelmadatter (center) with fellow pulque tour friends at (photo by Patricia Cardoso)

08/08/2025

This week's newsletter is all about pulque and why to understand mezcal you need to understand pulque. We also talk about a micro distillery in Mexico City, new Mezcal Encyclopedia terms, upcoming mezcal events and all the mezcal news you need to know.

We've also got news about a new mezcal program through the . This course is an intensive 143 hour program that covers the history, biology, production process and business of mezcal. Currently only taught in Spanish, it is a perfect course for producers, people interested in starting brands, market educators/marketers or consumers looking for advanced mezcal study. You can learn more or here: https://universidadelmezcal.org/

Be sure to sign up for our newsletter so you never miss out! Link in bio to Newsletter.

En Español
El boletín de esta semana se centra en el pulque y por qué para entender el mezcal es necesario entenderlo. También hablamos de una microdestilería en la Ciudad de México, nuevos términos de la Enciclopedia del Mezcal, próximos eventos y todas las noticias sobre mezcal que necesitas saber.

También tenemos noticias sobre un nuevo programa de mezcal de la Universidad del Mezcal. Este curso intensivo de 143 horas abarca la historia, la biología, el proceso de producción y el negocio del mezcal. Actualmente se imparte solo en español y es perfecto para productores, personas interesadas en crear marcas, educadores/comerciantes de mercado o consumidores que buscan un estudio avanzado sobre el mezcal. Puedes obtener más información en o aquí: https://universidadelmezcal.org/

¡Suscríbete a nuestro boletín para estar al tanto! Encuentra el enlace al boletín en la biografía.

08/07/2025

Looking for a delicious new summer cocktail for August? Look no further than this truly refreshing raicilla celery slushy!

Tess Rose Lampert found inspiration for this drink in a surprising place. "Celery is not one of the first flavors to come to mind when thinking about cocktails, but it is one of the more delicious combinations I’ve had in awhile. After I ate a confusingly delicious celery sorbet at my favorite local ice cream shop, I was inspired to work celery into a refreshing frozen cocktail. After a lot of tasting, the most consistently delicious pairing for the crisp and earthy flavors of celery was to be found with raicilla, the regional mezcal from Jalisco."

She paired the slushy with raicilla and explains the how and why of this comination. She's also includes the recipe. For the complete piece, see link in bio to What to pair with mezcal or here: https://www.mezcalistas.com/the-perfect-raicilla-cocktail/

08/06/2025

It is no exaggeration when we say, this might be the most interesting story we have ever ready about pulque.

Contributor Joahna Hernandez brings us a great story about la semilla del pulque, the fermentation starter essential to making this centuries-old drink. As she explains in her piece, "More complex than sourdough and more volatile than yeast for wine, the semilla must be capable of fermenting hundreds or even thousands of batches. Each region, each family, typically has their own method for making it. Some include roots, raw agave fibers, or whey; others mix in fruits, nopal roots, and beans believed to hold the right bacterial load. But there’s no universal recipe. It’s not written down. It’s passed down."

Joahna had the opportunity to spend time with Margarito Garcia, a tlachiquero in Tlaxcala, and learned firsthand just how these semilla recipes are passed down through generations and how they are at risk of being lost. It is a terrific deep dive into understanding the complex depth of this fermented beverage.

Pictured above:
➡ Tlachiquero Margarito Garcia
➡ Margarito's tinacal
➡ Harvesting the aguamiel
➡ Inside the agave where the aguamiel is harvested from
➡ Carrying the freshly harvested aguamiel back to the tinacal
➡ The pulquero agave on Margarito's farm

To read the full piece, check the link in bio to featured story or here: https://www.mezcalistas.com/semilla-del-pulque/

08/05/2025

Happy Mezcal Monday! We haven't done a mezcal encyclopedia post in a while so we figured it was time to add some new words.

Today we add the word mixto which applies more to the world of tequila than it does to mezcal (mixtos are not allowed under the mezcal DO). In the drinks realm, it is the colloquial word for a tequila that is not made from 100% blue agave. In other words, a tequila that is made with up to 49% sugar from other sources, which must be added during the fermentation process. But you won't find the word mixto on a bottle of tequila and we explain why.

To read the full post, check link in bio to Mezcal Encyclopedia or here: https://www.mezcalistas.com/mixto/

08/04/2025

Australia launches a new agave spirit - meet Beudi.

Agave spirits have come a long way in recent years. Beudi is a brand-new Northern Rivers-distilled agave spirit set to take your home cocktails to the next level.

07/31/2025

We've known for years that some of the most exciting spirits coming to market are being made in Mexico. Case in point, .astrafilia, a micro distillery located in Mexico City. For several years now, they have been distilling a range of gins, liqueurs and bitters from native ingredients. It's the details of this project that take it to an entirely different level.

Contributor Joahna Hernandez had an opportunity to tour the distillery and speak more in depth with the team behind the concept. In a country where spirits are almost entirely centered around agave, they’re opening a different kind of conversation—one rooted in biodiversity, agroecology, and rural knowledge. Says , "Questioning the system we live in is never easy—especially in such a structured industry like spirits. That’s why I believe telling Astrafilia’s story matters: they’re defying the rules of how spirits are made, distributed, and consumed in Mexico."

To read the complete story, check link in bio to News or here: https://www.mezcalistas.com/taller-astrafilia/

Pictured above:
➡ Shelves of Astrafilia spirits
➡ Jar of Mexican juniper used in distillation
➡ Chef Lily Martinez sorting fresh herbs

07/29/2025

Interesting breakdown - the good, the bad, the ugly...

Advocates in beverage alcohol weigh in on the benefits and drawbacks of President Donald Trump’s massive new legislation package

07/25/2025

¡Hace mucho que no hacemos una de nuestras entrevistas de Conversaciones sobre Agave! Este domingo, Susan Coss de Mezcalistas conversará con Mario Acevedo, mezcalero y cofundador de . Nos acompañará Erick Rodríguez, fundador de Almamezcalera.

Hablaremos sobre el agave espadín y por qué es crucial revalorizarlo para que el mezcal sea sostenible a largo plazo, especialmente para los pequeños productores que se centran en el gusto histórico.

Esta entrevista será en español.

It has been a longtime since we have done one of our Conversations in Agave interviews! This Sunday, Mezcalistas' Susan Coss will be talking to mezcalero and co-founder of Mario Acevedo. We'll be joined by Almamezcalera founder Erick Rodriguez.

We'll be talking all about the espadín agave and why it is so crucial to revalue it if mezcal is to be sustainable in the long term, especially for small producers who are focused on the gusto historico.

This interview will be in Spanish.

07/24/2025

When Fred Baptista founded the import company , he probably never imagined how one day his two loves, mezcal and beer, would intersect. But his unique and close partnership with Mezcalero Celso Martínez López opened the door for a collaboration that brought Fred's love for hops together with Don Celso's skill in making pechugas. The end result, .

Says contributor Anna Bruce in her story about Frijolotes, "Fred remembers that he began the process by putting hops in a coffee cone and pouring mezcal through it. Then they conducted trials at Celso’s palenque using a small 20-liter test batch system, distilling Centennial hops that Fred brought from California, with Espadin agave during the third distillation. Lorena and Celso were key experts in making Fred’s dream a reality, with Lorena playing a significant part in strategizing the recipe."

Pictured above are Doña Lorena, and Don Celso Martínez López (.jicarita )

Read more about this great story of collaboration, link in bio or here: https://www.mezcalistas.com/hop-flavored-mezcal/

📷 by .photos

07/22/2025

The state of Morelos receives DO designation for mezcal

Comunicado número 176/2025 Ciudad de México