Ismael Gomez, founder of Laika Spirits, has brought some of the rarest and delicious spirits into the States. From a love of Sotol with Flor Del Desierto, Cruz de Fuego Mezcal, or Tuxca with Balancan, his affinity for the esoteric and seemingly unattainable flavors allow us to taste them en masse. But what makes this expanding catalog of spirits function, how have things changed in shutdown, and will Ismael every stop and lounge on a beach someday? We chat, GDL, college, laws, and fear.
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Ep 302 – Cesar Sandoval: A Whole Elote Love
Casa Lumbre’s Cesar Sandoval has achieved a lot in a little time because of one key personality characteristic: transparency. Ask him whatever, he’s an open book of knowledge, compassion, and drum fills. His latest chapter with Abasolo Mexican Whiskey and Nixta Licor de Elote bring him into the fields of corn running throughout Mexico. With a little bit of shaking and a little bit of stirring, corn can change everything. We chat microphones, self reflection, and Cacahuazintle.
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Ep 300 – Jorge Gaviria: From the Land to the Lips
Jorge Gaviria has devoted years to understanding the culture, the people, and the logistics around corn production. The resulting project, Masienda, is now the industry leader in providing quality masa, heirloom corn, and tortilla cooking accessories. The journey to this amazing project is steeped in deep analysis, introspection, and travel. What started as a moment of translation, turned into a massive corn movement. We chat mezcal, NYU, civil unrest, and how we learn.
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Ep 299 – Gabriel Velázquez Zazueta: Cascading Creativity
Gabriel Gilberto Velazquez Zazueta is a Renaissance man of design. Whether it’s designing the beautiful items for Tuyo or co-hosting the agave-centric podcast Hey Hey Agave, he has his mind on design. After studying design in CDMX, an amazing opportunity brought him to the US and a whole new life began. Most recently Gabriel has joined the team at El Buho Mezcal. We chat about citizenship, love, creativity, and territorialism.
