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 247 – Esteban Morales Garibi: A Bridge Between the Past and the Present
Esteban Morales Garibi revitalized craft cocktails, coffee, and culinary innovation in Guadalajara. His commitment to transparency, new projects, and sharing beautiful spirits with the world is a page out of an adventure novel. His introduction of La Venenosa introduced the world to Raicilla, a seemingly lost spirit that highlights the flavors of Jalisco. Likewise, his latest project Mezcales Derrumbes features beautiful mezcal from the states of Oaxaca, Michoacan, Zacatecas, Tamaulipas, San Luis Potosi, and Durango. And the projects don’t stop there…. We talk food, Sotol, Mexico, ambition, and more…..
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Products Assigned a Mexican Denomination of Origin
One of the most riveting conversations at the San Antonio Cocktail Conference 2018 was a class focused on the DO’s of Mexican spirits and how those should/could be protected. The class was hosted by Ricardo Pico, Dr Ivan Saldana, Sergio Mendoza, and Miriam Pacheco. I was unfamiliar with many of the other artisinal and agricultural products protected in Mexico. Here’s a helpful list provided by the panel. Tequila (1974) Agave Spirit produced in Michoacan, Guanajuato, Nayarit, Tamaulipas, and Jalisco Mezcal (1994) Agave Spirit produced in Oaxaca, Michoacan, San Luis Potosi, Zacatecas, Tamaulipas, Guanajuato, Durango, Guerrero, Puebla Olinala (1994) Craft Talavera (1995) Pottery Café de Veracruz (2000) Coffee Bacanora (2000)…
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The Desert Spirits
The world of Agave (and non-agave) can be a quite convoluted one when you start to bring all of the other beautiful Mexican spirits into the mix. Here is an infographic that I created to disambiguate some of the major Mexican spirits categories.
