Agave Road Trip

Ten Angry Pitbulls, Inc
  • 4.5 (46)
  • Society & Culture
  • Weekly

Agave Road Trip is a critically acclaimed, award-winning podcast that helps gringx bartenders better understand agave, agave spirits, and rural Mexico. If you're interested in Mezcal, Tequila, Raicilla, or other things you'd drink in Mexico, this might be the place you're looking for.

  1. 2d ago

    The uncanny power of hibiscus

    In my quest to lower my blood pressure, I stumbled on an article suggesting that jamaica — the Mexican agua fresca made from dried hibiscus flowers — can do exactly that. So I started using that as a base for an energy drink. Which maybe mitigates the blood-pressure thing, but, anyway, that’s where I landed when I invited Linda Sullivan‍ over to talk aguas fresca. Agave Road Trip is a critically acclaimed, award-winning podcast that helps gringx bartenders better understand agave, agave spirits, and rural Mexico. This episode is hosted by Lou Bank with special guest Linda Sullivan‍ of seynasecreto! Episode Notes “What to Drink to Lower Blood Pressure Quickly: These 9 Drinks May Help,” GoodRX, May 5, 2026 Agave Road Trip episode: “Does Mezcal help you hydrate?” Shout outs this episode to Monster Rehab, Tazo Tea, Big Works, Mello Yello, Mountain Dew, Electrolit, Cocktail MD Ryan Aycock, Thirsty Whale Justin Sajda, Four Loko, Malort, Quiote Mezcaleria, Labo Fermento, Finca 18, and is/was Brewing. Ad Links If you want to taste 24,000 acres of wild desert, get yourself a bottle of Mezcal Ultramundo! Head out on an Agave Road Trip with Finca 18!‍  ‍Greg Rutkowski will take you on his Agave Road Trip Route #2 - Raicilla de la Costa! Price includes a bottle of Paulo Rodriguez’s fabled, limited Tumbado batch! Order beautiful spirits to be delivered to anywhere in Mexico — beautiful or otherwise — through Agave Spirits Presents!

    The uncanny power of hibiscus

  2. Oct 22

    Is Mezcal cool? Or cooling down?

    I've been having a lot of conversations recently with people who own brands of agave spirits. And my friends who own Tequila brands,  they're a little uncomfortable with the state of the market. And then my friends with Mezcal brands, they really don't like the state of the market. Not so long ago, Mezcal was hot. Is it still cool? or is it cooling down? Agave Road Trip is a critically acclaimed, award-winning podcast that helps gringx bartenders better understand agave, agave spirits, and rural Mexico. This episode is hosted by Lou Bank with special guest Linda Sullivan‍ of seynasecreto! Episode Notes Shout outs this episode to Tomas Virgen, Maguey Melate, Clase Azul Tequila, Michael Rubel, and John Douglass at Pretty Decent! Ad Links Every time you drink El Acabo Raicilla, you’re helping to support the biodiversity of Jalisco — it’s a delicious way to help the environment! Head out on an Agave Road Trip with Finca 18!‍  ‍Greg Rutkowski will take you on his Agave Road Trip Route #2 - Raicilla de la Costa! Price includes a bottle of Paulo Rodriguez’s fabled, limited Tumbado batch! Order beautiful spirits to be delivered to anywhere in Mexico — beautiful or otherwise — through Agave Spirits Presents!

    Is Mezcal cool? Or cooling down?

  3. Oct 15

    What cooked agave doesn’t taste like

    The rules around Mezcal are so complex that I’m not surprised when someone gets the details wrong — even brand owners. And two brand owners did exactly that on a recent episode of The TequiLadies Show. I used that as a jumping-off point to get into it with Marissa Paragano about some recent clips from her podcast, and then we landed on one in which she talks about what agave tastes like. And what does it taste like? Well, which agave…?  Agave Road Trip is a critically acclaimed, award-winning podcast that helps gringx bartenders better understand agave, agave spirits, and rural Mexico. This episode is hosted by Lou Bank with special guest Marissa Paragano (AKA the eye-rolling, not-easily-offended, kind-of-5’2” Tequila Encyclopedia) of The TequiLadies Show and The Tequila That Cares Foundation and added wisdom from Heidi Roach of the Mezcal Academy in Scotland. Episode Notes Marissa is a board member of Tequila That Cares, a philanthropic organization bringing positive change to the agave spirits industry! Check out Heidi’s  Mezcal Academy in Scotland, with educational tastings at the end of every month! Join us in Puerto Vallarta this April for the tenth-anniversary celebration of SACRED! Shout outs this episode to Tove Lo, Billy Bragg, Long Island Lou, Eduardo Angeles of Lalocura Mezcal, Tequila Ocho, Chicago pizza, chocolate, tasting wheels, and “So I referenced this helpful tasting wheel, designed by Patrón, to expand my awareness of what to look for and to help better define”.

    What cooked agave doesn’t taste like

  4. Oct 8

    The sex lives of agave: hijuelos, bulbils, and seedlings

    Agaves have three ways to reproduce: they can generate seeds, bulbils (semi-clones that grow on their quiotes), and hijuelos (clones from the roots). But sometimes, you’ll hear that a particular variety of agave doesn’t produce hijuelos, or its seeds aren’t viable. Why not? Which ones? And how did that come about? It’s our most sexual episode yet! Agave Road Trip is a critically acclaimed, award-winning podcast that helps gringx bartenders better understand agave, agave spirits, and rural Mexico. This episode is hosted by Lou Bank with special guest evolutionary biologist Daniel Moen. Episode Notes Thanks to raicillero Nereo Garcia Romero for the cover pose this episode! Shout outs this episode to Dr. Iván Saldaña, El Acabo Raicilla, the Herculoids, Tacho Guzman, and Emilio Saenger!

    The sex lives of agave: hijuelos, bulbils, and seedlings

  5. Oct 1

    What we drink when we don't know what to drink

    My frequent-but-not-frequent-enough cohost Linda Sullivan‍ has a beverage education business, seynasecreto. And while she’s doing the education part at events, sharing funky, interesting, and cool agave spirits, the guests are engaged and loving it. But when the education stops and the bar becomes open call, those same guests go back to their common-order comfort zones. Which makes Linda uncomfortable — but gives us something to talk about in this episode of Agave Road Trip! Agave Road Trip is a critically acclaimed, award-winning podcast that helps gringx bartenders better understand agave, agave spirits, and rural Mexico. This episode is hosted by Lou Bank with special guest Linda Sullivan‍ of seynasecreto! Episode Notes Shout outs this episode to the shiftie, Licor Pajarote, Casamigos, Kool-Aid, Sloe Gin Fizz, The Ramones song “Somebody Put Something in My Drink,” the Tequila Report, the French Martini, and 818 Tequila!

    What we drink when we don't know what to drink

  6. Sep 24

    Proposed changes to the rules of Mezcal

    The Mexican government is considering a revised version of the NOM that defines what is and what is not Mezcal. My big takeaway is that it feels like the changes are either moving more toward protecting heritage mezcaleres or codifying things that were already allowed but weren’t anywhere in the existing NOM. Sergio Garnier’s view isn’t so different. But we argue anyway. Because that’s our love language. Agave Road Trip is a critically acclaimed, award-winning podcast that helps gringx bartenders better understand agave, agave spirits, and rural Mexico. This episode is hosted by Lou Bank with special guest food writer Sergio Garnier of Ultramundo Mezcal. Episode Notes To read the draft revised NOM-070 in Spanish, click here! To read the draft revised NOM-070 in Google Translate English, click here! Shout outs this episode to Queretaro’s spectacular table-in-a-farm restaurant Bárbaro Asador de Campo, Rancho Villa Organica, Campanilla,  Francisco Terrazas and the Tequila Interchange Project, Cristalinos, and Chava!

    Proposed changes to the rules of Mezcal

  7. Sep 17

    Has the Margarita become a victim of its own success?

    That’s what I thought we were talking about: the Margarita collapsing under the weight of its popularity, so to speak. But food writer Alisha Miranda thought we were exploring the question, Can we get past the Margarita? And that question itself suggests that, at least for Alisha, the Margarita has become a victim of its own success. And David Suro’s La Jefa Milpa Bar in Philadelphia doesn’t serve a Margarita, which suggests Alisha isn’t alone. So … what’s going on with the Margarita? Agave Road Trip is a critically acclaimed, award-winning podcast that helps gringx bartenders better understand agave, agave spirits, and rural Mexico. This episode is hosted by Lou Bank with special guest food writer Alisha Miranda! Episode Notes Check out Alisha’s article “Beyond the Margarita: Rethinking Tequila & Agave Spirits,” August 31, 2026. This week’s cover features art by Jose Guadalupe Posada, taken from the “El corrido de la muerte” broadside published by Antonio Vanegas Arroyo. You can access that file via the Library of Congress! Shout outs this episode to David Suro’s La Jefa Milpa Bar, vodka/sodas, Morgan Weber’s Marfa Spirits Co., Frankie Ramirez’s Amà, Nacho Jimenez’s Superbueno, Ricky Ramirez (and Jason Parr)’s Mothership, Squirt, Jon Langley’s Sobre Masa, and Palomas! Ad Links For a copita full of hospitable Mezcal, check out Mezcal Palomo! Carlos Mendez Blas makes delicious spirits, some of which were distilled with cacao, coffee, and mole! Chicotona Mezcal honors tradition while always looking for something better. Try a taste of family, culture, and tradition!  Head out on an Agave Road Trip with Finca 18!‍  ‍Greg Rutkowski will take you on his Agave Road Trip Route #2 - Raicilla de la Costa! Price includes a bottle of Paulo Rodriguez’s fabled, limited Tumbado batch! Order beautiful spirits to be delivered to anywhere in Mexico — beautiful or otherwise — through Agave Spirits Presents!

    Has the Margarita become a victim of its own success?

  8. Sep 10

    September 16 is Cinco de Mayo!

    As we approach September 16, we prepare to celebrate Cinco de Mayo: Mexican Independence Day! And we do so in Agave Road Trip style with lawyer and professor Dr. Juan Pablo Salazar Andreou, author of Con o Sin Derecho, about the history of Cinco de Mayo in the legal context. Take off your shoes, grab a machete, and join us for the fun! Agave Road Trip is a critically acclaimed, award-winning podcast that helps gringx bartenders better understand agave, agave spirits, and rural Mexico. This episode is hosted by Lou Bank with special guest Linda Sullivan‍ of seynasecreto and wisdom from Dr. Juan Pablo Salazar Andreou, with translations from Daniel Peñaloza of Chicotona Mezcal! Episode Notes Check out Dr. Juan Pablo Salazar Andreou’s book Con o Sin Derecho! This week’s cover features art by Jose Guadalupe Posada, taken from the “El corrido de la muerte” broadside published by Antonio Vanegas Arroyo. You can access that file via the Library of Congress! Shout outs this episode to Katherine May Lewis, Siete Rayas Yolixpa, and Julia of Las Chingonas Imports!

    September 16 is Cinco de Mayo!
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46 Ratings

About

Agave Road Trip is a critically acclaimed, award-winning podcast that helps gringx bartenders better understand agave, agave spirits, and rural Mexico. If you're interested in Mezcal, Tequila, Raicilla, or other things you'd drink in Mexico, this might be the place you're looking for.

Information

  • Creator
    Ten Angry Pitbulls, Inc
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2026
  • Episodes
    335
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Ten Angry Pitbulls, Inc
  • Show Website
    Agave Road Trip

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