Welcome to The Nectar Corridor, a podcast where we explore the incredible world of mezcal. In this first episode, we consider what mezcal means to some of the people who have dedicated their lives to it. We speak with Sosima Olivera, Marco Ochoa, and Eduardo Ángeles about their family legacies, their relationships to the plants they work with, and how they have fought to preserve the mezcal-making traditions of their respective communities.

In this episode of The Nectar Corridor, Niki talks to:

• Sosima Olivera(@sosimaoliveraaguilar, @interseccion_mezcal) is a maestra mezcalera and co-founder of the cooperative Tres Colibrí and mezcal brand FaneKantsini (@fanekantsini).

• Marco Ochoa is the owner of agave spirits brand Gusto Histórico (@gustohistorico), as well as the co-founder of both rural tourism company Mezcouting (@mezcouting) and the project Mezcaloteca  (@mezcaloteca).

• Finally, Eduardo Ángeles is a fourth-generation maestro mezcalero and the visionary behind Lalocura Mezcal (@lalocuramezcal).

Episode highlights:

Native people, community and culture 

• Sosima talks about her native people “Los Chontales de los Altos” and how tradition is not something that is thaught, but it's subtly passed from generation to generation. The changes she has seen throughout the years with people´s relationship with nature. Marco and Lalo tell us about their family´s generation´s developing and producing mezcal and the challenges they faced.

Maguey: different species 

• Magueys have different species and subspecies. They are the bases and the raw material for mezcal. Producers know when to cut the magueys in order to obtain the flavor they want for their mezcal. You need to know when to cut it, and in which season to produce.

Mezcal: a complex drink

• Mezcal is made from magueys and this plant might be one of the most complex raw materials for making alcohol in the whole world. Magueys take 10 to 30 years to mature and be ready for making mezcal.

“Business-only” culture vs respect to natures´s biodiversity and timing

• Sosima, Marco and Lalo discuss what they see with the boom of mezcal and some brands rush to obtain mezcal all year, with no respect for soil timing and ecosystem biodiversity. The market does not always respect the traditional ways, and this might deeply hurt mezcal´s future.

Mezcal history and tradition: it is alive

• Mezcal is something that has always been in Mexico. The magueys were used for several things, from making fiber for building houses; they were also consumed as food, and of course, they were the base for making alcohol. Often chased and prohibited, mezcal has always been in rural Mexico, and continues developing. Many farmers are fighting to maintain and grow mezcal culture. 

Mezcal: how to drink it, how to talk about it

• Mezcal needs to be talked about and discussed. Guests comment about their experiences trying to explain and broaden the knowledge about mezcal. When you drink a mezcal you need to ask questions, develop your palate and if you can, visit the places where it is made.