Oaxaca Trip Overview
The only way to truly learn about mezcal production, is to participate in all or as many states of production as practicable, alongside the palenqueros (distillers) and their family members. In this way one best begins to appreciate the hard work which goes into making a bottle of mezcal. Of course in the day we have breaks, and lunch (optional and extra) at a local rural eatery serving traditional Oaxacan fare, and there will be opportunities to sample upwards of 30 mezcals, which can be purchased at a fraction of retail, from some of the same producers which sell to bars, restaurants and mezcalerias in Oaxaca and elsewhere throughout Mexico. Cut agave in the field, fill the oven, empty the oven, prepare the sweet baked agave for crushing, crush by hand or with the horse and tahona, fill and empty the fermentation vats, then distill. You do it all (as much as we can reasonably arrange), working alongside indigenous Zapotec producers, and their families.
Additional Info
Duration: 10 hours
Starts: Oaxaca, Mexico
Trip Category: Tours & Sightseeing >> Bus & Minivan Tours
Explore Oaxaca Promoted Experiences
What to Expect When Visiting Oaxaca, Oaxaca, Mexico
The only way to truly learn about mezcal production, is to participate in all or as many states of production as practicable, alongside the palenqueros (distillers) and their family members. In this way one best begins to appreciate the hard work which goes into making a bottle of mezcal. Of course in the day we have breaks, and lunch (optional and extra) at a local rural eatery serving traditional Oaxacan fare, and there will be opportunities to sample upwards of 30 mezcals, which can be purchased at a fraction of retail, from some of the same producers which sell to bars, restaurants and mezcalerias in Oaxaca and elsewhere throughout Mexico. Cut agave in the field, fill the oven, empty the oven, prepare the sweet baked agave for crushing, crush by hand or with the horse and tahona, fill and empty the fermentation vats, then distill. You do it all (as much as we can reasonably arrange), working alongside indigenous Zapotec producers, and their families.
Itinerary
This is a typical itinerary for this product
Stop At: Oaxaca, Oaxaca, Southern Mexico
In this “city slicker” adventure day for groups of six or more (up to a maximum of 15), you have the unique experience of participating in almost all stages of production of traditionally made mezcal, working alongside the distillers (palenqueros) and their families, actually doing the work with them; harvesting agave in the field, filling the rudimentary in-ground natural oven, cutting and crushing the sweet baked agave, filling and emptying the fermentation vats, and distilling. The experience includes both ancestral clay pot distillation and the more traditional artisanal production using copper pots or alembics. There will be opportunities to chat with the producers while you smell the smells and escape the smoke which fills the air during the distillation process. Who knows … there may even be a chance to help make mezcal de pechuga (with the chicken). Sample to your heart´s content throughout the day from a broad diversity of mezcal distilled in clay and copper, including madrecuixe, espadín, tobalá, tepeztate, tobasiche, a number of ensambles, and more. And of course if interested in buying, there’s always that option, right from the distillers. This is the real deal, something few if any travelers get to experience while visiting Oaxaca, be they spirits aficionados or novices, photographers and film makers, those with an export business in mind, or amateur anthropologists simply interested in indigenous Zapotec culture and the diverse peoples which comprise it.
Duration: 10 hours
