Spend a few hours in a palenque (or vinata or taberna) talking to mezcaleros and other folks working there and inevitably the conversation will turn to an immigration story. I learned this back before Mezcalistas was born, talking to the producer of one of the most sought out mezcal brands at that time. He told me about living in LA, working jobs at Burger King and a hospital mopping floors. I asked him if people ever knew he was a master distiller and he told me no, that for the most part he was invisible. Another mezcalero told me he had to leave home at 14 because his father had left and his mother could not take care of all of the kids. He traveled all by himself to the border, sleeping where he could and trying to cross several times before giving up and returning home, ashamed he had failed his family. Another told me he worked road construction in the midwest, and what it was like to do emergency work in the middle of winter. He returned to Mexico when the work dried up and began working in a vinata. I asked him what was harder work, construction or making mezcal and he said, “I made more money in construction.” So many immigrant stories if you choose to listen.

At Mezcalistas, we usually don’t make political statements. But what is happening now regarding immigration and immigrants makes it impossible to stay silent. We are a binational company and we stand in solidarity with all immigrants and refugees. Legal status doesn’t matter because we are far more concerned about the inhumane and cruel tactics being used by the federal government- raids, mass arrests, deplorable detention centers, sending people to foreign prisons and constitutional rights like due process being violated. The below four organizations are fighting for the rights of immigrants - please consider supporting their efforts.

• ACLU (AMERICAN CIVIL LIBERTIES UNION)

• NILC (NATIONAL IMMIGRATION LAW CENTER)

• NIJC (NATIONAL IMMIGRANT JUSTICE CENTER)

• ILRC (IMMIGRATION LEGAL RESOURCE CENTER)

Our stories celebrate and acknowledge the incredible spirits being produced in Mexico and sold here as well as the people who are doing incredible work to help us understand even more what is involved in their production. We’ve got a terrific interview with Chicago’s Mike Moreno, a dive into identifying flavors, a new perfect pairing featuring Paranube’s new release - Cafe de Olla, and an updated look at the growing agave scene in the United Kingdom.

Saludos,

Susan and the Mezcalistas Team

MEZCAL NEWS

MEZCAL EVENTS

• June 14th, Tianguis Mezcalero 10th Anniversary, Mexico City

• June 20th, A Day With No Ice (World Refugee Day), Bars across the US (more info coming via social media)

• June 27th-30th, Mezcal Culture Fest, Miami

• July 12th-13th, Barra Mexico, Mexico City

• July 13th, Women in Spirits, Chicago

• July 20th-25th, Tales of the Cocktail, New Orleans

• August 23rd, Tequila, Mezcal and More Book Launch, London

• September 21st, Copita Mexican Spirits Festival, St. Louis

• SAVE THE DATE: October 5th, Mexico in a Bottle San Diego

• SAVE THE DATE: November 16th, Mexico in a Bottle San Francisco