Musings on Mexico in a Bottle Durango
It’s the journey, not the destination that matters
Those are words of hindsight, a way to put a positive spin on the sometimes rough and crazy things that happen on the journey to the destination. It takes me 48 hours to get to Durango. My original flight is canceled and I have to completely re-route myself to get there ASAP. It requires a red eye flight, an early morning landing in CDMX, a four hour layover before the flight to Durango, where I have to pick up a rental car at the airport, argue with the agent over not accepting the insurance purchased ahead of time, drive into Durango city by myself using GPS, a city I have never driven in before.
I hate driving in the historical centro’s in towns in Mexico. The streets are narrow, I don’t know the local yielding systems, it is chaotic and since I always purchase the cheapest car insurance option, I am scared all the time of damaging the car. I have to find the cafe where the meeting to discuss Mexico in a Bottle details is happening, which also involves finding parking and then being “on” for the three hour meeting. This is the first in person meeting with the whole Mexico in a Bottle Durango team and I definitely look, and probably smell, like I have been traveling for a long time. After the meeting there is the stop at Soriana, the Walmart of Mexico, to pick up water and snacks for vinata tours, and finally the drive to Nombre de Dios. Did I mention all of this was happening in Spanish, a language I can speak but certainly not fluently, and on no sleep? Did I also mention it is 98 degrees, a shock to the system for someone who lives between 55-75 degrees pretty much year round?
Later that night, after Tess and I settle into our little casita that will be home for the week, I turn to her and say, I think I might be a badass given today and she says to me, you are a badass. And then I try to sleep, the overhead fan moving hot air over me, there is no air conditioning. I am such a bad ass.
It’s been 10 years since the very first Mexico in a Bottle so it is impossible to remember just how stressful that first one was. I do remember about a month before the big day, the person/group who said they would give us $10,000 to produce the event, disappeared and ghosted us. No one at the organization knew anything about this, despite the multiple emails clearly promising said $10,000. Max (Garrone) and I had serious conversations on whether or not we should cancel the event as neither of us were in a position to lose any money, which seemed pretty certain to happen. Amazingly, by the day of the event, we had sold enough tickets and brand tables to cover the costs of the event, encouraging us to do it all again the following year.
For the next four years, as we developed Mexico in a Bottle in the US, we invested every bit of revenue from the events into building the Mezcalistas website. To this day that is the primary source of income and support for the website and it is how we pay all of the structural costs of running an online publication, from the technology, design and admin costs to paying writers as well as a stipend to me for managing it all.
I often compare producing events to giving birth, a painful experience that is eventually forgotten because the pain memory is overshadowed by the joyful outcome. At least that’s what you hope.
Before
I have said this before and I will say it again, doing an event in Mexico was never part of the plan for Mexico in a Bottle. The event was designed to introduce mezcal to industry and consumers in the United States and to create a sense of community among people who not only like mezcal but want to learn more and dig deeper into all aspects. I believe it has succeeded in that way and has given a platform to brands and producers who otherwise, because of budget or staff constraints, would not be able to interact with so many people. Each event has its own personality guided by the city where it takes place and the mezcal culture there. There is an existing structure or platform, but no event is like another.
I came to know Martha Garza of Cuero Viejo Mezcal a few years back when we did a Mezcalistas tour to Durango. We later collaborated on a t-shirt (Women will change the world drinking mezcal) that raised $1500 for Fondo Semillas, a women’s organization based in Mexico City.
When Martha first proposed the idea to do Mexico in a Bottle in Durango, specifically Nombre de Dios, I resisted. But she continued asking and had some great arguments: Mexico in a Bottle has huge recognition, it would be an opportunity to focus on mezcal and sotol from northern regions, it would give producers access to a large audience outside of the region, it would stir interest in people to travel to the region, increase interest among people in Durango about mezcal and sotol production, and ultimately it could lead to greater economic opportunities for producers who are often overshadowed by the “industry” in Oaxaca. Eventually I gave in and then began the planning process.
Among the first things Martha does is secure a production partner, the Mayagoitia family, who in addition to having a brand of mezcal (Celebrante) also has an events business. Like Martha, they see this as a huge opportunity to put mezcal from Durango on a larger stage. These early months of planning are a slog, we all have to learn how to work with one another, how to share information outside of our weekly calls, and how to divide tasks. We have to decide whether to keep the branding in English or switch it to Spanish, they argue for the former for branding purposes, I for the latter. There are “discussions” over sponsorship which we do not do in the US, with me coming to understand that in order to do an event in Mexico, sponsorship is absolutely essential. The reality is ticket and table sales alone will not cover the cost of doing the event like in the US. I have to learn how to let go of control of my 10 year old, no longer a baby event, and to allow it to evolve and grow in a way that is not familiar to me. At all. But I trust my partners on the ground to know more than me about these things.
And most of all, I have to wrestle with imposter syndrome in every call and conversation. This is not an uncommon feeling among women, because the struggle to be given equal opportunities, to be taken seriously, especially in male dominated fields, is real. I am working with people who believe that Mexico in a Bottle is the most important mezcal event in the United States. Even after 10 years, I can’t bring myself to say that; each successful event still rings like a surprise to me– holy shit, how did we do that? It is the result of great teamwork, of dedicated volunteers, of terrific mezcal, of love for people and place. I am so proud of what has been accomplished over the years, but still am hard pressed to accept that I am in any way responsible for that success. So I work hard to prove that I am deserving of whatever they believe, that not only does Mexico in a Bottle deserve its recognition, but that I am some sort of successful leader behind it.
I am informed that I will need to make a video that introduces me and the event to an audience of media – a press conference that will officially launch the event. The initial plan had been to Zoom me in, but in the end that will not work. I am fine with doing live interviews and talks, but recording video? I hate video. I can barely tolerate having my picture taken. We go back and forth about whether I should record the video in English or Spanish and ultimately the decision is made to do it in English with Spanish subtitles. It is excruciating, but the press conference is a success and so much media comes out of it, but alas, no more sponsorships. At this point only Mezcal Amarás/Logia and the Durango Mezcal Cluster have committed to sponsoring the event. Everyone else wants to see what will happen with this first event before committing to anything. Meanwhile, the production budget grows.
As the event nears, the meetings and calls increase. No one communicates via email, it is all WhatsApp, which makes getting contracts signed and sending logistics details challenging for me. One morning I am offline for about an hour and when I turn my phone back on, there are 30 voice messages. To put things into perspective, when planning the US events, Ferron or Cristina and I will speak and message each other just a few times, we work from shared Google worksheets. To be fair, we have been doing this together for nine years. And for Durango, in addition to the main event, we are also working on the logistics for a group of importers and guests who bought special tickets that include not only Mexico in a Bottle but also meetings with producers who are hoping to export to the US and a vinata tour day. The logistics can feel overwhelming and involve coordinating flight times, transport from the airport, hotel accommodations, meals, tour logistics, meeting logistics and then the return to Durango for a final closing party. Tess is all over this and I almost envy her dedicated role. Almost. Logistics are not my strength and why I always work with an event manager.
Portable bathroom rental is added to the budget. This is an unexpected expense as it was decided after a preliminary walk-thru determined that the onsite bathrooms would not be enough. Any line item that includes a stipend for Tess, Martha and me is removed from the budget so at this point we are all working for free. As the end of May approaches, I am tasked with getting everyone to pay for their tables. Quickbooks is not available in Mexico so all “invoicing” is part of the event contract. I learn more about the IVA and Facturas and the crazy tax system in Mexico and often find myself stuck in what feels like a game of operator as I parrot information I am given about how to pay and how to send the datos for any needed facturas. It’s so complicated and I can’t help but wonder how people own businesses in Mexico.
On our final call before I head to Durango, I have a spectacular meltdown/freakout. These are video calls so everyone sees it happen. The stress has finally gotten to me and I have no idea how I am going to get everything done before I leave. Not only am I managing a budget that is constantly changing, I still need to do my laundry, pack and grocery shop for my kid who will be left alone at home for the first time. Ever. I was a teenager once and I know what happened at houses when the parents went out of town and left the kids alone.
It seems likely at this point we will lose money on the event in Durango. I have made my peace with it as I understand it to be an investment for the future. But I just want to know how much and that seems to be a moving target. Working with Martha Garza is simultaneously wonderful and exhausting. She is a ball of energy and speaks a million miles an hour. My Spanish often cannot process at that speed and meetings left me praying that I was not saying yes or no to things that are very important. What she is clear on is that it will all work out, which is usually my mantra.
I am embarrassed about the meltdown and afterwards receive calming assurances from various members of the team that all will be ok. And amazingly, I feel much calmer.
On the ground
The final walk-thru goes amazingly well, Javier Mayagoitia has everything so well organized and planned out. Javier is a gem. He is even keeled, funny and an on the spot problem solver. I find myself blessed yet again to be working with such a great team. I point out little things like will there be enough light for some of the tables, how to make sure people won’t trip over some of the rocks on the ground or fall into a gully by where the stairs are that take everyone down into the mezcal garden. I am of course concerned about liability, momentarily forgetting that I am in Mexico and that the litigious culture of the US is not really an issue here. I make a few table adjustments but otherwise leave it to the production team.
Later, Tess and I go to the Celebrante vinata to make sure everything is in order for the vinata tour day. Earlier I had joked around with Javier that I usually allow for at least 3 hours when I visit a mezcalero. I explain that the first hour is to see the production process, the next hour is to sip some mezcal while the mezcalero gets to know you and the third hour is when the conversation really happens, if the mezcalero has decided s/he likes you. We end up spending a while hanging out there with not only Javier but also his brother Diego who makes the mezcal and their father, also Javier. There is a wonderful breeze as the late afternoon wears on, and we are joined by Cenizo and Sotol, the vinata dogs, as well as the vinata cat. We sip on so much mezcal, including some crazy destilados that include oregano, limoncillo and membrillo.
The conversation meanders across topics. I tell them how mezcal is the perfect pretext to visit places I would never usually see and to speak with people who I would never usually meet. I tell them how I love listening to their stories and how often the conversations end up being about someone’s immigrant experience in the US or their attempt to get to the US and that it is rarely a good story and how humbled I am. It is well past dark by the time we get back to our casita. There is a vicious windstorm and occasional droplets of rain and streaks of lightning. I long for a good thunderstorm, something we rarely, if ever see in the Bay Area. I grew up on the East Coast and then lived in the midwest and I miss thunder storms and the boom and crash of thunder. The storm never comes close to us.
The next morning we visit El Chipilon to also make sure they are ready for the vinata tour. Vinatero Moisés Tolentino takes us on a tour of his agave nursery and then vinata. It is already so hot at 10am and I am wondering if my body will ever adjust. The workers hang out under a tree eating gorditas and we are invited to join. I love gorditas and they are a regional specialty. Fillings of requeson and rajas, chicharon, egg, stuffed into the middle of a puffed up tortilla – so good! I know I should stop at three gorditas, that to eat a fourth will leave me too full, but I feel like I have to eat as many as I can so that it will sustain me until I am here again. We return to the casita to work on final details for everything before we need to head to Durango for some important shopping and to pick up the rest of the team, Joahna Hernandez and Mariana Garcia, from the airport.
This is Mariana’s first Mexico in a Bottle and I am so excited she is here. As the creative director and designer of all of the branding, identity and graphics for Mezcalistas and Mexico in a Bottle, she has had to watch the events from her home in Oaxaca because of everything that is wrong with the visa policies of the US. I had previously joked that one of the reasons I finally gave in for the event in Durango was so that Mariana could finally come to one. The event would not be what it is without her creative vision. She is laden with new shirts we just had printed in Oaxaca which we will try to sell at the event and which I will carry home. We make quesadillas and we all catch up on life and bandy about ideas for projects and stories before finally heading off to bed.
The importers and other guests begin arriving. So far no one has been left stranded at the airport. Tess and I take a group into Nombre de Dios to feast on gorditas at Gorditas Doña Aleja, local cheese and beer. After, we go for cantaritos and a presentation by the local tourism group. We also nibble on candied sweet potatoes and more cheese, this time a delicious one that has mezcal in it. It’s made by Vinatero Juan Carlos Vazquez Luna who owns the mezcal brand 50 Mulas and also makes goat cheeses, wine and delicious sotol. He and I talk about mezcal tourism in the area and he tells me about a trip that he does that involves taking burros into the countryside near El Venado and camping under the stars. I am so in on this the next time I am here.
We return to Hotel Urajan and more guests have arrived. Mariana and I do a final walk through the space. The signage and other materials have arrived and they are installing it around the garden. We stand together, watching, absorbing this enormous moment for us both. After a big group dinner with the importers, guests, several producers, we head back to the casita and talk well beyond the middle of the night. Tess wisely went to bed much earlier, something I wish I had done when waking the following morning with sleep swollen eyes and a desperate need for coffee.
Showtime
There is a beautiful chaos in those final hours of getting ready for an event. Ferron no longer allows me to come to the events during set-up where I am likely to make last minute changes even though I have already approved the layout and plans. Sometimes people are shocked when they hear her bossing me around before or during the event– I am the “boss” after all. But here’s the thing, you have an event manager for a reason, and at the event, they are in charge. So when Javier asks me if I want to come and make sure all is ok, I tell him no, from this point on, it’s his show. Of course it is never really that cut and dry.
We make the decision to cut off online sales and to put up the sold out post. We decide if people arrive from Durango without tickets we will sell them at the door. It is a 40 minute drive after all. I walk all around the grounds trying to find a strong enough signal to make the post. This is when I start the list in my head of things for next year, number 1 on this list, dedicated wifi.
We move the brand registration table where folks will check in, get their wristbands and then go unload their bottles. I don’t usually man the check in but we all agree that this is a great way for me to meet everyone in person and to thank them for participating. There is shade, there is water, there is great conversation as folks check in. A sign goes up behind me with the list of things not allowed inside the event. These include guns, dogs, outside food and drink and drugs. There are people who arrive early and begin lining up. I start calling the couple of producers who have not yet arrived. The municipal police arrive. They are providing security and look intimidating AF to me with their dark sunglasses and big guns. No one else gives them a second thought. All brands have arrived and I make my way into the event.
I see Mariana and we make a brief plan for selling t-shirts. We will tag team manning the table. Selling shirts at an event is always hit or miss. Our table is next to the cocktail area which is beautiful with the high boys and blue and green strips of fabric that provide a canopy of shade. It is overcast which is great in keeping the temperature down. There is a brief period of light rain but no one pays attention as it only lasts for about five minutes. People begin streaming in, sporting beautiful hats and incredible boots. There is a relaxed air and wonderful music from the DJ. And there are so many smiles.
There is a separate area for the restaurants next to the Cuero Viejo vinata which is making mezcal during the event and people are eating tacos, gorditas, pizza, hamburgers and more. More people are streaming in, and the bus transport from Durango arrives. I see Martha and then Javier and we give each other big hugs and huge grins – we still can’t believe we pulled this off. It is just so beautiful and I tell them I need to find a quiet spot where I can just cry from the sheer emotion of it all. I don’t think I have ever seen a dream more fully realized than this event in Nombre de Dios.
I run into a woman in the bathroom who tells me she lives in Connecticut but is from Durango. She is visiting family and when I ask her if they had heard about the event and decided to come she tells me, no I came to Durango for the event specifically – I am so proud the event is here. I decide I finally can start sipping on mezcal and sotol. The event is well underway, people are happy. A few of the producers tell me they have never seen an event like this and are thrilled to be involved, Nanci Carolina Vásquez Luna, the President of the Nombre de Dios Municipality tells me how beautiful it is to see Nombre de Dios represented like this, the head of COMERCAM tells me we should do this event in every state where mezcal is made outside of Oaxaca. I chat with Mezcalero Gilberto Roldan and tease him about his ex wives. I look across the garden and see Mezcalero Carmelo Vazquez holding court with a group of men all in beautiful white hats.
I smile and take pictures with anyone who asks. Mariana is overwhelmed by it all. I decide I need to eat something and as I make my way to that area, I manage to trip on a rock and wrench my back. As the evening inches forward, the pain increases. No one has any ibuprofen on them. I can hardly walk. I feel like I am 80 years old. The event ends at nine and it is all I can do to help pack up the t-shirts and figure out how to get back to the casita. This does not keep Mariana and I from celebrating the fact that we sold 12 shirts.
I give my apologies for missing the after party and slowly make my way home where there is ibuprofen, a heating pad, a sock filled with three tennis balls to massage my back and tamales.
After
The Sprinter van for the vinata tour leaves at 10am the next day. By this point I am so hopped up on caffeine and ibuprofen that I know it is going to be a great day. We are visiting three vinatas – El Chipilon, Celebrante and Malpais. We are two groups and have everything timed so that we do not overlap at any of the vinatas. Moisés’ whole family is at El Chipilon when we arrive. We learn later that his two sons speak English but they were feeling too shy to bring it out. Our group is a mix of Spanish and English speakers and we have a couple people on board who are helping with any translating needs. I am not one of them since I have to keep everything moving – we are on a timeline! I manage to get everyone back on the Sprinter only 15 minutes behind schedule.
Our next stop is Celebrante. It is a slower drive there, with the driver being extra careful as we pass under a canopy of quince trees, the small fruits banging on the roof creating an almost rolling rumble like sound. I am in front with the driver, giving directions, hoping he will pick up the pace. We arrive at the vinata and immediately head to a small field where Diego explains about the agave situation in the area and how it can be managed without the need to plant like they do in Oaxaca. Cenizo can only reproduce from seed. The truth is, I could listen to Diego talk for hours. He is so passionate about conservation and experimenting with distillates. He is a first generation mezcalero and has only been making mezcal for four years, but much like Edgar Gonzalez Ramirez of Tosba, he has an innate sense of what he is doing.
We are treated to an incredible lunch of tacos and gorditas and of course all sorts of mezcal. An elderly man mentions to Monique Huston and I that he harvests oregano from the mountains and we both say oh wow, I love oregano, to which he replies, oh let me get you some. He and his friend drive off. Eventually a little band arrives and I know already there is no way we will get to our third vinata on time. I am herding cats but I tell myself at least they are adult cats and not kittens.
Monique and I are eating when the old man returns with his oregano. It’s easily a 10 kilo bag and he tells us it is ours. There is nothing quite like Mexican oregano – it is more subtle in flavor than the Turkish or other varieties. There is no way we can tell this man we can’t take the oregano. Luckily a bunch of plastic bags appear from nowhere and soon the rest of the group is on board with taking some once we assure them that since there are no seeds it can get through customs. There is also the added bonus of helping your dirty clothes smell better. There are jokes about it being confused for weed and I am reminded of the time a friend in college went to the Chicago Blues Festival where he was so excited to buy a bag of weed for only $20 only to discover it was oregano when they went to smoke it from the bong.
I am texting Ricardo Avilés over at Malpais to tell him we are running 20 minutes late, then 30, then finally an hour. Eventually we arrive and Alejandro Solis leads us on an incredible tour that breaks down the traditional production process there. Of course there is mezcal to sip on and a mixed meat taco that is absolutely delicious. They have an area with a bar and we are able to order cantaritos. I am now totally team cantaritos which are so perfectly refreshing.
I talk a little bit to Ricardo who is one of the folks behind Sacro Imperio which is made at this vinata. He gifts me with a special bottle of mezcal that has a sticker on it with the Mexico in a Bottle logo on it. He then asks me the question I have been waiting for someone to ask – how did you think an event meant for the US would translate here in Mexico. And I tell him, I had absolutely no idea and only hoped that by having it in a place where mezcal is made, where agave grows and with producers present it would work out. It did, he tells me.
It’s time to get everyone back on the Sprinter so we can head to Durango for the closing night festivities. As we make our way out of the vinata, we head back in a different direction than the way we came. We go through the heart of the town of La Constancia. It is packed with people and we are not sure if we can get through. There is something to know about this area of Nombre de Dios, there is water and from this water there are oasis of big trees. It is green and lush and on a hot day like today, humid. There is a river with cold springs that runs through town and since today is Sunday, everyone is there, cooling off and relaxing. We eventually make our way through town and as we hit the main road, racing toward us from the opposite direction are three Cadillac Escalades, two black, one white. The driver looks at me and says, well that’s not obvious. At first I am surprised, usually sarcasm is not part of Mexican humor. And then I remember it has been an unspoken agreement among all of us that we do not talk about cartel activity in this area of Mexico.
The landscape changes and the volcanic history of the area becomes more obvious. We drive over a dry riverbed filled with black rocks in columnal shapes. I gasp with amazement and our driver says, we can go see this up close. We pull into a parking area and everyone gets off the Sprinter. There is a beautiful blue lake surrounded by high cliffs. We are standing at the rim of Las Cascadas de El Saltito. The falls aren’t currently running and won’t until the rains begin. We are all taking pictures, the light is perfect, it is stunning and I have no idea how I am going to get everyone back on the Sprinter but somehow I do.
We finally get to Durango and get everyone unloaded at the Hotel Gobernador and then turn around and get on a double decker bus for a night time tour of Durango. It is followed by a Callejeando (street meandering party) with Pancho Villa. There is music, there are fireworks, there is dancing. The ibuprofen has completely worn off and when I get pulled into a pseudo conga line, it is everything I can do to not fall flat on my face. We eventually get back on the bus and head toward a restaurant for a final dinner. Tess, Mariana, Joahna and I decide to cut out from the dinner since we have to head back to Nombre de Dios. Plus, we are all exhausted. As we are leaving Javier asks if we want to go for a balloon ride the next day (this is part of the event productions they do.) We would need to be at the vinata by 6am if we want to go. I have no idea where his energy comes from. I am usually a “I’ll sleep when I’m dead” kind of person but right now, after four serious days of work and a wrenched back, it just isn’t going to happen.
I take the last of my ibuprofen and begin rolling the tennis ball filled sock along my spine. I might look like something out of a horror movie, a body possessed by a demon, twisting and turning while making deep growls and moans. Eventually the combination of the ball massage and ibuprofen take effect and I fall sound asleep.
In the morning I wake up to video messages from Javier in the balloon, floating over the fields and trees of Nombre de Dios. It is so beautiful and peaceful and I am so happy to be watching it from the comfort of my bed.
Departure
My flight leaves Durango in the evening. I will have a layover in Mexico City, enough to get 5 hours of sleep in the We Hotel by the airport before my flight home. Mariana and I give tearful goodbyes, but know that we will see each other soon in Oaxaca. Restocking my ibuprofen has meant hours pain free. I am starting to walk normally and now feel like I am only 65. The evening flight means Martha, Javier, Diego and I have time to do a debrief about the event. The headline is that 600 people came through the event! This is twice what our best expectation was.
We each come with our lists: creating a group WhatsApp with all of the producers to share information, logistics and other details, more lighting, better wifi, a system to help producers sell bottles, better ticket sales system, to not have the after party on site (it went till 5 in the morning). We have ideas on different activities to add for the weekend. There is so much positive feedback from brands, from producers, from attendees. People told us it was the best mezcal event they have been to. I hear this from people at our US events as well and I am always trying to understand why. We talk about this for a bit and don’t come to any real conclusions beyond it just has a great energy that is built around a communal love and respect for mezcal.
Javier asks me what I thought of the event and I tell him I thought it was so beautiful, incredibly well organized and a dream come true. He looks relieved and then he tells me they wanted it to meet my standards. It dawns on me then that they were working as hard to impress me as I was to impress them. We laugh over this, and over some of the other funny things that happened like my freak out on the video call, the oregano, how I thought cupo limitado meant limited drinking. I tell them I don’t know what I am going to do with my time without our weekly calls and suggest maybe we still have them.
We say our farewells and Martha drops me back at the Gobernador where the rental car is parked. The drive to the airport is less stressful than my drive into town. It is that time of day when the mountains appear like blue paper cut outs against a burnished yellow hued sky.
The car is returned without a single ding and the baggage checked. I have about 45 minutes before my flight which is about 40 minutes too long at the Durango airport. It is almost dark by the time the plane boards and then fully dark as we rush down the runway. Lights on the ground disappear as we reach cruising altitude. I can’t wait to do it all again.
You can see a full gallery of photos of the event here. There is also a video here.
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