Ivan Vasquez spends about two months out of the year traveling throughout Mexico looking for the most authentic mezcals he can find. Usually he’ll just bring back bottles of rare mezcal made by master mezcaleros who follow centuries of tradition. The bottles line the walls at the bars of his four local high-end Oaxacan restaurants.
But this time he’s going a step further and instead of just bottles, he’s bringing some of Mexico’s best master mezcaleros to the U.S. for his inaugural Mezcal Por Siempre, a one-day festival where people can get a taste of the traditional Mexican spirit right from those who are making the ancient indigenous drink the way its been done for centuries.
“The traditional mezcal is not looking to satisfy the American palette, with all due respect. It represents the flavor and the historical taste of the community where it comes from,” said Vasquez, the restaurateur behind the new festival.
“They represent what the community has been drinking for many many centuries,” he added.
The festival will take place from 3-8 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 14 at LA River Studios. It will include more than 120 varieties of mezcals from 50 mezcalero producers from Mexico that Vasquez discovered personally from his many travels through his native country. The majority of the producers have never been to the U.S. before, and except for the times he’s able to get his hands on some of their products for his local restaurants, Vasquez said many of them don’t sell their products outside of Mexico.
So festival-goers can expect to taste real authentic mezcal made from indigenous traditional mezcaleros as opposed to large commercial producers, he said.
Those who attend the festival will be able to get unlimited mezcal samples poured by visiting mezcaleros from places such as Oaxaca, where most of Mexico’s mezcal is made, as well as mezcal hotspots like Puebla, Guerrero, Michoacan, Jalisco, San Luis Potosi, Sonora, Chihuahua, Durango, Nuevo Leon and Tamaulipas. Vasquez chose those mezcaleros not only because they are the best at what they do, but also because he wants to help ensure a future for these traditional spirit makers.
“For people that love mezcal we see two sides; industrial commercial mezcal, which is taking over, versus indigenous farmer traditional mezcal. I think the commercial side has set new rules, everything is for cocktails, not respecting the tradition,” Vazquez said.
“And we’re afraid that these mezcaleros and mezcaleras, maestros and maestras, not only from Oaxaca but from all over Mexico, they’re going to be giving up because there is no opportunity for traditional mezcal, and I don’t want mezcal to be in a crisis,” he added.
To bring attention to these issues the festival will include panel discussions by mezcaleros and mezcal producers who will be touching on topics like sustainability, water and deforestation. But it’s about fun, too, so there will be live music, food and an afterparty open to all ticket holders. However, since this is about protecting tradition, Vasquez said there will be no mixed drinks at this festival, just pure, straight-up mezcal.
“I’m really about protecting the tradition, the heritage and the culture of mezcal. This event is for mezcal aficionados but more importantly it if for the mezcaleros of Mejico, because they don’t have a platform, they don’t have a space to show their products, to talk about them,” Vasquez said.
Mezcal, which like tequila comes from the agave plant, is a spirit that goes back centuries and is defined by its smoky flavor. While it’s in the same family as tequila it differs in the kind of agave plants it comes from and how it’s produced. When done the traditional way, the agave hearts are generally cooked in pits as well as clay or brick ovens.
Vasquez, who hails from Oaxaca, is the owner and chef of four restaurants named Madre, with locations in Palms, Torrance, West Hollywood and Santa Clarita. The restaurant menus offer authentic Oaxacan food and more than 400 varieties of mezcals he sourced from Mexico. So besides celebrating the master mezcaleros outside of their hometowns, he hopes the new festival will introduce American drinkers to authentic drinks that they would otherwise have to travel to Mexico, or perhaps his restaurants, to find.
“You’re going to be talking to the real maker. You may not have the access to go to Jalisco, to Nuevo Leon, to Oaxaca, to Puebla. But you will have all the masters here in Los Angeles,” Vasquez said.
Mezcal Por Siempre
When: 3-8 p.m. Sept. 14
Where: L.A. River Studios, 2800 Division St. Los Angeles
Tickets: $75
Information: On instagram @mezcalporsiempre
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