As we approach September 16, we prepare to celebrate Cinco de Mayo: Mexican Independence Day! And we do so in Agave Road Trip style with lawyer and professor Dr. Juan Pablo Salazar Andreou, author of Con o Sin Derecho, about the history of Cinco de Mayo in the legal context. Take off your shoes, grab a machete, and join us for the fun!

Agave Road Trip is a critically acclaimed, award-winning podcast that helps gringx bartenders better understand agave, agave spirits, and rural Mexico. This episode is hosted by Lou Bank with special guest Linda Sullivan‍ of seynasecreto and wisdom from Dr. Juan Pablo Salazar Andreou, with translations from Daniel Peñaloza of Chicotona Mezcal!

Episode Notes

Check out Dr. Juan Pablo Salazar Andreou’s book Con o Sin Derecho!

This week’s cover features art by Jose Guadalupe Posada, taken from the “El corrido de la muerte” broadside published by Antonio Vanegas Arroyo. You can access that file via the Library of Congress!

Shout outs this episode to Katherine May Lewis, Siete Rayas Yolixpa, and Julia of Las Chingonas Imports!

When most people think about Mexican drinks, they think about Tequila. But Tequila's success is really built on the vibrancy of the broader landscape of drinks and drinking in Mexico. It’s not a standalone spirit. It comes from a history and geography and culture that made possible something as compelling as Tequila. And author and researcher NC Stevens argues that is one of the leading reasons that Tequila has become so successful.

Agave Road Trip is a critically acclaimed, award-winning podcast that helps gringx bartenders better understand agave, agave spirits, and rural Mexico. This episode is hosted by Lou Bank with special guest Nic Comrade Stevens, author ofThe Complete Guide to Mexican Beverages: From Atole to Zambumbia.

Episode Notes

Shout outs this episode to the Cuba Libre, cactus tuna wine, Buchanan’s, and colonche!

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Every time you drinkEl Acabo Raicilla, you’re helping to support the biodiversity of Jalisco — it’s a delicious way to help the environment!

Head out on an Agave Road Trip with Finca 18!‍ ‍Greg Rutkowski will take you on his Agave Road Trip Route #2 - Raicilla de la Costa! Price includes a bottle of Paulo Rodriguez’s fabled, limited Tumbado batch!

Order beautiful spirits to be delivered to anywhere in Mexico — beautiful or otherwise — through Agave Spirits Presents!

I was watching an episode of John Oliver’s “Last Week Tonight” about gas-station drugs and it felt to me like, while never mentioned explicitly, the reason to ask every guest who orders an alcoholic beverage to show their ID. And I had Linda cornered so made her talk it through with me.

Agave Road Trip is a critically acclaimed, award-winning podcast that helps gringx bartenders better understand agave, agave spirits, and rural Mexico. This episode is hosted by Lou Bank with special guest Linda Sullivan‍ of seynasecreto.

Episode Notes

Watch the episode “Gas Station Drugs” on “Last Week Tonight with John Oliver,” May 4, 2026.

Read“FDA pushes to restrict synthetic opioid derived from kratom leaf,” Washington Post, July 29, 2025.

Read “The arguments against dietary supplements,” Harvard Health, March 12, 2026.

Shout outs this episode to the Wild Mile, Monster Energy, and Rob Lowe.

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Whatever you’re talking about when you’re talking about G4 Tequila, what it boils down to is Felipe Camarena!

Chicotona Mezcal honors tradition while always looking for something better. Try a taste of family, culture, and tradition!

Head out on an Agave Road Trip with Finca 18!‍ ‍Greg Rutkowski will take you on his Agave Road Trip Route #2 - Raicilla de la Costa! Price includes a bottle of Paulo Rodriguez’s fabled, limited Tumbado batch!

Order beautiful spirits to be delivered to anywhere in Mexico — beautiful or otherwise — through Agave Spirits Presents!