Chris Simmons, National Agave Spirits Specialist for Mezcal Vago, joins us today to tell us how to pair Mezcal Vago with pretty much anything -- but especially a Charred Corn Avocado Salad with Pickled Onions! Snag our recipe here: https://littlespicejar.com/charred-corn-avocado-salad/

The Pairing: We're going complementary flavors here -- corn with corn! Vago Mezcal uses charred corn in the second distillation and those flavors will marry perfectly with several elements of our salad. Do not sleep on pairing foods with agave-based spirits! Chris claims Italian food and Mezcal work beautifully.

What Makes Mezcal Vago Special:

• American best friends Judah and Dylan traveled to Oaxaca and decided to open a beachside bar. One day, Judah had an ear infection, and ended up falling in love with his nurse, Valentina. Valentina's father Aquilino grew agave for Mezcal as a hobby. They decided to sell his wares to fellow surfers on the coast, and it became wildly popular. Mezcal Vago was born.
• Mezcal Vago has four bottlings from four different palenques (distilleries) in Southern & South-Central Oaxaca, with 4 different 'Terroirs' and village styles. Elote was the first they produced.
• Vago in Spanish means a "Lazy bum," but also a term of endearment. Think: your grandmother yelling you to come inside after dark. "Time to come in, Vago!"
• Corn adds a roundness and slight sweetness to this Mezcal Elote

Differences between Mezcal and Tequila:

• Types of Agave: Tequila and Mezcal are both agave spirits, but Tequila must all come from Blue Weber Agave, while Mezcal uses upwards of 3 dozen different agaves
• Production Method: Mezcal is a more ancient style of production, while Tequila uses more modern methods. All agave needs to be cooked or steamed to convert the starches to fermentable sugars. In Tequila we use steam in an autoclave, while Mezcal we often cook agave in underground pits heated by firewood
• Aging: Tequila is more likely to be aged versus Mezcal. Barrels were not traditionally found in most Mezcal-producing areas

Learn more here: https://mezcalvago.com/ Mezcal Vago on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mezcalvago/

Alex Lacroix, CEO & Co-Founder of Siempre Tequila, joins us today to tell us how to make his famous Mundo Paloma cocktail!

The Pairing: You're opening an expensive, aged Tequila, but you want to lose the pretense of it all. It's time to take the stuffiness down a notch by making a Mundo Paloma!

How to Make a Mundo Paloma:

• 3 ounces Siempre Rebel Cask Tequila (or any Siempre)
• Squirt Soda
• Sea salt
• Grapefruit for garnish

Directions: Pour Siempre into rocks glass. Top with Squirt soda and grind the salt into the glass. Garnish with grapefruit! What Makes Siempre Special:

• Female founder, Monica Sanita and Co-Founder Alex Lacroix grew Siempre into a successful International brand from $9000 and a credit card. They put it all on the line to build a brand around Monica’s grandmother’s lifelong agricultural experience and creating agave spirits in Mexico.
• During Prohibition, Banditos used to smuggle Tequila into Texas, but their clientele wanted something closer to Whiskey, so Tequileros started oak aging their spirits for that unique time and called it "Mexican Whiskey." Rebel Cask is a nod to that special era
• The 100% Tahona crushed, wild-fermented, agave fibers in the tank, rested in "whatever crazy barrels we can get our hands on." <--This one happens to be Bardstown Bourbon barrels!

Learn more here: https://www.siempretequila.com/

Watch Alex's Bottle-Rolling Video on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/reel/C793M6LvwHZ/?igsh=bHd6MXU5cDBjaTM=

Larry Stone, Founder of Lingua Franca Wines, joins us today to tell us why his AVNI Chardonnay is the perfect pairing for salads, Thai, and more!

Paint the Pairing: You've just returned from the farmer's market with the makings of a beautiful salad: heirloom tomatoes, cucumbers, mozzarella, olives, red onions, and more! The acidity of salad dressing can be tough to pair with, though.. what's a guy to do?? Simply open a Lingua Franca AVNI Chardonnay - a wine bright enough with incredible acidity to hang with higher acid foods!

What Makes this Chardonnay Special:

• One of the most versatile food pairing wines in the New World! This Chardonnay is bright, moderate alcohol, & not too fruity. It's got enough acid to pair with acidic foods (like a salad with vinaigrette). You could even have it with foods with capsaicin heat, like chiles and peppers.
• Lingua Franca means a 'universal tongue,' or language, and Larry believes that wine is that universal language that anyone can understand, without studying. This language of wine "brings people together respectfully to enjoy the diversity of life and love & respect one another."
• Larry Stone found Winemaker Thomas Savre, one of the highest skilled winemakers in the world, training at the world-famous Domaine Romanee-Conti in Burgundy. He worked under the tutelage of Lingua Franca's famed Dominique Lafon.

Learn more here: https://www.linguafranca.wine/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/linguafrancawines/

Jeffrey Baker, Founder, Hillrock Estate Distillery, joins us today to tell us why his Solera Bourbon is the perfect whiskey for reflecting on life's big questions in a rocking chair!

Paint the Pairing: It’s a beautiful evening, and it’s time to get pensive, and time for reflection! You want a layered Bourbon that you could reflect on equally as long. The Solera aging has this Bourbon mingling with all sorts of flavors. Think about your day/week/year/LIFE while you think about this complex whiskey.

What Makes this Whiskey Special:

• This whiskey not just "Grain to Glass," it's "Field to Glass!" The grain used in Hillrock Estate whiskeys are grown on the property!
• Not only do they grow their own grain, they also do their own floor malting and turn it into liquid gold. No one does this!
• To top it off, this whiskey is aged in a Solera system, which is a process for aging spirits by fractional blending in such a way that the finished product is a mixture of ages, with the average age gradually increasing as the process continues over many years. Listen for more details!
• These blends were also developed by the late, great, Master Distiller, Dave Pickerell

Ford's Gin Founder Simon Ford and Master Distiller Charles Maxwell join us today to to tell us why their Gin is the perfect pairing for your next themed competition party: The SPRITZ-OFF!

The Pairing: You've invited your favorite people to a party with a twist -- or should we say, a spritz? You're hosting a Spritz-Off, which is a party that doubles as a cocktail competition. Your party guests will create Spritz cocktails and submit them to a judge you've chosen. The judge will declare a winner and honorable mention! For this party, you'll want to provide general spritz ingredients, should any of your guests come unprepared. You'll want an array of sparkling sodas, tonics, and liqueurs, and you'll also need Gin. Luckily, Ford's is the most versatile Gin in the market and will compliment any spritz perfectly. It's the Gin of all Trades!

What Makes This Gin Special:

• Built for Cocktails. Simon and Charles reverse-engineered this Gin, starting with the most popular Gin Cocktails and working backwards to find the perfect compliment to each.
• Simon consulted with hundreds of bartenders and designed the bottle to be a bartender's tool. Indicators on the side of the bottle make easy work of batching cocktails, and the bottle is designed for stability and grip for all hand sizes
• 11th generation Master Distiller Charles Maxwell incorporates 9 Botanicals into this gin to compliment the most popular gin cocktails in the world. The countries of origin are openly shared and show how the Fords Gin flavor profile comes together.

Learn more here - one of the best Spirits websites we've encountered: https://www.fordsgin.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fordsgin/

Erik Kramer, head winemaker for Oregon's Willakenzie Estate, joins us today to tell us why his Estate Pinot Noir is the perfect pairing for a outdoor farm dinner!

The Pairing: You've returned from the farmer's market with an incredible haul! Fresh carrots, tomatoes, local chicken, pork, salmon, & cheeses, and you've decided you want to have a "Farm Dinner" in your backyard. You need a wine that is versatile enough to hang with a myriad of foods. Enter Willakenzie Estate Pinot Noir. The acid, red fruits, and relatively low tannin count of this wine will pair beautifully with everything on your gigantic wooden table!

What Makes This Wine Special:

• Family-owned, estate driven winery named after the dominant soil type, Willakenzie
• The winery coined the moniker “Place Matters,” emphasizing their Burgundian (or.. Oreg-undian?) emphasis on terroir and soil
• Geologist-turned-winemaker Erik Kramer’s mission is to deliver Pinot Noir and Chardonnays that represent the clarity and distinction of the estate

Learn more here: https://www.willakenzie.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/willakenzie/

Drew Schneider, Global Ambassador for The Prisoner Wine Co., joins us today to tell us why The Prisoner Red Blend is the perfect pairing for a Chicken dish featuring Mexican mole sauce!

The Pairing: You’re making mole sauce for the first time ever. Your sauce has lots of tantalizing flavors, like cinnamon, cloves, chilis, raisins, and chocolate! You want a wine that is bold enough to hang with these intense flavors, but supple enough to not overpower it. Cue The Prisoner Red Blend’s list of ingredients: Zinfandel, Cabernet, Petit Sirah, Syrah, & Charbono. Bright, ripe red fruits add an extra layer of flavor to your complex sauce!

What Makes This Wine Special:

• The Prisoner Wine Co. became a cult winery by championing some of the lesser-known grapes that the first Italian immigrants grew in the Napa Valley, like Charbono. They have long-standing contracts with over 100 small growers that ensure these grape varieties will thrive for the foreseeable future
• The brand name and flagship label were inspired by an etching titled Le Petit Prisonnier by 19th century Spanish artist Francisco Goya. Its subtitle translates to “the custody is as barbaric as the crime.”
• Prisoner Wine Co. releases a series called "Corrections" each year that benefit non-profits that support individuals who are formerly incarcerated or currently navigating the complexities of the prison system.

A Family of Wines: Be sure to check out The Prisoner Wine Co.'s other labels: Saldo, Unshackled, Blindfold, & Corrections.

Recipe for Chicken Mole: https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchen/chicken-mole-recipe-1972934

Learn more here: https://theprisonerwinecompany.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/prisonerwineco/