Bouncing around Matatlán
How 3 Guys Ditched their Wives and Stumbled about Oaxaca Drinking Mezcal
The above blurb isn’t the most accurate of subheadings; just the most fun sounding. 😉
The fact is the ladies knew they didn’t want long palenque days every day, and even though Cecilia is so inclined, she wanted to escape into centro Oaxaca for at least one day, doing all the sort of shopping she loves.
So it was just us 3: me, Fred and Dan. Along with Ciro, our driver for the week.
I already wrote about the first part of the day in Santa Maria Albarradas. We enjoyed a nice time and a big walk to Diego Martínez’ and another palenque. But we really wanted to go back and see Rigoberto Hernández in Santiago Matatlán, the World Capital of Mezcal. I wrote about him last year too.
How many Espadíns have you tried? 30? 50? 100? Probably somewhere in there for me too. So when one really grabs you by the mouth, you take notice. That was Rigoberto’s last year. It really is one of the most flavorful and best balanced Espadíns I’d snapped up in awhile. So Fred and I wanted to return.
I asked Rigoberto, (who’s in his early 30s), how long he’d been involved in making mezcal.
“Since I began to read, I watched my father make mezcal and wanted to carry wood and do other things to help. I started making mezcal at age 12. I was then able to do things myself, like grinding or distilling. I was making mezcal independently at age 20, and am now in the third generation of this wonderful work.”
Why did he name his palenque Dadivoso Mezcal, which means “generous”?
“Because for me and my family, mezcal represents everything we are. It is our source of income, and this work has been generous and kindly to us.”
That Thursday, Rigoberto had the following for us to try: Tepextate, Arroqueño, Tobalá, Cuixe, Barrilito, Mexicanito and Espadín.
They were all good, but I’ve determined that I just can’t go home with everything, dammit.
Fred and Dan took some of his latest batch of Espadín, Dan and I took a shine to his Arroqueño, which isn’t very overpowering, but features some nice, subtle flavors. A particularly talented new friend describes it as “maraschino cherry on the nose and marshmallow on the palate.” 😀
It isn’t often Mezcal Maniac Fred Collins is wooed by something understated. But something about Rigo’s Cuixe danced mystically on his tongue after I’d already dismissed it. Intrigued, he suggested I try it again. What was it exactly: subtle, grassy and certainly different from what I’m used to in Karwinski’s. So he and I brought a little of that home too.
For many years I’ve used an alcoholometer to measure the ABV of the mezcal I purchase. I know: alcoholometer sounds like something I made up, right? It’s actually a kind of hydrometer used to measure the relative density of a fluid—but one that’s been calibrated for spirits. However some of the mezcaleros I’ve known kinda eyeball it, which they refer to as the venencia method, (venencia referring to the bamboo-like reed often used to move mezcal from a vessel into a cup or jicara.)
I thought you might enjoy watching Rigoberto take his measurement on this one…
Accurate? I don’t know, but after several years I’m guessing they can get pretty close just by watching the bubbles (perlas.)
It was just as nice a visit as we’d hoped for, but as we said our goodbyes to Rigoberto, we realized we were famished!
Lunch at Azul Adobe
Last year we had a fantastic lunch at a place in Matatlán called Azul Adobe, and I wanted to make sure Ciro knew how to get us there. He did, and we went.
It was less crowded than on our previous trip, but to our shock, the woman behind the kitchen soon approached us for some reason to show us something on her phone: photos of us from last year! 😳 She remembered our single visit there from a year before? Way to make us feel special, huh?!
Last Palenque Stop
There was one other place I wanted to stop this day, and with lunch inside of us, we were ready to check it out. Only problem? I don’t know a lot about this palenque. Further, I several times messaged the maestro I met there, hoping to get a few questions answered. But, although he told me he’d eventually reply—and I sent a few reminders, it never happened—even after a month.
All I can tell you is I’d previously ordered mezcal samples—and subsequent garrafones—here to San Miguel de Allende from a Santiago Rios in November of last year. I especially liked the Tepextate made by maestro Alfonso Pérez Jimenez. A number of friends have enjoyed it too—including Ana Sofia from The Room Mezcaleria here in San Miguel. (She uses it for a certain popular cocktail there.)
I didn’t get to know Santiago much in our previous communications. It seems he was normally very busy, and would ask me to contact a certain Joel for any details. So it was Joel I’d messaged when trying to pre-arrange a palenque meet this day. He told us he’d meet us near our location in Matatlán, and we could follow him the rest of the way. However it wasn’t actually him who met us, but instead the maestro himself, Alfonso.
There were some other folks sitting around the palenque, sipping and chatting. Although my Spanish isn’t what it should be, I find I can talk mezcal pretty well with Mexicans; so that was fun.
The only photo I have that might give some clue as to a name or place is the one they had there hanging on a wall. Is Destilería Táguicuaz the name of their palenque—or of another one? It seemed less a sign and more a piece of art; so your guess is as good as mine.
The samples they kindly offered us were the same as those we’d received a few months prior; Tepextate as nice as ever. But Alfonso gave me a wink and asked if we’d like to taste some new Espadín at alto grado (high proof). That would be a “yes,” maestro.
Later I measured it at about 58%. Beautiful stuff! We brought some of that home. Muchas gracias!
Sooooo that would do it for this particular February Thursday, but we’d have one more special palenque to visit the next day. I’ll get onto that as soon as I can!
In the meantime, coming to San Miguel de Allende anytime soon? Message me; let’s meet up!