Mexico City / Oaxaca
December 10th to 15th , 2024
What a way to close up the year!
THE GUEST SHIFT AT LICOTERIA LIMANTOUR
Over the years, we’ve had our fun putting our own spin on these iconic drinks.
Here's what we served up at Licorería Limantour:
Japanese Paloma (created for Zuma Dubai, 2016)
Pamela (created for Ergo Dubai, 2022)
Redrum Paloma (created for a The Shining-themed menu, 2024)
Japanese Batanga (created for Zuma Dubai, 2016)
Batanga Claro (created for TOTC, 2024)
CDMX STREET TOUR
OAXACA & MEZCAL
But let’s talk about Mezcal, because that’s where things got seriously epic. Oaxaca is the heart of Mezcal, and the traditional production methods are pretty much unchanged since forever. The team hooked us up with a one-of-a-kind tour at the Lalocura distillery, and let me tell you: we’ve toured distilleries across the globe, but this one? Totally different vibe. The craftsmanship of the master distiller was next-level. They’re keeping it old-school, and you can feel the passion in every drop.
The name “Lalocura” is not a reference to madness as people so often guess, it is a word made up of “Lalo”, the name by which everyone knows Eduardo Angeles, and “cura” (cure), because for Lalo and many others who practice traditional medicine, mezcal represents healing.
Before starting Lalocura in 2014, Eduardo Angeles spent years working as the fourth generation Maestro Mezcalero (Master distiller) of his family’s label Real Minero, where he combined a lifetime of working under his father, the late, great Don Lorenzo with a degree in agricultural engineering, and a philosophy that is all his own.
Lalocura philosophy was born out of two guiding principles: the preservation of knowledge and tradition, and the sustainable use of our community’s natural resources.
The Ancestral Way
Lalocura is made the ancestral way, an organic production process inherited through time in Santa Catarina Minas. The agaves are cooked in an earthen cone shaped pit, grinding by hand with wooden mallets, fermented outdoors in sabino wood vats, and distilled in clay pots.
The grinding by hand adds an extra quality check on the agaves that are used further in the production and the distillation on clay pots gives a soft, colloidal texture with a distinct mouthfeel.
Mezcal it is history, it is heritage, it is wisdom, it is love.
MEZCAL TASTED:
ART & ARCHEOLOGY
Before we headed back to Mexico City, we took a few off-road detours that were nothing short of amazing.
First stop: the workshop of Taller David Hernández, where we got a close-up look at his incredible wooden animal sculptures. These hand-decorated totems are something else! The craftsmanship is insane—we’re talking about meticulous, patient work that can take anywhere from 6 months for a small piece to up to 4 years for the larger ones. Seriously, the level of detail in these colorful totems is next level. Each one tells a story, and you can feel the soul behind every carving.
Next up: Monte Albán. If you want to feel like you’ve stepped back in time, this is the place to do it. The ancient Zapotec archaeological site is pure magic—so much history packed into these stone ruins. The Tampels (those giant, ancient stone carvings) are where it all comes together. You can almost hear the whispers of the past echoing through the air. It’s a real-time machine experience!