We were bumbling down dirt roads near Santa Catarina Minas (which I was warned against doing for our safety…yea right…that’s where all the magic is) in search of more traditional palenques (mezcal distilleries).
Out of my periphery, I see a small farm, and I relish the opportunity to push our little Chevy Aveo to the limit seeing how many potholes it can absorb.
I pull the car in what looks to be a palenque. For a minute we hesitated whether we should be here…but I said let’s just walk up and see. My curiosity was getting the best of me thank goodness. I knew all these years gaining fluency in Spanish might not reflect on any paycheck but would open up many doors.
We strolled up with a palpable sense or wonder, and we were greeted warmly by Miguel. He took is right in and showed us his distillery while letting us sample some Mezcals, the most interesting being called pechuga which is redistilled with local fruits, grains, and nuts, and a raw chicken breast is hung over the still, allowing the vapors to filter and add to the spirit’s final flavor. Amazing.
As we sat tasting a variety of mezcals, Miguel mentioned he had a friend doing a distillation down the road…and called him up and asked is if we could come check it out.
We hopped in the rental and drove a few minutes down another dirt road. We were welcomed to the first distillation of a brand new palenque still being built in accordance to the ancestral way.
We ended up spending 4 hours with these men and their dog Luna. Their warmth, generosity and jovial spirit is something I’d love to bottle up and carry with me wherever I go.
It’s these serendipitous moments in life you manifest and seek with unsullied curiosity that enrich it beyond measure. They are simply magic.
Oh yea…and did we drink. Our car absorbed the potholes, and we absorbed as much mezcal as possible…both being pushed to the max. Sip after sip we all celebrated life, each other, the land and our fresh engagement.
The love and connection to the earth in process is just beautiful. This spirit takes an incredible amount of hard work to produce. Mezcal is considered sacred and for sharing. At the end, we were invited back whenever we pleased and offered to stay in the fellas homes. We were also gifted one of the first bottles before any have gone out for sale. We will cherish it along with these memories.
What a beautiful afternoon…and a reminder of how warmly it feels to be welcomed and how quickly strangers can become great friends. We watched the sunset slide down the distant horizon, we played with the pups and drunkenly basked in the sheer beauty of presence and what life is all about.
As we were about to depart, Placido who’s smile could warm a thousand suns, stoically told us how special this day was for him as he just lost his son to a tragic accident and his mother just passed 4 days prior as well. We hugged him deeply, and felt the connection that sacred mezcal had brought to all of us. I get it now…it’s more than just a drink. It’s a medicine of life.
I’ve come to realize my art might not ever fully let me carve out a living financially, but it sure allows me to milk the sap this short time on our planet. If you would like any of these photos to adorn your walls, I will make them available for order. I’ll also be contacting Jorge to see where you can get some of his delicious Mezcal if you’d like…
