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Mezcal Masterclass
The ultimate exploration of Oaxaca's culture, cuisine—and mezcal!
Sept 26 - Oct 1, 2022
Sold out
6 Days, 5 Nights
Dive deep into mezcal, meet the people who know who to make it best
Price from
$4,000
Per person, based on double occupancy
Questions? Text or call us
+1 (855) 219-8018
A vibrant, slightly floral and earthy flavor hits your lips, then coats your throat. To get to your cup, even as you sit feet away from rows of agave plants, this mezcal took a journey. Its plants—one or more of Oaxaca’s 24 varieties—were chosen specifically by a seasoned palenquero, then steamed in a charcoal pit, fermented, distilled multiple times in traditional clay pots. The process took weeks, but has been perfected through generations. You sip and appreciate the complexity along with some of the region’s most famous small-scale producers, families who’ve been here for generations. You think of the striking dichotomy of age-old rudimentary techniques and modern machinery, the art, culture and food you’ve experienced so far. Right here in your cup is more than mezcal’s journey—it’s Oaxaca itself.
With us on this Oaxacan adventure is San Francisco’s revered mixologist (and mezcal lover), Enrique Sanchez. The Peruvian-turned-Californian has put his stamp on the Bay Area drink scene with his endless pursuit of the perfect drink, from Tres Agaves to the Mission District’s Beretta. Nowadays, you can find him in his home away from home, traveling to Oaxaca in search of the perfect mezcal concoctions. Each visit continues to blow his mind as he meets with the families and distillers of this time-honored spirit.
Want to explore the heart and soul of Mexico—and sip the tastiest mezcals along the way? This trip is for you. Get ready to meet artisans whose generations-old techniques define Oaxaca’s vibrant feel. We’ll prep our own farm-to-table lunch and eat the best street foods, and drink mezcal from the source. This is Mexico like you’ve never imagined.
Oaxaca Trip Highlights
The. Best. Food.
Savor the flavors of this iconic food city: rich mole sauces, spiced chocolate, street tacos—even toasted grasshoppers!
Immersive Experiences
Explore colorful food markets and ancient pyramids, meet local artists and weavers, shamans and chefs.
Mezcal Masterclass
Dive deep into mezcal with a fourth-generation mezcalero, meet the people who know who to make it best.
3 Reasons to Travel with Enrique Sanchez
Enrique Sanchez is the living definition of the word 'mixologist'. He can invent the perfect scratch-cocktail in seconds, or remix old classics with an original twist. Enrique arrived in the United States in his early 20s, where he transformed from an industrial mechanic to one of the Bay Area’s top bartenders. Originally from Peru, Enrique has fallen in love with Oaxaca and with mezcal. An expert in agave fermentation and distillation, he is the perfect travel companion for this immersive experience.
Boots on the Ground
Since Enrique joined the team at Tres Agaves in 2006, he's been going back and forth from the Bay Area to Oaxaca, even spending a few seasons in the agave fields. The artistry of each mezcalero inspires the creative process of cocktail making and connects him to the land it came from.
Doing it Right
Enrique’s passion for perfection is real. He takes time to learn the customs, traditions, and the intricate techniques of his craft. In Oaxaca, he’ll show us mezcal through the eyes of many of its expert makers. “It’s very interesting, the diversity of tastes based on the actual plant, soil, the way they harvest and roast and ferment it. Each family has their own way of doing it.”
Big Dreams
Enrique has collaborated with some of the Bay Area’s most revered chefs, including friend and business partner Traci Des Jardins. Together, they turned Tuesday into the new Friday at their former midweek pop-up School Night. Still on his to-do list? He dreams of opening a bar solely dedicated to Latin American spirits.
Your Experience
“Mexico is one thing, but Oaxaca is just…..Oaxaca! It’s amazing.”
Oaxaca City, Monte Albán, Teotitlan
“For everything bad, there's mezcal—and for everything good, as well.”
Day by Day
Day 1
Bienvenidos a Mexico! We’ll meet up and get oriented with one of Latin America’s great colonial wonders: Oaxaca City. We’ll walk through the cobblestone streets and snack through its central markets, a feast of the senses where tasajo (dried meats) hang, open fires grill delicious tlayudas (toasted tortillas topped with Oaxacan string cheese and grilled meats), and vendors scurry past offering chapulines (roasted grasshoppers) and pastry-like pan de yema stacked in woven baskets. Delicious (even those grasshoppers, we promise).
Our next stop is a tasting celebration of local mezcals, with an expert mezcalero who will introduce us to the origins of artisanal mezcal, the cousin-spirit of tequila and one of Oaxaca’s famed exports. Dinner tonight is an inspired feast at Chef Alejandro Ruiz’s Casa Oaxaca, a World’s 50 Best selection, the perfect way to kick off our adventure together.
Day 1 Highlights
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Day 2
Today we head into the mountains, where villages devoted to arts and crafts lurk in valley shadows. We’ll stop at the Zapotec village of Teotitlan del Valle, a weaving village with about 5,000 people (and 2,000 looms). We’ll meet a local Zapotec weaving family, who’ll demonstrate their intricate craft using natural fibers for dyes (and even a grounded insect for the bright reds), just as they have for the past 14 generations. A home-cooked Zapotec lunch awaits us, with a chance for us to learn and to prepare local recipes.
Back in Oaxaca we’ll spend the afternoon in a hands-on, immersive mixology class. We’ll craft our own signature mezcal cocktails while learning the nuances of mezcal’s small-scale distilling traditions. After a cocktail, or two, of the artisanal mezcal on hand, we’ll have downtime at our hotel and then reconvene for dinner.
Day 2 Highlights
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Day 3
After a leisurely breakfast, we travel past row after row of agave plants in the mountain valleys, to meet up in the fields with a master mezcalero in Oaxaca’s traditional family-run palenques. We’ll learn how the piña (heart) of agave are harvested and smoked in underground pits, fermented in large vats, and distilled in copper or clay stills based on traditions that date back hundreds of years.
Oaxaca’s sense of art is vibrant, from ceramics and textiles to the highlight of our next stop: handcrafted and fantastical alebrije animal carvings, hand-painted with vivid color palettes. We’ll have a chance to meet the artisans, and then sit down for a traditional barbecue lunch. Afterwards we return to the city, where the late afternoon and evening are ours to explore Oaxaca’s world-class restaurants, or the taco stands set up along the lit-up zocalo, just a few blocks from our hotel.
Day 3 Highlights
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Day 4
We begin this epic day at the hilltop ruin of Monte Albán, a vast complex of pyramids, a palace, shrines dating from 500 BC—and easily one of Mesoamerica’s grandest sites. We explore its monumental scale and the intricate carvings of bas relief sculptures, with one of Mexico’s great colonial cities sprawling below us.
Next, we’ll stop in the home studio of one of Mexico’s most celebrated folk artists and ceramicists. While her family lovingly prepares lunch for us, we’ll have the opportunity to spend time with the artist as she shares her story and her art-filled private studio us. Then, the artist and her family will sit with us for a home-cooked meal—these are the authentic flavors of Oaxaca, and there’s nothing comparable. We end our day back in Oaxaca, with cocktails at a design-forward mezcal bar followed by a dinner that celebrates the ingredients and local dishes you can only find here, in Oaxaca, Mexico’s culinary heart and soul.
Day 4 Highlights
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Day 5
The morning is ours to rest and relax, and wander the streets and shops and Oaxaca at our leisure. In the afternoon we get the true Oaxacan farm-to-table experience at an urban farm on the edge of the city that supplies the top local restaurants with produce. We’ll break into small groups and cook alongside one of Mexico’s most celebrated chefs, making mole, tamales, Oaxacan cheese, and getting a deep and personal hands-on look into the local flavor profiles.
For dinner, we savor the al fresco feast and enjoy all the local delicacies we had a hand in preparing. We’ll toast with a full mezcal lineup from the family-run palenques we’ve visited, celebrating the traditions, heritage and true flavors of Oaxaca.
Day 5 Highlights
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Day 6
All great things come to an end, alas. After breakfast we’ll bid farewell to Oaxaca, and pack our things—hopefully including some of our favorite mezcal from our journey—for a short drive to Oaxaca’s airport for wherever your journey next takes you. Buen viaje!
Day 6 Highlights
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Where We Sleep
Our accommodations are small-scale and boutique, the ideal ways to get acquainted with Oaxaca life.
El Callejón
Oaxaca CityOff a central side street, a few blocks from the zocalo and central shops and eateries, a street gate opens into a breathtaking oasis that’s our Oaxaca City home: a boutique hotel with a dozen spacious rooms blending the city’s distinctive styles. Serenity reigns in its thoughtful garden spaces, with palm trees, covered walkways and an outdoor patio bar.
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I loved eating goat just after it was lifted from the pit, sipping on a mezcal.
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This is more than just a trip. It’s authentic and joyful, and a powerful reminder of why we travel.
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The meals made for us in local homes were just heavenly.
Book Oaxaca with Enrique Sanchez
Questions?
That’s OK, we have answers. Read our FAQs below. Or text or call us at +1 (855) 219-8018 to speak with a Modern Adventure Trip Specialist.
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What does the price include?
Five nights at boutique four-star accommodations; private travel for all day trips and excursions; private tours with local guides and cultural experts; exclusive access and mezcal tastings; guided activities, adventures and expeditions; entrance fees; daily breakfasts, most lunches and dinners; local beverages with meals.
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What does the price not include?
International roundtrip airfare; travel insurance; transportation to the trip’s starting point; activities not included in the trip itinerary; hotel incidentals including room service, laundry service and hotel bar tabs; food and beverages not included in itinerary; gratuity for tour leader.
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Where does this trip start and end?
Our adventure begins and ends at the El Callejón hotel in Oaxaca, Mexico. The closest airport is the Oaxaca International Airport (OAX). On our final day, Modern Adventure will organize a transfer to OAX airport; your flight home should be scheduled to depart at 11am or later from here.
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What travel documents are needed?
US citizens are not required to have a visa for tourist visits to Mexico, but are required to show a valid US passport. It is recommended that your passport is valid for six months after your travels are over. On arrival in the airport, you will be issued a visitor’s permit, known as a FMM (Forma Migratoria Multiple). For citizens of other countries, please check with the Mexico Embassy or Consulate for information and requirements.
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Do I need to pay a solo traveler supplement?
For solo travelers, there is a $1,500 single-supplement fee—paid at the time of booking to secure a private room.
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Who is going on this trip?
Our adventures typically have between 10 and 18 guests, and our Modern Adventure Team. Our experiences are fun and inclusive and you can expect to be joined by a diverse group in terms of age, background and interests—including solo travelers, couples and friends traveling together. This adventure is for travelers age 18 and above.
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Who is leading this trip?
This trip is led by an expert Modern Adventure trip leader. They’re an experienced travel guide, a representative of Modern Adventure and your go-to person for questions or concerns on the trip. We’ll be joined throughout our adventure by local, expert guides who are deeply knowledgeable with respect to local cultures, customs and history and are passionate about sharing that with us.
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What is the cancellation policy?
You may cancel on or before May 29, 2022 and receive a full refund minus a $500 per-person service fee. If you cancel on or after May 30, 2022, there is a 50% cancellation fee; on or after July 28, 2022 there is a 100% cancellation fee. We highly recommend purchasing travel insurance as we are not able to make exceptions to this policy in cases of family/medical emergency or cases of the trip being canceled (see our Terms and Conditions for full details).
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Do I need Travel Insurance?
We highly recommend purchasing travel insurance. Travel insurance allows you to seek reimbursement for your trip costs; if your trip plans change for unforeseeable reasons, or if you need to get medical help, emergency transport, and for theft, loss or damage of items while traveling. For best coverage, always insure the full trip cost within two weeks of your initial trip deposit and note that most ‘Cancel For Any Reason’ policies must be purchased on the date of your initial deposit.