Oaxaca, Agave and Capturing Authenticity

Wotcha!

I recently read that three of the four non-alcoholic bottle shops in Minneapolis have closed down in the last couple of years. As more retailers have cottoned on to the increased consumer demand for these drinks, and added depth to their own NA inventory, the more it has taken once dedicated shoppers away from the bricks and mortar non-alc bottle shops.

An Instagram post last month from Kirstin from Cheeky & Dry in Seattle reiterated that small businesses are really struggling right now.

So if you have a non-alcoholic bottle shop in your city or town, how about this weekend you make a point of visiting them. They need your support.

Anyway, as always — enjoy some great drinks this week.

Myles

P.S. If you are not sure if you have an NA bottle shop near you, head over to Zero Proof Nation and check out Laura’s map.

In this week’s edition:

NAN
New NA Drink News

INTERVIEW
Amanda Chen - Tomonotomo

COCKTAIL RECIPIES
Tomonotomo - Paloma and Hibiscus Margarita

Read time: 7 minutes 56 seconds

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BITTERS: They’ll be more than a few folks excited about this news: All The Bitter debut Herb Garden Bitters. (Link)

BEER: Vermont’s Switchback Brewing Company showcase Krush N.A. IPA at the Craft Brewers Conference. (Link)

HOP WATER: Peach Iced Tea is the latest from HOP WTR. (Link)

WINE: The folks over at ABV Beverage have been busy creating two new canned non-alcoholic sparkling wines—Blanc Zero and Alt Noir. (Link)

COCKTAIL: Perhaps the most intriguing launch of the year comes from Esprizio with their new espresso spritz range: Blood Orange, Grapefruit and wait for it … Tangerine Chocolate. I swear I just heard a chorus of angels. (Link)

WINE: Brand new and coming to the U.S. hopefully by the summer … SANSAN blanc de blanc from Denmark. (Link)

WINE: Rumor has it Diamond 0.0% is a new super-premium non-alcoholic wine from Freixenet—initially available in the UK, Poland and Belgium. (Link)

INTERVIEW

This week, I’m excited to bring you an interview with Amanda Chen, founder of Tomonotomo. Founder stories are always unique in their own way, but Amanda’s is perhaps one of the most unusual I’ve come across. It’s a tale of strong will and dedication to authenticity—a willingness to immerse herself in cultural traditions, learn from generations before her and produce an agave spirit without alcohol.

Tobalá, her first small-batch agave spirit, has garnered the respect of Oaxacan mezcaleros, Michelin-starred restaurants and the non-alcoholic drinks industry as a whole.

I chatted with Amanda about the journey she has embarked on over the last five years, what it takes to make a “mezcal-like” agave spirit surrounded by centuries-old traditions and she shares a couple of her favourite Tomonotomo cocktail recipes. Let me tell you, they are both fan-flipping-tastic.

How does a bartender and cocktail specialist living in Toronto find herself in Oaxaca, Mexico, making non-alcoholic mezcal?

Long story short, I ran away on a one-way trip to Mexico during the pandemic when we were in lockdown and all the bars closed down. I started off in Tulum, then decided to go on a 10-day silent meditation retreat in Mazunte, on the coast of Oaxaca. I couldn't even pronounce the name of the place at that time, I had no idea what I was getting myself into. After 10 days of plant-based food, no coffee or alcohol and lots of internal reflection, I came out with zero desire to drink alcohol or eat animal products. I went sober and vegan at the same time and never looked back since.

Once I arrived in Oaxaca City, I fell in love with the place and tried to find a way to live there permanently. When I went back to Toronto to sell off everything I owned and make the big move, I reconnected with my bar community and saw the huge gap in the market for a good quality non-alcoholic agave spirit. I thought, ok, I can just make a good tasting spirit, made with real agave and actually made in Mexico, where I plan to live. Easy, right?

In layman’s terms, can you take us through the process of making your mezcal?

First thing, we are very careful to not call it mezcal. Even though we make it in the kingdom of mezcal, mezcal is an alcohol spirit and requires a lot of regulation around it. We don't mimic mezcal, rather, we offer a non-alcholic distilled agave spirit that has just as much culture, craft and care as a mezcal spirit.

We begin by cutting tobala agave, which is only harvested in the mountains of Oaxaca and smoke it in an underground pit oven for 5-7 days, the same way a mezcal spirit is made. In fact, the same tobala is used among various producers as the smoking process is a big ordeal.

Then the smoked tobala agave is fermented for another 5-7 days until it is ready for distillation. We source 15 local herbs and spices fresh from the market and add them directly into the copper still along with our fermented agave. The distillation is done through a custom copper still built specifically for our non-alcoholic spirit. It is distilled from 8-12 hours. We only have one pot that lends about 50-70L per pot! It's a very small team here, that's why I do the distilling.

In making Tomonotomo you’ve tried to stay very true to the local Oaxacan mezcaleros way of producing mezcal. How did that process evolve while working with local palenques, and how did locals react to making an agave spirit without alcohol?

In the beginning, most of my contacts were ExPats that spoke English and definitely paid a lot higher for everything. Over time, I found my own relationships, built my own community, became fluent in Spanish and learned how to walk my own path.

Now we receive quite a lot of praise from the mezcal community here, a lot of them saying that our non-alcoholic spirit actually takes more work than a traditional mezcal. Oaxaca has a very high standard for all things agave, with or without alcohol. Tomonotomo needed to meet that standard in order to deserve being handcrafted in this region.

You go to great lengths to create a highly authentic non-alcoholic agave spirit, even sourcing rare Tobalá agave as the base. There must have been many easier avenues to take when you and your “mad scientist” partner, Matt, were developing the recipe—what drove you down this path?

I remember one time we were concepting the recipe and I asked Matt if he could make an 'all natural' flavor that tasted like nail polish, because I wanted the product to taste more like alcohol. He said yes, he probably can, with bananas. But then he asked me, "But why would you want to create a bad tasting spirit?" And that's when it hit me - a bad tasting spirit is a bad tasting spirit, with or without alcohol. I ditched the idea of a 'mezcal alternative' and focused solely on producing a great tasting non-alcoholic spirit that everyone could enjoy.

I’m always intrigued by what goes through founders’ minds when they’re creating their drinks. I read in your 2024 Dry Atlas interview that it took two years of R&D to perfect Tomonotomo’s recipe. How did you manage patience and expectations during that time?

I feel silly looking back now at trying to make a non-alcoholic 'mezcal' only because it didn't exist yet and I wanted to create it in Oaxaca. After following the same path as many existing brands, I realized I didn't want to make a mezcal alternative. I wanted to actually build a non-alcoholic spirit from scratch. Eventually, instead of just trying to fit in and have a bottle to take to parties, I was a living and breathing example of a sober person who could enjoy and participate in all aspects of Oaxaca agave production, without the alcohol.

Continued below.

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INTERVIEW CONTINUED

How do you overcome skepticism in the bar industry when presenting Tomonotomo as a viable alternative that deserves a place on cocktail menus?

Unfortunately, a lot of bars have been gifted or are using cheap non-alcoholic spirits just to fill the need for having NA options on the menu. A chef would never put a bad quality product on the menu just because it was free or gifted. That's the difference with the alcohol bar industry and the non-alcoholic industry. But those that appreciate the craft of Tomonotomo are loyal to us and have supported us from day one. And day by day, more people are learning about us!

Where have you found the most success in this area?

We have found most success in Michelin restaurants. I feel very spoiled to have the honor to taste extremely creative and delicately crafted non-alcoholic cocktails made with Tomonotomo. The reason behind that is because of the 15 herbs and spices, most chefs are also looking at those ingredients sourced in Oaxaca and then discover Tomonotomo. 

It seems that a handful of successful single-SKU non-alcoholic spirit companies move toward RTD options. What’s next for Tomonotomo?

Since we spent so much money and effort learning how to actually distill agave, we will expand with more varieties of agave - like blue weber and we will source local herbs and spices to where we source our agave. It'll be like traveling through all around Mexico through agave, without alcohol!

As we wrap up, can we lean on your expertise as a cocktail specialist and ask for your two favorite cocktail recipes using Tomonotomo?

Tomonotomo was built on the Paloma, so that's my natural first pick!

The second is a Hibiscus Margarita

How Tomonotomo describes Tobalá: Made from rare Tobala agave, roasted in pit ovens at local palenques, and distilled with hand-selected botanicals, Tomonotomo carries the soul of Oaxaca in every sip.

Distilled with ginger, pasilla mixe chili, flor de cacao, hibiscus, rose, lemongrass, and smoked pineapple, Tomonotomo layers spice, smoke, and floral brightness into a complex, 100% natural spirit. It’s designed for those seeking depth, craft, and culture in their glass—not just a drink, but a connection to tradition and place.

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