Madre presents ‘Back to the Land,’ a limited edition zine filled with a collection of creations from some of our friends. Now available online in a limited quantity. (Editor's Note: As of Jan 2023, this product is no longer available for purchase.)
‘Back to the Land’ offers recipes, poems, and art that reflect on our connection with the natural world. Contributors include musicians Chaz Bear (Toro y Moi) and Devendra Banhart, healer and wave rider Kassia Meador, chef Elena Reygadas, urban farmer Indy Officinalis, one of Madre’s mezcaleros Carlos Blas and writer Jacqueline Suskin.
All proceeds from the sale of this publication are donated to sustainability projects in Oaxaca.
'PIE DE ORO' BY DEVENDRA BANHART
Ingredients:
+ 1 ½ oz Madre Espadin
+ ½ oz apple cider vinegar (or pineapple vinegar)
+ 2 oz chopped pineapple
+ 4 cloves of garlic (peeled)
+ 1 ½ oz honey
Directions:
1. Mash garlic and pineapple.
2. Stir in honey, cider vinegar, and mezcal.
3. Add ice and shake.
4. Strain into glass and garnish with pineapple, or garlic (if you’re courageous!)
About The Cocktail:
"An apotropaic (averter of evil spirits and bad luck!) elixir for the ages!
Be cleansed by the curative and delicious properties of this garlicky golden fire of a cocktail that will surely make for an unforgettable date or a sky-high pick me up as the evening unfolds…
Fill a flask or canteen and go for a sunset hike, raise your cup to the sun and let its honey hue melt into the last day's golden rays
Pairs well with anything pickled/fermented." - Devendra Banhart
'COMPASSION-ADE' BY INDY OFFICINALIS
Ingredients:
+ 2 oz Madre Espadin
+ Juice and pulp from 1 large passion fruit
+ 1 oz freshly squeezed lime juice
+ ½ oz agave
+ Garnish: lime wheel, passion flower
Directions:
1. Add mezcal, passion fruit, lime juice, and agave to a cocktail shaker with ice and shake until chilled.
2. Strain into a cocktail glass over a large ice cube
3. Garnish with a lime wheel and passion flower
About the Cocktail:
“I'm inspired by the immediacy of flowers. The way they beckon us to pick them, process them, the expediency of their growth. Their inherent generosity, imploring us to help extend their life cycle, to pollinate, to participate. Right now, passiflora incarnata & cerulea are blooming in Los Angeles, an intoxicating flower known for its anti-anxiety and calming effects, while the fruit is sour, succulent and complex.
I chose these ingredients because they are an invitation. To see a passionflower is to know her, she is immaculate, unearthly yet grounding, a true example of an Angeleno. I connect with nature in this way, by finding bits of myself reflected in the cityscape. The passionflower vining brick wall pressed against the city skyline. The passion fruit dangling above the overpass.
Connection to food, is a connection to community. We grow what we need, intentionally and subconsciously. I love to celebrate the exuberance of the human experience, from fruit to flower, from seed to cocktail. Happy sipping.” - Indy Officinalis
‘CÓCTEL MANZANILLA’ BY ELENA REYGADAS
Ingredients:
+ 1 ½ oz Madre Espadin
+ ½ oz chamomile syrup*
+ 1 ½ oz fresh orange juice
Directions:
1. Shake all ingredients in glass with ice.
2. Garnish with edible flowers or chamomile blossoms.
*Chamomile Syrup
Ingredients:
+ 1 cup granulated sugar, preferably organic
+ ½ cup filtered water
+ 3 individual bags of chamomile tea
Directions:
1. Place sugar and filtered water in a small saucepan and set over medium heat. Bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally, until the sugar has dissolved, about 5 minutes.
2. Remove from heat and add the chamomile tea bags. Steep for 10 minutes, then discard tea bags. Let cool to room temperature, then transfer to an airtight container after use. Can be stored in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
'IN MY OWN WAY' BY CHAZ BUNDICK OF TORO Y MOI
Ingredients:
+ 1.5 oz. Madre Espadin
+ ½ oz lime fresh lime juice
+ A few fresh mint leaves
+ A few fresh basil leaves
+ 1 small square of dark chocolate
+ Organic Ginger Beer
+ Ice
Directions:
1. Muddle the mint, basil and chocolate in the bottom of a cocktail shaker until aromatic and chocolate is broken up a bit. Add the mezcal, lime juice, a handful of ice and shake.
2. Top off with ginger beer, garnish with mint and basil, and serve with a side of dark chocolate.
‘MATATEC’ BY CARLOS BLAS
Ingredients:
+ 1 ½ oz Madre Espadin
+ Tonic water
+ A few fresh strawberries
+ Piece of cinnamon
Directions:
1. Muddle strawberries in glass.
2. Add mezcal, cinnamon, and ice.
3. Shake.
4. Top with tonic water.
'MEDICINAL TINCTURE' BY KASSIA MEADOR
Ingredients/Equipment:
+ Large Mason glass jar with lid
+ Bottle of Madre Espadin
+ ½ oz Osha Root
+ ½ oz Mugwort
+ ½ oz rose buds
+ Crystal or stone (optional)
Directions:
1. Fill your glass jar with herbs (and crystal if you choose).
2. Fill the jar to the top with Mezcal.
3. Place a piece of parchment paper over the mouth of the jar, and then cap the jar with a metal lid
4. Allow the tincture to go through its extraction process for 4-8 weeks, shaking daily for at least the first week. I like to work with the moon cycles as mentioned before and I love a strong tinctures so I normally wait 2 full lunation cycles.
5. When you’re ready to strain, pour the tincture into a french press and strain. You can compos the discarded herbs.
6. You can pour the infused liquid back into a mason jar for storage.
7. You can also place liquid in small 2 or 4 oz dropper bottles for easy use. You can also travel with your tincture and give some to friends and loved ones. I love sharing medicines.
8. Storage is next and again there are a few ways you can do this for long term storage.
9. Lastly, ENJOY! ( Label your tincture with the name of the herbs, the date you strained it. Store the tincture in a cool, dark place and enjoy the magic medicine of nature.
* For those who are pregnant both mugwort and alcohol are not supportive so stay away from mugwort and tinctures until you have your healthy baby to play with.
About the Tincture:
"Nature is medicine, herbs have beautiful medicinal qualities and working with Madre Mezcal as a way to extract their medicine by creating a tincture is a perfect way to bring out their magic... In this recipe we will be working with some of my favorite herbs and roots. I invite you to do some research and tune into why you wish to create a tincture how you intend it to support you and then choose herbs that align with that reason.
For my tincture i wanted something that would support my immune system for winter time, open my heart and lungs as well as support my dream time as we are moving into winter. I choose Mugwort for its lucid dream time support as well as immune system support, Rose for its soothing and heart opening properties. Osha Root for its lung and immune support.
I also always love to start my tinctures on a new moon to let them set and settle over the full cycle of the moon. 2 lunation cycles is normally the time I let my tincture cure for. I also like to write loving supportive words on my jar to infuse it with extra living vibrations. You can also put a crystal in the jar to give it extra gemstone qualities. Have fun with this and create a ceremony around it as this medicine will nourish your hopes and dreams as well as your health and harmony." - Kassia Meador
All recipes include Madre Mezcal Espadin (buy here).