With a background in cinematography and film, Camilo Mendoza rooted his mezcal brand in artistry from the beginning. His journey of tasting mezcal for the first time and working with legendary Mezcaleros to produce a unique spirit from the wild agave plant has led to one of the most beautifully crafted mezcals in the industry. We sat down with Camilo to learn more about his story, the journey to starting the OAX Original brand, and where he sees his brand going in the next few years.
First and Foremost, What led to the Development and Launch of OAX Original?
My background is not the beverage or spirits industry. I actually come from a very different background. Film was my main line of work for many years here in New York. But through many of those years, I was dreaming of having my own spirits brand. It was a thing that I wanted. I feel like that was just a very ethereal dream; it wasn't ever very concrete.
But then I tried mezcal. And from that first drink of mezcal, I had this “wow” moment that led me on this journey of truly getting to know the space. And I became very curious and wanted to read more and learn everything that I could. And then finally all of this came together. I began to realize that what I wanted to do was actually start a mezcal brand and help in the development and growth of the mezcal culture in the United States. I believed that this was a great opportunity.
I have always felt very attuned to the Mexican culture and this just felt right. So, I started contacting people that I believed could guide this journey. I realized very quickly that I really didn't know anybody. As a result, I started just going to Oaxaca to meet mezcaleros people there in the industry and everything.
Within two years, I felt like I had all of the pieces in my head, an idea of how it was going to happen. In that same process, I met my partners who are creative people: artists and designers. I would say industry people as well. And so I turned them to the dark side; we're all mezcal converts! That synergy really brought OAX Original together. And we really try to be very much involved in the promotion and growth of Mexican culture in the United States through our brand.
What Inspired such a Unique Bottle?
We understood how artistic the bottle was and how different this product that we were going to sell could be. We decided that we were going to sell exclusively wild mezcal and that the resulting juice was going to be unique.
As soon as we tasted it, we knew this mezcal was going to be worth putting into a vessel that was up to this same standard. Early on, we had it in our minds that we had to design something that reflects that same artistry that was put into the production of the mezcal. We had to answer that question of how do you tell people visually that what is inside this bottle is amazing. If you just see the liquid, you don't understand it, because the liquid can just be almost anything. So, our challenge was to reflect this alchemy happening in visual terms. And at our core, we are artists, so we were excited to get to work with this. After several iterations and quite a lot of work, we came to this bottle.
When we went into production and made the first 3,000 bottles of the mezcal, our Maestro Mezcalero, Enrique Hernandez Zenea, still hadn't seen it. It was all kind of developed in stealth mode. So, I let him know that the bottles were arriving late the next week to start bottling now that the mezcal was ready. And then when they received the bottles, he gave me a call. And he was like, “What? What is this? This is crazy. This is like the most beautiful bottle I've seen!” And I told Enrique, "Well, now you know how I felt when I first tried your mezcal.”
How did Your Pursuit of Mezcal Become OAX Original?
I definitely wanted to craft spirits and mezcal was the clear path for me. What we did not anticipate was how complex and how deep we were going to go into the wild agave. In the beginning, you have this simple view on what this will be: “I have an idea. I have some contacts. I will bring some mezcal. And I will sell mezcal.” Then you start realizing it's not exactly like that.
Early on, we were discussing selling espadin for instance. It’s a standard mezcal and it’s relatively easy to source. And if you find a good Maestro, she or he will give you an excellent espadin. You can give him almost any agave plant, and he’s going to make a good mezcal. And that might be an okay plan for some. Then, especially after I met Enrique and I tried his espadin, I knew this mezcal brand would be incredible.
Then things got more complex as we developed a sense of how we wanted to do this and how we intended on focusing our brand to sell very limited batches of exquisite mezcal. It was then that we realized that we were going to have to go the wild agave route for OAX. So that changed the whole perspective and shaped the design; this is when we went into this whole different visual world that we're working on right now. It's a lot more challenging. Wild agave has different challenges and it requires a different discipline. When you're going to buy and when you're going to order; there's only certain times of the year when you can harvest it. While that did complicate things a lot, I think it's worth it.
What Makes Wild Agave Unique?
I think the cultivated crops, which mostly are espadin right now, have a very good and defined flavor and balance. And then there are different levels of smokiness and ABV. And you can play with that a little bit. But it ends up being kind of like that, a little bit of the same. I think that is exactly what mezcal isn't.
Because the more plants that you go and try, and as you see different varieties of agaves, you start understanding that it's almost like wine, which has terroir that people can identify. If you have a trained palate, you might say, “yeah, this is most likely an arroqueño, or that is most likely how the Durango mezcal tastes like.” I think that's very important, and we need to preserve that in the world of mezcal. While I have nothing against tequila, I think it would be really tragic if mezcal turns into a form of tequila as an industrialized mass produced product.
I became a fervent believer in this, and therefore wild agave to us is essentially our way to say we need to perpetuate this. Let's protect this; let's embrace it while it's here. And let's have people appreciate it, learn about it, and respect it. I think that this is why it's important because this is what makes mezcal “mezcal.” It’s the variations; it's the never ending tastes and different plants.
How should Someone Think About Mezcal and OAX Original as a Representation of this Space?
If you've never had OAX, or maybe even mezcal in general, first and foremost you should know that mezcal is definitely for the curious drinker. I think you have to have some sort of curious mind. And when you’re ready, then you are in for a treat. Because it's an ongoing thing where you try more and get different flavors.
Having said that, a lot of people tell me, “Oh, so you sell smoky tequila.” No, smokiness is just one little tiny fraction of the complexity of a flavor that is in a good mezcal. So I invite people to not think just in terms of smokiness, because they may stay away from great mezcal because it might be “too smoky.” There are a lot of mezcals that aren't as smoky, you know. That is an interesting part of the whole wild world of agave and the agave distillates.
With our brand, I would say that when you want to get started, the first thing you should drink is the OAX Original Arroqueño, which is our black bottle. It is the smokiest of the expressions that we sell. Not only does it have the most smoke, it also has coffee tones. And I absolutely love this because it's so robust.
This past Saturday, I was having some nice arroqueño and a meal with my friends. It was aguachiles and guacamole with chips, and it was this amazing thing to have OAX on the side while you're eating. It was just so good. I would say that an arroqueño is just like that; for an afternoon having some drinks with friends. It's just delicious.
Can You Tell Us About the Other OAX Original Expressions?
The OAX white bottle, which is the Tobalá, is from a 15 year old plant. It is quite the opposite of the Arroqueño. It’s not smoky; it's a lot softer. In it, you will find the clear tones with herbs and flowers, essentially. It's almost like a digestif, and so you can drink it after having a big meal, for instance, or more slowly for an occasion like that after you have a big steak. You can have a little Tobalá and it's fantastic.
The last one, the Tepeztate; this thing is amazing. I think that it is one of the some of the best mezcals out there in the world. Our Tepeztate is very unique, citrusy, and simply so smooth. This is the type of drink that I would tell people to just sit in a bar, lean back and just enjoy every single sip of it all night. It's not treacherous. You can sip that thing easily and just be happy. It's a wonderful, very balanced drink.
What are Some of Your Favorite Pairings or Ways to Enjoy OAX Original?
I would say first and foremost that I don't think people should mix this into drinks. It's worth taking a moment to make that clear. I mean, ultimately it is up to you if you want to make yourself a mezcal negroni, but I wouldn’t mix OAX.
Arroqueño is definitely very good to just pair with meals. Just to have this beautiful compliment to what you are eating. The Tobalá would be more for a dessert. Or after some heavy meal, I have Tobalá just because it's almost like a gin in that it's complex yet not overpowering. It's very, very nice. And I would essentially drink the Tepeztate alone. We were also recently on a tasting where somebody served it with chocolate, essentially with cacao, and it was delicious. That mix was very, very good.
How Important has it been Developing the Right Relationships as You have Started OAX Original?
I think it is everything. And actually a lot comes through just serendipity. There are people who believe that you can leave nothing to chance, but in reality, most of the things in life happen by chance. And we were trying to do something, and one day it is just trying to secure a sale over here, or over there. And in that process we meet another person that happens to know someone and suddenly you're like, “Oh, yeah, I'm talking to these people from ReserveBar.” And these same types of connections continue to happen through this process.
In the last seven or eight months, it's just been meeting people, having the right conversations, sending an email, making a phone call, or showing up, or having a drink with someone, and that always leads to something. And so far, I would say that the most important thing has been just that: meeting people and connecting. Especially when we were outsiders in the industry.
I didn't have that turnkey approach or that Rolodex to rely on, but in a way, it wasn’t necessary, the brand and the products had an amazing positive feedback that keeps on opening doors for our project. And now, it has been a little bit of a challenge, but I think that's wonderful. Because it's like being a new person in town, and you see things with fresh eyes and it's also fascinating. Suddenly I'm going to these incredible restaurants or bars that I would have never imagined, meeting the owners and talking about our work, which is just so amazing.
As You Grow this Brand, What are You Focused on Right Now?
We’re very focused right now on establishing our brand presence and voice. We want to really portray this body of work as art. And so, we're constantly reaching out to artists and creatives to generate content with our bottles or around our brand look. I think this is going to be an ongoing thing to support our growth.
Right now, it's difficult because we're just starting out. And we're being very careful with our aesthetic and how we promote this artistry. It’s kind of edgy, a little bit of a weird look, and I think that it’s an ongoing, growing thing that's going to take shape in the next couple months. With this growth, we want to be sure to stay true to our core in developing this as an art, expressing Mexican culture, and staying very unique in the mezcal space.
I know that we have only scratched the surface. So we’re discussing a lot of things, like what's the next thing that we are going to bring to our customers. We are already being asked that with three mezcals, what is going to be the next one, or variation of one of the existing expressions? We can’t just stop here; we have to remain interesting and stay curious and active because this brand is about curiosity and art and the constant search for beauty. And so we have to stay like that as well.
Do You have any Closing Thoughts or Anything that You like to Impart About Your Brand that We have not Covered So Far?
I would tell people that the wild agave mezcal is a category worth looking at. That mezcal as a whole is this very fascinating universe. And if you’re a curious mind, this is what you should be drinking. I think that the wild agave mezcal that we're offering is an heirloom. That in itself is a very strange thing to come across nowadays when everything is becoming so massively produced. And in that every time that you drink OAX Original, it's an experience that you won't forget.
I've seen it in the eyes of people. I've been to tastings where people have no idea what mezcal is. It really is priceless to see when they have it, you can see their senses just exploding and their eyes opening. And they're like, “what is this?” That is such a beautiful moment for me. I love it. It really pays for everything, you know? I think it's an experience and it's really worth trying.
