OAXACA, MEXICO
Oaxaca is a place where culture, tradition, and creativity are woven into everyday life. Color fills its streets, from vibrant markets and handmade textiles to painted buildings and bustling plazas. Ancient Zapotec and Mixtec heritage lives alongside colonial architecture, artisan workshops, lively restaurants, and mezcalerías, creating a city that feels both deeply rooted and full of energy.
Food and drink are an important part of that culture. Markets overflow with chiles, cacao, herbs, and fresh produce, while generations-old recipes, traditional techniques, and artisanal mezcal connect visitors to the land and its people. Beyond the city, small villages and countryside communities offer a closer look at the makers and traditions that shape the region.
Whether you’re wandering colorful markets, discovering local craftsmanship, sharing a meal, or sipping mezcal with its makers, Oaxaca invites you to slow down, engage your senses, and experience a culture deeply connected to place.
Discover Oaxaca through its everyday flavors on a guided food tour that introduces you to the ingredients, traditions, and culinary customs woven into daily life in the city.
From masa and salsas to market specialties and regional dishes, you’ll taste a variety of Oaxacan favorites while learning the stories and traditions behind them. Along the way, you’ll get a closer look at how food connects Oaxaca’s markets, families, and communities, and how generations of knowledge continue to shape what is prepared and enjoyed today. It’s an immersive introduction to the culture of Oaxaca through one of its most essential and celebrated traditions: food.
Go beyond the tasting glass to discover the people, landscapes, and traditions behind artisanal mezcal. This immersive experience offers a closer look at the process from agave to spirit and the generations of knowledge that shape its production.
You’ll explore agave fields, learn about fermentation and distillation, and taste mezcal in context while connecting with the makers themselves. Along the way, you’ll discover how different agaves, techniques, and growing regions influence the character of each spirit and gain a deeper appreciation for the craft and sense of place behind every bottle.
Experience Oaxacan cuisine from the ground up with a hands-on cooking class that begins with an exploration of a local market. Learn about the ingredients that form the foundation of regional cooking, from fresh produce and chiles to traditional staples and specialty ingredients.
Back in the kitchen, you’ll learn traditional techniques and prepare a selection of classic Oaxacan dishes alongside your fellow travelers. The experience offers a closer look at the care, skill, and layers of flavor that make Oaxacan cuisine so distinctive.
Explore two distinct expressions of Oaxaca’s agricultural and distilling traditions, from ancestral mezcal to native corn whiskey. Together, these experiences reveal the deep connection between local ingredients, the land, and time-honored production methods.
Discover the traditional clay-pot distillation process used for ancestral mezcal and learn how native Oaxacan corn is transformed into whiskey. You’ll also explore barrel aging and the cultivation of agave, gaining a broader perspective on the region’s rich and evolving spirit-making traditions.
Explore one of Oaxaca’s beloved local markets and discover the ingredients, flavors, and everyday traditions that make the city’s food culture so vibrant. Along the way, you’ll have the opportunity to interact with local vendors and see the ingredients that inspire Oaxacan kitchens and bars.
At the hotel, put those flavors to work during a hands-on cocktail workshop. Explore syrups, shrubs, infusions, sangritas, salts, and other techniques for creating balanced, thoughtful drinks. You’ll leave with new recipes, techniques, and inspiration to bring a little of Oaxaca’s cocktail culture home.
RAMBLING SPIRITS
Anna Bruce and Brooks Bailey are the founders of Rambling Spirits, a Oaxaca-based company dedicated to sharing the world of mezcal through thoughtfully curated experiences. Mezcal lovers, photojournalists, and mixologists, Anna and Brooks have called Oaxaca home since 2013. They are also the authors of Tequila, Mezcal and More and have spent years building deep connections throughout Oaxaca’s mezcal and culinary communities.
Their passion for mezcal is a starting point for exploring the people, places, landscapes, and traditions behind the spirit. They have worked directly with distilleries on brand identity, served as ambassadors for mezcal, and shared their knowledge through bespoke, guided trips throughout the state.
With Rambling Spirits as your guide, you’ll experience Oaxaca through its flavors, makers, landscapes, and traditions—and gain a deeper appreciation for the culture and craftsmanship behind every sip.
ITINERARY
WELCOME TO OAXACA
Arrive in Oaxaca and settle into your home base for the week. Airport transfers will bring you into the heart of Oaxaca City, where you’ll have time to unpack, unwind, and begin settling into the rhythm of the city. Take the afternoon at your own pace—perhaps with a walk through the neighborhood, a quiet drink, or some time to relax at the hotel.
That evening, gather for welcome cocktails before sitting down to your first dinner together. Over your first shared meal, you’ll meet your fellow travelers, get to know your hosts, and preview the experiences ahead. It’s an easygoing introduction to the week and to the flavors, hospitality, and traditions that make Oaxaca such a special place to explore together.
THE FLAVORS OF OAXACA
Begin the morning with a guided food tour through Oaxaca City, tasting your way through the everyday flavors that define the region. Along the way, you’ll discover the ingredients, techniques, and traditions behind Oaxacan cuisine while experiencing the markets, streets, and local spots where food is woven into daily life.
After some time to rest, wander, or grab a coffee, the afternoon turns toward two of Oaxaca’s most beloved ingredients: cacao and agave. You’ll visit a cacao-focused stop before continuing to Quiote for a guided mezcal tasting, where you’ll look beyond the glass and explore the stories, people, and traditions behind small-batch mezcal.
The day closes with dinner featuring traditional Oaxacan flavors, giving you another opportunity to experience the ingredients and culinary traditions you’ve been discovering throughout the day.
MEZCAL MAKING
Today, you’ll leave the city behind for a deeper look at the world of artisanal mezcal. Guided by Rambling Spirits, you’ll travel through the countryside and visit places connected to the many stages of mezcal production, gaining a greater understanding of how agave moves from the land into the spirit in your glass.
The day begins with a look at agave and pulque before continuing into the traditional processes behind mezcal. You’ll learn about fermentation and distillation, meet producers, explore the surrounding landscape, and taste spirits in the places where they are made.
Rather than simply tasting mezcal, you’ll experience the craft behind it firsthand and see how land, technique, community, and time influence the final spirit. The day concludes with dinner centered around one of Oaxaca’s most storied ancestral dishes before returning to the hotel.
CULINARY CREATIONS
After several days of exploring, enjoy a slower morning in Oaxaca. Take some time to relax at the hotel or, for those who want to explore, visit the Santo Domingo Cultural Museum and its beautiful grounds before gathering for the day’s culinary experience.
Late morning brings a hands-on cooking class that begins with a market visit. Together, you’ll explore local ingredients and select what you’ll bring back to the kitchen before preparing a full menu of traditional dishes, which may include appetizers, soup, mole, handmade tortillas, salsas, and dessert.
After enjoying the meal you’ve created, the afternoon is yours to rest or explore Oaxaca at your own pace. In the evening, gather for dinner featuring local ingredients, agave culture, and creative Oaxacan cooking.
SPIRIT-UAL INSPIRATION
Today’s outing takes you deeper into Oaxaca’s spirit traditions, with a focus on ancestral mezcal, clay-pot distillation, and the region’s native corn whiskey. You’ll travel outside the city to experience the craftsmanship and traditions passed down through generations.
The day begins with a visit to a traditional palenque in Santa Catarina Minas, where you’ll learn about clay-pot distillation and taste spirits produced using this ancestral technique. After lunch in the countryside, continue to Sierra Norte Whiskey to explore barrel aging and native Oaxacan corn whiskey, seeing how local ingredients and traditional techniques come together.
The day concludes with dinner at a Michelin-starred restaurant, where the region’s ingredients and culinary traditions are interpreted through a contemporary lens.
SAVOR, REFLECT + CELEBRATE
Begin your final full day with a morning walk from the hotel to Mercado Merced, one of your Rambling Spirits’ favorite local markets. After exploring the lively market, sit down for a traditional Oaxacan brunch featuring beloved breakfast classics.
You’ll then have time to shop for ingredients for the afternoon’s cocktail experience. Back at the hotel, take part in a hands-on workshop exploring syrups, shrubs, infusions, sangritas, salts, and other elements that bring structure and balance to a thoughtful drink. You’ll enjoy small bites along the way and leave with techniques and inspiration to recreate what you’ve learned at home.
The afternoon is yours to relax or explore one last time. That evening, gather for cocktails and a private farewell dinner at the hotel, reflecting on the week and raising a final glass to the food, spirits, people, and traditions that made your time in Oaxaca so memorable.
ONE LAST TASTE OF OAXACA
Enjoy one last morning in Oaxaca before departure transfers. Take time for a final coffee, a quiet walk through the city, or a few last moments enjoying the hotel courtyard before saying goodbye.
As you depart, you’ll leave with more than memories of what you tasted. You’ll have a deeper understanding of the ingredients, techniques, makers, and traditions that shape Oaxaca’s food and mezcal culture, along with sensory memories that will linger long after the final sip.
ROOM + BOARD
Set within an 18th-century property, our hotel blends historic character with contemporary Mexican design, brought to life through local artwork, pottery, and handcrafted details. Located just one block from the iconic Santo Domingo Church—the cultural heart of Oaxaca City—it’s an ideal starting point for strolling cobblestoned streets, exploring traditional markets, and visiting nearby museums.
An open-sky courtyard and rooftop terrace offer views of Santo Domingo and the Sierra Norte, perfect for enjoying a cup of locally harvested coffee with a book in hand. Each morning begins with hearty regional breakfasts prepared at the comal by an all-female team of Oaxacan cooks, grounding your stay in the flavors and traditions of the region.
Thoughtfully appointed guest rooms blend historic architecture with contemporary Mexican design, featuring handcrafted furnishings, local artwork, artisan amenities, and either patio, courtyard, city, or park views. Accommodations range from cozy Standard Rooms to spacious suites with sitting areas and additional living space.
Most rooms are designed for single occupancy to provide a peaceful retreat experience, while select room categories can accommodate two guests. Guests may choose to book with another retreat participant or bring a non-participating companion, depending on room availability. Full room descriptions, occupancy options, and pricing details can be found on the Book Now page.
Food is woven into every part of the retreat, offering a true taste of Oaxaca’s culinary heritage. Each morning begins with a generous Oaxacan breakfast featuring coffee and espresso, fresh-squeezed juices, pastries, seasonal fruit, and rotating local favorites such as huevos rancheros, chilaquiles, tamales, avocado toast, and eggs prepared to order.
All breakfasts and lunches are included, along with dinners throughout the retreat, whether enjoyed at the hotel or during excursions. Highlights include a hands-on cooking class, two mezcal tastings, memorable fine-dining experiences, a traditional market brunch, and a celebratory multi-course farewell dinner with traditional cocktails.
Most dietary needs can be accommodated with advance notice. Guests may share dietary preferences at checkout. Menus vary seasonally.
Standard
1 Participant
Junior Suite
1 Participant
Loft
1 Participant
King Suite
1 Participant
Master Suite
1 Participant
