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Dyckman Farmhouse museum

When Meredith Horsford began working at the historic Dyckman Farmhouse in 2015, she noticed an interesting feature of the Dyckman family tree hanging on the wall above the mantle.

“It was basically a snapshot in time of who lived in this house around the 1820s,” she recalls. “So of course it talked a lot about the Dyckmans — born on this day, died on this day, first and last name — and then at the bottom the family tree has these silhouettes on it of enslaved men and women, and there’s no information. And it just really stood out to me as, first of all, something that if I were a visitor, I would immediately ask more about.”

Today, Horsford serves as the executive director of the Dyckman Farmhouse museum. She’s spearheading a project called DyckmanDISCOVERED, which aims to bring to the public eye for the first time some of the lost and forgotten enslaved people who worked and lived on the farmhouse.

The farmhouse itself, which is located in the Inwood neighborhood at the northernmost tip of Manhattan, has a long history that parallels the evolution of the United States itself. It was first built by Jan Dyckman, who moved in the 1600s from Westphalia in northwestern Germany to what was then known as New Amsterdam. When the Revolutionary War broke out in 1775, the Dyckman homestead was located at 210th Street and the East River, surrounded by orchards and difficult-to-develop rocky farmland. The family decided to flee the violence of the war, and it’s a good thing too. When they returned, they discovered their home and the surrounding orchards were completely destroyed.

The enslaved people owned by the Dyckman family were instrumental in rebuilding the home, which the family moved to Kingsbridge Road. Today, the street is known as Broadway. When I ask Horsford what the museum knows about the role the enslaved people might have played in the household or on the farm, and what their relationship with the family might have been like, her answer is simple and devastating: “I don’t know, is the really short answer,” she says. “We don’t have any of that information.”

“They kept very little in the way of records to indicate, you know, where these people had come from, what languages they spoke, what skills they possessed, what their responsibilities were on the farm,” Horsford says. “So what we’re trying to do with this project is get a feel for what this scenario might have been like in northern Manhattan for people who were enslaved.”

There is already a glimmer of hope that it might be possible, with a little creative thinking, to pay homage to people who helped build the Dyckman’s legacy. With help from the New York Community Trust, the Dyckman Farmhouse museum hired a research assistant who uncovered the names of six people enslaved by the Dyckman family: Hannah, Francis Cudjoe, Will, Gilbert, Harey, and Blossum. A fuller picture of their lives is coming together. Francis Cudjoe, for instance, was free (or manumitted) by Jacob Dyckman, the great-grandson of Jan Dyckman, and worked on the farm for at least a decade. Meanwhile, Hannah, who came to the farmhouse after Francis, served as a cook and smoked a corncob pipe.

This isn’t history you’re going to find at most museums. In the West, museums often display precious works of art but don’t say how they were acquired (were they plundered, perhaps, in the aftermath of war or colonization?). And, as Horsford points out, enslaved people are often depicted at historical sites “in a negative light, with exaggerated features.” But she says there’s an even more egregious campaign of misinformation that goes on in museums — and, again, it has to do with what isn’t said.

“When I go to visit historic sites on my own time, the story that you get is that there are these beautiful things that these people were able to afford because they were wealthy,” she says. “A lot of these sites don’t really talk about the real history, about how these people became wealthy. That really just isolates one part, one very small piece of the history of this site. There were probably enslaved people on this land who enabled this family to become as wealthy as they did. They probably became wealthy off the backs of these enslaved people. I think to leave out parts of history on purpose or because they’re things that you want to shy away from is, in my opinion, not the way to go.”

Photo: LEE SNIDER PHOTO IMAGES/Shutterstock

Horsford says visitors are eager to fill the gaps in the farmhouse’s history with more background on the enslaved people who lived there. They come in asking if the Dyckman family owned slaves, and if they treated them well. This question always rattles Horsford, who thinks that if you own someone, “you’re not really thinking of them as human.” Yet she also sees it as an opportunity to spark a conversation about the position of enslaved people in what we sometimes think of the so-called enlightened North.

“Sometimes I would say this to visitors, not in a rude way, ‘How do you treat someone that you own?’” She says. “And then I think people are kind of like, ‘Oh, I hadn’t really thought of it in that perspective.’ And so that can also create a dialogue.”

For Horsford, getting people to talk to each other is the main thrust of DyckmanDISCOVERED. She wants visitors to feel comfortable asking uncomfortable questions about slavery in Manhattan, the role of enslaved people in boosting the Dyckman family to prosperity, why the family neglected to record their history, and perhaps even to speculate on their day-to-day lives. Those are all integral parts of the history of the farmhouse that have been brushed to the side for too long.

In an effort to facilitate that discourse, three artists — Gwendolyn Black, Sheila Prevost, and Rachel Sydlowski — will erect art installations in different rooms of the farmhouse based on the unearthed information about the enslaved people who lived there. The exhibit will open in mid-October (the date isn’t set in stone yet, and the exhibition will open to members of the same household by appointment only to encourage social distancing within the small space).

“We’re in a very diverse community,” Hosford says. “This is a project that we started a few years ago, but now we find ourselves in 2020, in the midst of a lot of things going on in this country, and a lot of things that relate to immigration and being a minority in this community. And again, we started this project a couple of years ago, but it’s very timely.”

DyckmanDISCOVERED is reframing the entire history of the farmhouse by showing not just that the family persevered for hundreds of years but that they did it with the servitude of people that they owned who have just as much a right to the story of the house as the Dyckman family themselves.

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How to respect Native American land

Experiencing a beautiful outdoor space is a surefire way to be convinced of its value and need for protection. Sometimes, as a responsible outdoors person, it’s more important to leave that magical space alone. The sacredness of ancestral lands to Native Americans is far more important than our desire to use it for recreation or exploit it for profit, especially when that land, or anywhere else, isn’t ours to begin with. Native American tribes occupy, operate, and live on vast stretches of open land across the United States. They revere their beautiful land. And if we choose to visit, it’s on us to not climb, hike, or float on restricted areas that look oh so tempting — because protecting their hallowed spaces is far more important than experiencing what is epic.

When planning to visit Native land, visit the tribe’s website first to confirm access

Photo: Galyna Andrushko/Shutterstock

In 1971, the American Alpine Club published a letter from Navajo Parks & Recreation Department’s Charles Damon to rock climbers, explaining the Navajo Nation’s ban on climbing on its land. The letter included the following:

“A practical and easily understandable reason is the nature of the rocks themselves, which cannot withstand unnecessary attrition to any degree. This has been argued by various would-be climbers, but the Tribe is making no exceptions.

“A second reason and one that admits of no argument is that the monoliths of the Navajo reservation are considered sacred places. To climb them is to profane them. Protests have been and still are being made by the Navajos about the unauthorized scaling of reservation rocks.”

Unfortunately, nearly 50 years later, illegal climbing on their sacred land is still an issue the Diné face.

That’s not to say there aren’t many beautiful spaces to legally recreate in the Navajo Nation. A quick look at the Navajo Nation website encourages visitors to check out places such as the Bisti Badlands, home to some of the best hiking and picturesque rock monoliths in the southwestern United States. Website forums and social media groups such as Diné (Navajo) Climbing & Outdoors are active to help visitors know what is legal to climb and what isn’t, and to give visitors a chance to support local outdoor communities.

The same is true of tribal lands across the country. Devil’s Tower National Monument, in northeastern Wyoming, is voluntarily closed to climbers each June for Native ceremonies. Climbers have an entire season to climb the tower, yet many — mostly local and regional climbers, according to a report from Wyoming Public Media — feel the need to proceed in June. In order to avoid trespassing on or disrespecting sacred land, local climbers could very easily climb elsewhere during the month of June.

To find out whether an area you wish to access is open to the public, check the official website for visitor information before you even put boots to trail. There you’ll find where to go and any permits needed for access, learn about what is off-limits, and familiarize yourself with any local rules, regulations, and customs that may be different from what you’re used to at home.

Support protests and campaigns championed by Native tribes, and for the right reasons

Photo: Diego G Diaz/Shutterstock

In December 2017, President Donald Trump announced his intention to slash the protected areas around the Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monuments by more than two million acres. Trump’s announcement sparked immediate outrage in conservation circles, as well as among Native American tribes and public lands supporters. Petitions were circulated, protests held, and articles written by outdoor-centric publications, including Matador. While many activists and journalists acknowledged that the land surrounding Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante has long been sacred to six Native American tribes, this was often a footnote to what was seen as the more immediate problem: He’s cutting into our recreation space, bro!

This attitude is a major bummer, one I’ve admittedly been guilty of having. From the perspective of those who’ve stood as true stewards of the land for generations, it is also morally indefensible. While vitally important to economies across the West, and an incredible way to find meaning in one’s life, outdoor recreation is not the most important factor at stake in the vast majority of land conservation issues. Looking beyond even the threat to wildlife habitats and biodiversity, many sought-after stretches of land across the United States (and Canada) are sacred to Indigenous peoples who have held spiritual and cultural reverence over the area for thousands of years. In this case, Trump’s modification is another example of the US government breaking a contract and betraying Native Americans.

When championing a conservation-related cause, take the time to dig into what’s at stake to parties beyond yourself and those you know. Almost without fail, this will light your fire even more. It is totally possible to be a non-Native outdoor recreationist who also champions Native rights, cultures, and land. To do so, you simply need to value the traditions that predate you by thousands of years and are ever more important than your own desire to hike, bike, ski, climb, or float in a given area in order to do your part in upholding contracts and showing respect to what is considered sacred.

How to show your support

Photo: Autumn’s Memories/Shutterstock

Often, recreating on that land is a part of conservation, but rarely is it the ultimate justification. The truest form of conservation is to leave a place better than you found it. When visiting spots on tribal lands that outsiders are allowed to patronize, follow the principles of Leave No Trace.

But we can also go further.

The Native American Rights Fund works to protect the natural resources of Native lands. Supporting its work, including with a donation, helps the organization stand ground against private or public interests seeking to exploit their land for profit.

Recreating responsibly while respecting sacred grounds is easily accomplished with a bit of forethought and an ability to think beyond one’s own desire for adventurous conquest. As Director Damons said 49 years ago, “Come and visit us, look and photograph as much as you like; you will be welcome. But please respect our prohibitions and let us keep the wonderful Navajo reservation as beautiful as it is.”

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Costa Rica’s newest national park

Costa Rica’s newest and 30th national park isn’t what you might think. San Lucas Island, in the Gulf of Nicoya, is 1.8 square miles of beautiful land and coastal areas, with wildlife including howler monkeys, spiders, deer, pheasants, anteaters and snakes. It also happens to be a former prison.

Photo: Gianfranco Vivi/Shutterstock

San Lucas Island became a penal island in 1873, founded by then-dictator Tomás Guardia Gutiérrez, and remained so until 1991. It was then rehabilitated into a wildlife refuge, the Tico Times reports. But as of Monday, to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the national park system in the country, San Lucas Island is now a national park. The former prison structures are considered cultural heritage sites and over 50 guides have been trained to show the island to visitors.

Photo: Gianfranco Vivi/Shutterstock

Reached via a 40-minute boat ride from Puntarenas, San Lucas Island has been equipped with a new electricity and water system, toilets, and even new trails. Its purpose is to encourage visitors to explore some of Costa Rica’s lesser-known historical sites, develop sustainable tourism, and add to the area’s socioeconomic development.

Gustavo Segura Sacho, Costa Rica’s tourism minister, said, “San Lucas Island is part of Costa Rica’s history and heritage, so we are very pleased to reopen it as the country’s 30th national park. It will greatly surprise visitors looking for quieter spots when on holiday.”

Right now, not everyone can travel to Costa Rica. Only residents of certain nations and states are permitted to enter, so take that into consideration before booking your trip.

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Climate Win September 2020

This is The Climate Win, the most positive sustainability news around the world every week.

This week’s Climate Win focuses on green banks and what they fund. These are not traditional banks where you open accounts or make deposits. Rather, they exist as vehicles to connect investors with sustainable business and projects — providing much-needed funding for things like renewable energy development, clean building and housing, and other large-scale projects.

As the Green Bank Consortium explains, “Green banks are dedicated finance institutions (often public entities or nonprofits) that use innovative financing to connect clean energy, resilience and climate-related projects with capital.” Their primary focus is on communities and projects that aren’t likely to receive funding from less forward-thinking portions of the private sector. This is critically important during tough economic times such as the COVID-19 era.

Green banks also lobby for progressive change in various facets of the economy, bringing the weight of their financial backing to leverage their arguments. Let’s look at their work in renewable energy, specifically. The Coalition for Green Capital, a non-profit organization, has a plan called the Clean Energy Jobs Fund, which asks Congress for $35 billion to create five million jobs developing and implementing renewable energy infrastructure. That huge sum still wouldn’t cover the spectrum of fully decarbonizing our energy system and putting a new one in place — but it is a solid start to transitioning part of the energy sector’s workforce into renewable energy while putting Americans to work in a high-paying field.

Three major wins present themselves.

First and foremost, voters appear to be onboard. The Consortium’s annual report cites a survey of American voters that found that seven in 10 support depositing the $35 billion into a fund for clean energy jobs, including 57 percent of Republicans and 58 percent of independents.

Additionally, an increased desire to invest in green causes has brought several “green” investment portfolios and indexes to life. These offer the everyday Joe a chance to put their money behind their values, often for as little as $100 to start. NewDay allows investors to choose what they want to fund — climate action, animal welfare, or ocean health, for example — and then puts that money into specific portfolios that fund companies working in that space. Green Century Funds caters long-term investments such as IRAs to conscientious investors, curating their indexes to be free of fossil fuels and factory farms.

Finally, this trend has birthed many B-corp-certified banks that, similar to green index funds, don’t finance fossil fuels or other projects deemed harmful to the environment or the communities they serve. You can open checking and savings accounts in one of these banks should you wish to. These include Aspiration, which allows you to round up to the nearest dollar on your debit card purchases to support tree planting efforts, and Beneficial State Bank, which prioritizes minority-owned and other disadvantaged businesses in their financing decisions.

More climate wins

Air pollution is falling in China. A new study published in The Lancet shows that deaths related to air pollution have dropped to below 1990 levels and that particle pollution in major cities declined by 33 percent between 2013 and 2017.

Boeing and Etihad Airways completed a test run of flights using what they claim to be a more sustainable jet fuel. According to a press release from Etihad, an Etihad 787 Dreamliner flew from Seattle to Boeing’s headquarters in South Carolina using a 50/50 blend of sustainable jet fuel and traditional jet fuel. The fuel is certified by the Roundtable on Sustainable Biomaterials to “reduce carbon emissions by more than 75 percent over the fuel’s life cycle.”

Google announced this week that it had offset all of its carbon emissions since 1998 through a purchase of what the company calls “high-quality carbon offsets” and that it would run only on carbon-free energy within the next 10 years, according to a post on the company’s blog. The post from Google CEO Sundar Pichai stated that it expects the company’s carbon-free future to generate “more than 20,000 new jobs in clean energy and associated industries, in America and around the world, by 2025.”

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Fall equinox Stonehenge livestream

The skies above Stonehenge are as mysterious as the stones themselves. Unfortunately, this year, because of COVID-19, nobody will attend the beautiful spectacle of the fall equinox sunrise at the ancient site.

The pagans and druids who were given the authorization to enter the site for a small gathering of English heritage refused the invitation as they deemed it unfair to all those who wish to attend but cannot.

But that does not mean you can’t witness the magic of the fall equinox at the prehistoric monument. The virtual Stonehenge Skyscape project allows you to see the World Heritage site live and in exceptionally good quality thanks to strategically positioned webcams.

Photo: Stonehenge Skyscape

If you click the “ambient” version at the bottom right of your screen, all you see is the magnificent site, but the “Skyscape” version provides an overlay of the movements of the sun, moon, planets, and the solar alignments at the rock formation for the midwinter sunset and midsummer sunrise.

The daytime view of the site is accurate to within approximately five minutes, and the times provided correspond to the time at your location. You can also use the highlighted squares at the top to view back the last sunrise and sunset, any other previous time of the day.

So, on September 22, the first day of fall, when the day is as long as the night, keep an eye on the live feed and watch the sunrise above the prehistoric stone for an unforgettable start of the season.

The Stonehenge Skyscape might not be able to replace the real thing, but it can at least keep us connected to these mythical stones until we can be there in person.

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Yosemite closed from wildfire smoke

As the wildfires in California continue to rage, Yosemite National Park was forced to temporarily close Thursday night. The smoke from nearby fires is causing poor air quality, considered so hazardous to health. Starting at 5:00 PM on Thursday, the park closed access to both visitors and vehicles.

The National Parks Service told Travel & Leisure, “With air quality projected to be in the unhealthy to hazardous range over the next several days, the park anticipates the closure to be in effect at least throughout the weekend. The park will continue to assess the smoke impacts, air quality index, and fire activity throughout the region.”

Although air quality has generally improved on the West Coast compared to earlier in the week, some locations — including Yosemite — are registering in the 200s and 300s. A reading in the 200s is considered a health alert while one in the 300s qualifies as “emergency conditions.” Air quality in California has reached the 400s and 500s as recently as Monday.

Kings Canyon National Park and Sequoia National Park also closed on Thursday due to neighboring wildfire, evacuation notices, and hazardous air quality.

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South Africa reopening for tourism

After previously announcing that it would remain closed to tourism until 2021, South Africa is now reversing course and opening to select countries on October 1, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said earlier this week.

Progress in the national effort to contain the #COVID19 pandemic https://t.co/9IHiNPijjY

— Cyril Ramaphosa

Best video games for armchair travel

Books and movies are often celebrated as proxies for travel, beloved for their abilities to take globetrotters around the world without ever leaving their living rooms. Too often, video games are left off that list. While literature busts open our imaginations and movies have the advantage when it comes to realism, with today’s technology, video games set abroad can be astoundingly convincing, and players typically have more agency to explore their surroundings as if they were really there. From exploring Incan ruins to an African safari, these six video games enable some of the most exciting armchair travel out there.

1. Assassin’s Creed

Photo: Ubisoft

Assassin’s Creed might be the greatest globally, historically inspired video game series of all time. Not only are the graphics stunningly realistic, but the franchise is also committed to accurately representing the places and times in which its installments are set.

The original game takes place in the Holy Land during the Third Crusade (1189-1192). Players control a modern-day character named Desmond Miles who travels in time to join the fight between Assassins and Templars. In the sequel, Miles lands in Renaissance-era Italy, with renderings of Florence and Venice that not only recreate the 1400s but also feel remarkably like you’re visiting today, hopping between rooftops in view of familiar sights like the Duomo.

Later games jump between the 18th-century Caribbean, Ancient Greece and Egypt, Victorian London, and more. There are over a dozen games in the franchise in all, offering gamers the opportunity to collect quite a few virtual passport stamps, figuratively speaking.

2. 80 Days

Photo: Inkle Studios

This interactive adventure game takes its name, and premise, from the Jules Verne classic Around the World in 80 Days. The novel follows Phileas Fogg on his journey to circumnavigate the globe in 1872 while players stand in for Fogg’s fictional valet, Passepartout, in the iOS, Android, Microsoft, and OS X game. Though the graphics do little to transport you to foreign lands, 80 Days scratches the travel itch by letting players click around an actual globe, visiting 170 cities from Berlin, Germany, to Khartoum, Sudan. That’s far more destinations than there are in the source material. With its steampunk aesthetic, race against the clock in real-time, and interactive narrative, it’s no wonder 80 Days has been lauded by both BAFTA and Time.

3. Okami

Photo: Okami/Facebook

Okami is an action-adventure game set a century ago in Nippon, or Japan, that’s based on Japanese folklore. Players journey across the country as Amaterasu, the Shinto sun god, who takes the shape of a white wolf illustrated in the sumi-e, or ink wash painting, style. As Amaterasu, players battle enemies to earn yen to spend on fighting tools and techniques.

One tool in the game is the Celestial Brush, which can be used either as a weapon or to aid in solving puzzles through a calligraphy-based system. Different strokes are earned through various Celestial Brush gods, which also nod to the Chinese zodiac as their inspiration. Though Okami may not evoke modern cities like Tokyo or Osaka, much like the Studio Ghibli film canon, the game is a must for any fans of the Japanese aesthetic, as well as its mythos.

4. Uncharted

Photo: Uncharted

Uncharted is a video game franchise developed for PlayStation that tracks treasure hunter Nathan Drake in his journeys across the globe. One of the best-selling gaming series of all time, it brings an element of realism in the graphics and character design that really sells the illusion of world travel. Throughout the series, Drake hops between countries and continents, with the first game being set in Panama. The second installment takes place everywhere from the Tibetan Plateau to the Borneo jungle; the third game kicks off in London and is largely backdropped by Middle Eastern destinations, plus a stint in Colombia; and the fourth installment takes players from Italy to Scotland, Boston to New Orleans, and Madagascar back to Panama.

5. Afrika

Photo: PlayStation

Going on an African safari is a dream many travelers share. It’s hard to beat the thrill of spotting the Big Five from a jeep cruising the actual savannah, but this PlayStation 3 game is a fun, relatively realistic, simulation. Players roam the plains on foot, by car, or from a balloon as a photojournalist tasked with snapping shots of various wildlife. In addition to perks like earning in-game money to spend on camera equipment, players can also unlock photos and footage of real-life wildlife. Fittingly developed by Rhino Studios, Afrika is equal parts relaxing and exhilarating, much like an actual safari. Plus, the award-winning score has been widely and will have you feeling like Indiana Jones to boot.

6. Tomb Raider

Photo: Tomb Raider

Originally released the 1990s and rebooted in the 2010s, Tomb Raider is another video game series set in historic destinations around the world. In fact, Lara Croft’s adventures have inspired the travels of a number of bloggers, taking them everywhere from Angkor Wat in Cambodia to the Valley of the Kings in Egypt to the Great Wall of China.

There are more than 10 games total in the series designed for various gaming platforms. Among the best for armchair travelers is Tomb Raider: Legend (Bolivia, Ghana, Cornwall, Kazakhstan) and Tomb Raider: Shadow of the Tomb (Central and South America). History buffs may also enjoy Tomb Raider: Rise of the Tomb Raider, which visits the Siberian wilderness as well as bygone eras and destinations like the Soviet Union and Byzantine Empire.

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How to find additive-free tequila

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Wine drinkers seek out regional wines because each tastes of the place it was made. The soil, the climate, the traditional practices: All of these things help define, say, a Bordeaux wine from a Napa wine. The same can be said for many things we eat and drink — including tequila. Yet for years, there’s been a practice of dosing tequila with additives that mask or smooth over the natural flavors that come from the agave. A new additive free certification hopes to shed light on the practice, thereby ensuring that when people fall for tequila, they fall for the true flavors of Mexico’s most famous spirit.

Tequila is a direct expression of where it’s made. It’s tightly regulated, and production is limited to a small part of Mexico that’s permitted to grow the agaves and distill the fermented agave juice into liquor. At its best, each bottle of tequila is a window into the five states where the agaves are allowed to be grown. However, the same laws that protect the regionality of tequila also allow for additives so long as it doesn’t surpass one percent of total volume. What sounds like a small amount can actually greatly impact the overall taste.

In response, TasteTequila, a tequila education site, started an additive-free verification program in July of 2020 through its Tequila Matchmaker database. Part of the inspiration can be summed up in a simple question, according to a statement on the verification’s release: “If too many people get the idea that tequila is saccharine, intensely floral, or cake-like, how will they judge the slightly sweet, subtle, and complex profiles of additive-free tequilas?”

“Before [the verification], we could say we were additive free,” says Steffin Oghene, the vice president of marketing and sales for El Tequileño. “Unfortunately, with no proof, it’s a lot harder to show people it’s not just marketing.”

El Tequileño only came to the states about a year ago, but it’s one of the top-selling brands in the state of Jalisco. It’s been around since 1959, and the blanco expression is the house tequila for the batanga cocktail at La Capilla, which is the most famous cocktail at one of the most famous bars in Tequila, Mexico. The verification puts a clear, third-party backed stamp on a natural production style the distillery has followed since its start.

“In the tequila business, you’re allowed one percent of additives like caramel, sugar, etc.,” Oghene says. “But the regulations don’t specify the concentration, and the concentrations can be so high that distillers can hide what comes out of the still.”

At its most simple, the additive-free verification is a sign of transparency. Terroir is a word most often used for wine, but it applies just as much to tequila. Agaves grown in the Los Altos (highlands) region typically result in tequilas with tropical fruit and floral notes, as well as a vegetal, citrusy, and peppery taste. Those grown in El Valle (or the lowlands) often give off prominent spice and green pepper notes. All of this can be lost when additives are thrown into the mix.

Photo: El Tequileño/Facebook

It’s completely legal for tequilas to use additives in every style but blanco. Brands aren’t required to put additives on the label, and even 100 percent agave tequilas commonly use them. The compounds have a purpose and can correct any irregularities to make sure a brand makes the same tasting tequila time after time, but additives can also flatten tequila’s natural flavors or add an unnatural sweetness.

There are four common additives used, according to TasteTequila. Concentrated sugar syrups from agave nectar, sugarcane, corn, aspartame, or stevia bring the sweetness up. Glycerin, a natural byproduct of fermentation, can be added as well to make a spirit smooth and more full-bodied. Oak extracts give a lightly aged tequila big barrel flavors like vanilla. Finally, there’s caramel, which adds color and is commonly used to ensure a consistent hue from batch to batch.

These additives could make your agave spirit taste more like toasted marshmallows than agave. And for some people, that’s what they want. But the best way to understand all that makes tequila special is to start with one that tastes like agave.

After El Tequileño was verified, a Florida distributor told Oghene that his customers were seeking this type of transparency. In other words, the days of tequila as a throw-it-back spirit are fading, and there’s been a fast-growing demand in the United States for premium tequila with character.

An additive-free verification is one way for drinkers to find that character, but it’s an intense process. It requires an in-person visit and unfettered access to detailed distillation records. To date, there are more than 180 verified additive-free tequilas — a drop in the bucket for how many tequilas are on the market. It’s a constant work in progress, but it’s a start.

Before the pandemic, the number of people who traveled for a taste of culture through local food and drinks was on the rise. It’s impossible to know if the same will be true on the other side of the current moment, yet respect for local ingredients and products that let the terroir shine aren’t going away.

Certified additive-free tequilas to try

El Tequileño Reposado Gran Reserva: A spirit made from agaves from Los Altos in Jalisco. It’s fermented with a natural yeast strain in open tanks that are surrounded by centuries-old mango trees and uses water that flows from the extinct volcano Volcan de Tequila. The Reposado Gran Reserva is ideal for sipping with a light oak flavor that doesn’t cover up the herbal agave flavors.

Tequila G4 Reposado: The brand crushes its agaves from Los Altos using a tahona, a traditional stone mill, and ferments in an open-air steel tank. It tastes first and foremost of cooked agave, with an earthy and peppery taste balanced by light oak notes from the American oak barrels it’s aged in.

Fortaleza Reposado: Fortaleza uses agaves from the lowlands that are roasted in brick ovens and crushed with a tahona. The tequila has a little bit of peppery spice and citrus that’s complemented by natural vanilla notes from the oak.

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Marriott partnering with NPF

Right now, the hospitality industry and public lands need to work together more than ever. That’s why Marriot Bonvoy just announced a marketing partnership with the National Park Foundation (NPF), the official nonprofit partner of the National Park Service. The partnership includes the unveiling of a new dedicated travel planning website that makes it easy for members to find discounted rates for stays at Marriott properties located near national parks. It also allows users to redeem hotel points for America the Beautiful passes — the annual passes for national parks and federal recreational lands.

Brian King, the Global Officer of Digital Distribution, Revenue Strategy & Global Sales, Marriott International, said, “We are thrilled to offer Marriott Bonvoy members a convenient way to plan road trips and explore historical sites and national wonders with their friends and families with this one-of-a-kind travel partnership. The opportunity to experience breathtaking scenery in pristine wilderness settings while giving back to the National Park Foundation is invaluable and will help preserve parks for future adventure seekers.”

The website will also provide travel tips from Marriott Bonvoy Traveler, including trip planning guides from local experts.

According to Stefanie Mathew, Senior Vice President of Corporate Partnerships at the National Park Foundation, “The National Park Foundation is thankful to Marriott Bonvoy for not only offering members a nearby place to rest their head after a day full of park adventures, but also the support to help ensure these treasured natural and cultural sites are protected now and into the future.”

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