Professional Development
For the first time ever, The Tequila Interchange Project will have their very own in-house writer. As the second phase of our Professional Development Program, made possible through the Slow Food Negroni Week Fund, TIP will be selecting one hospitality/beverage professional who has wanted to venture beyond the bar and explore the world of beverage journalism to serve as our 2026 TIP Writer-in-Residence.
CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE SLOW FOOD NEGRONI WEEK FUND
The selected applicant will participate in a research trip to Jalisco and compensated $1,500 to write, edit and publish six bimonthly pieces on the TIP website. Each piece will also be cross-posted to Mezcalistas.com. The selected applicant will work with our volunteer editors to fine-tune each piece before being submitted to our Professional Development Committee for final approval. We are excited to announce Ferron Salniker of Mezcalistas and BevNET.com and Rachel DelRocco, formerly of Wine & Spirits Magazine and the Vintner Project as our volunteer editors!
To help the Writer-in-Residence learn how to develop their professional skills as a freelance writer, we have enlisted some industry heavyweights to serve as mentors to the selected applicant! Our dear friend Emma Janzen, author of Mezcal: The History, Craft & Cocktails of the World's Ultimate Artisanal Spirit and whose work has been featured in PUNCH, 50 Best, and Wirecutter has graciously donated her time to serve as one of our professional mentors. The other have of our mentorship team is none other than Paul Clarke, Executive Editor of Imbibe Magazine and author of The Cocktail Chronicles: Navigating the Cocktail Renaissance With Jigger, Shaker & Glass.
TEQUILA INTERCHANGE PROJECT PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM
2026 TIP Writer-in-Residence
Winner Announced April 6th!
We are pleased to announce the winning applicant for the Tequila Interchange Project Writer-in-Residence Program is Carmen Lopez, a young writer who’s work was recently featured on L.A. Taco. Through the generosity of the Slow Food Negroni Week Innovation Fund, TIP's new Writer-in-Residence Program will connect Carmen with volunteer mentors and editors to publish bi-monthly pieces through TIP’s website. Carmen Lopez is a food chemist and a Mexican spirits expert currently based in Mexico City. As a former new yorker, she has worked with agave spirits for more than 10 years consulting, crafting cocktail menus and teaching about agave and her Zapotec heritage. You can see her on Netflix’s Taco Chronicles and occasionally sharing mezcal around the world.