Drinks Atlas: Tequila, Jalisco, Mexico

The names of some places so immediately suggest joy, they beg to be followed by exclamation points. Long before there was a spirit known as tequila, there was Tequila—a small town in Jalisco first established in 1530. Situated in a valley near the Volcán de Tequila and surrounded by fields of agave, Tequila was for centuries like many other towns in Mexico—agriculturally rooted, and with its own locally made mezcal.

By the 19th century, however, the spirits from Tequila (known at the time as vinos de mezcal de Tequila) were starting to chart their own course. José María Guadalupe de Cuervo was granted the first commercial distillery license in 1795. And the growth accelerated when Don Cenobio Sauza opened a distillery in 1873. Aided by savvy business relationships, political muscle, and railway access to markets in Mexico City and the United States, Tequila’s producers made the town’s name globally recognized for its signature spirit.

Just a few years shy of its 500th anniversary, Tequila is still a relatively small city, with a population around 35,000. Now part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Tequila is today home to smaller yet globally recognized brands including Fortaleza, Don Fulano, and El Tequileño, and prized producers including Atanasio, Cascahuin, and Dos O are a short drive from the town’s center.

The town’s history, and the local distillers now making excellent tequila, attracted bartender Daniel Soria Posada to Tequila nearly two years ago. “I’m from Oaxaca, so we have a really deep connection with mezcal there. But I wanted to learn more about tequila,” Posada says.

Now bartending at El Beso Cantina, Posada sees some of the swarms of visitors who come to Tequila each year. While some day-trippers come from Guadalajara to party on cheap tequila while cruising around in barrel-shaped tourist buses, Posada says others are seeking something more. “They’re here to learn about the process and the culture of tequila,” he says. “There are places here that really represent the tradition, and the heart of Tequila—not just the beverage, but the town.”

5 to Visit

Fortaleza

“Fortaleza’s using the tahona for crushing the piñas, the brick ovens for cooking them, the wood vats for fermentation,” Posada says. “They represent the artisanal process in tequila, and keeping things the same for many generations. And at the end, there’s a beautiful spirit.” tequilafortaleza.com

El Tequileño

“El Tequileño—man, it’s just tradition,” Posada says. “If you come to Tequila, you see Tequileño signs in restaurants and bars, they’re such a part of the town. And there’s no lies in their products. They share their quality and their transparency, and there’s the real taste of agave in what they do.” tequileno.com

Don Fulano

“Don Fulano is an amazing example of working with aged tequilas,” Posada says. “They put a lot of knowledge into the barrels they’re using and the time the tequila rests, and the blending. They show a lot of respect for the agave and working with mature plants—they respect the process.” donfulano.com

Arette

“Arette is a family-owned distillery. And they’re another place that cares a lot about the quality of the agave they use, and every single step of the process,” says Posada. “They don’t use additives, there’s nothing weird in there, and with the tequila industry, that’s important.” tequilaarette.com

Fábrica La Rojeña

José Cuervo’s 1812 distillery, La Rojeñais “great for historical facts,” Posada says. “If you want to see tequila’s full picture, you need to go to the roots. And Cuervo is one of those brands that brought tequila to the whole world. They’ll show you the old process on the tours, and how the industry grew.” mundocuervo.com

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