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When in Mexico, you do as the Mexicans do, and drink tequila. But there’s a level of sophistication associated with this spirit in its homeland that is unparalleled anywhere else. For starters, most people would associate a shot of tequila with a wild night, and maybe a rough morning. On top of that, it’s also common to lick salt to numb your tongue, knock a shot back, and then chase it with a lime wedge to mask the flavour. Not in Mexico. 

Any misconceptions surrounding this Mexican alcohol were immediately thrown out the door by the guys behind the tour company The Tequila Experience, which is based in Puerto Vallarta, in Jalisco state, in the western part of Mexico. This is the state where tequila was born, in a small village that today lies beside the historical town of Tequila. 

On the tour, you have the chance to make your own adventure as you go through a number of tequilas during the tasting, and not surprisingly, we decided on the rowdy route. But let’s start from the beginning…

The trio of tequila connoisseurs arrive at your house and deck it out over half an hour to give the tasters the best possible atmosphere. There are flowers, bejeweled sombreros, and a ready-made tequila cocktail in a champagne flute there to kick off the next few hours. Once the stage has been set, the drinkers begin an extensive tasting that explains the various types of tequilas from Blanco to Reposado to Anejo, and beyond. No matter how long it’s been aged and whether or not it was distilled in a wood barrel, tequila is always made with 100% blue agave plants and can legally only be produced within five of Mexico’s 32 states. 

As the tour continued, there were pairings with chocolate, and even a cooked grasshopper coated in a local spice. Don’t knock it until you try it, as if there were more, they would have also been eaten by our gang! 

Although there was a significant amount of information shared, an even bigger amount of tequila was also consumed. But each drinker could control their additional pours by answering “pequeño” for a small one, “grande” for a medium sized one, and finally “Feliz Navidad” for a full glass. Needless to say, there were a lot of Merry Christmases for the Anejo – a tequila aged in an oak barrel for one to three years and happened to be the crowd favourite in this crew. 

There was a wide range of tequila based liquors to sample too, such as coffee, chocolate, and strawberry, as well as Mezcal, which traditionally hails from another part of the country called Oaxaca state. Although they have bottles of all kinds to purchase, there isn’t any sales pitch from the guys in charge but you can definitely take some home. 

For anyone finding themselves in the Jalisco area, which includes Puerto Vallarta, embarking on The Tequila Experience will be a highlight of the trip. It’s a fun day that keeps your mind sharp from learning, but also introduces you to a more civilized way to appreciate this spirit. It’s easily a tour that was much better than what we expected and we would have done it again, maybe on the next trip! 

The host of the tour is called Ben and you can reach him via WhatsApp to have your own tequila adventure when visiting Mexico. 

Hasta luego amigos!

Mandrea Bike
(Mateo & Añdrea)