Happy National Tequila Day!
Well it’s 1:30 am here in NYC July 24th and its officially National Tequila Day. My bffs over at Jose Cuervo Tradicional sent me a beautiful bottle of Jose Cuervo Tradicional so instead of going to bed early and waking up to go to Physique 57 tomorrow (sorry Physique I will come Wednesday, Thursday, and/or Friday, I promise)… I am going to instead, stay up sipping on Jose Cuervo Tradicional (responsibly) and write a blog post for y’all about my trip to Tequila, Jalisco with Jose Cuervo. And then work on the one billion things I have to do tomorrow.
I am assuming you follow me on Instagram if you are here on this page but in case you missed it, you can see the highlight reel of this trip HERE on my instagram (VLOG COMING SOON).
Anyways, let’s rewind to May 10th. A very (newly) single Lex wakes up at 4 am… to catch an American Airlines flight to Guadalajara to go to Mexico for the second time in 2 weeks (not complaining Mexico is my fav place ever). But why do I mention I was single? Well first, because I’ve had a little bit of tequila tonight/ felt the need to share something about my personal life (because I hardly ever do) and second, because now you can imagine the state I was in on a Thursday morning at 4 am after going out… not my best. But I thought I was traveling alone and then I find out I’m on the same flight as Bryan and Freddy (the two other bloggers on the trip with me) haha needless to say… I made a strong/unusual first impression. But hey, I have never missed a flight nor missed a job. I live by, “work hard, play hard.” I always get my work done! You only live once y’all… Anyways, I digress like always.
You can see our whole airport fiasco on my instastory highlight (its f*ing hilarious) but I am here to tell you about my trip to Jalisco with Jose Cuervo. FIRST OF ALL I want to start by saying that, that yellow Cuervo tequila from college that comes to mind, is NOT what Cuervo is. I mean, sure they make it but they have so many different qualities and types of tequila that I am so excited to tell you about. I don’t just like tequila for the effects, I love the art that goes into creating it and I love Mexico for its culture. I mean hello, I am Mexican– I love Mexico for a ton of reasons. But I hadn’t been to Jalisco in a very long time until May and I have to say it really blew me away. I wish we would have had more time in Guadalajara where we stayed at Casa Fayette, to explore the town and its historical culture. Casa Fayette is probably the cutest/prettiest boutique hotel I have ever stayed in. Whoever designed that hotel needs to fly to America to decorate my home whenever I buy one. Literally velvet chairs, blush pink details, palm leaf wallpaper… you name it. It is ON TREND! It’s also located in a neighborhood where it it’s too busy but also not too quiet. We got in a lot later than expected (highlight reel for the shenanigans) but went out to a really fun Cuban bar near our hotel called El Callejon de los Rumberos where there was live entertainment and where we all danced the night away.
Fast forward to the next morning, my new Model Co x Karl Lagerfeld cat eyeliner and Maybelline red lipstick is still on from the night before, we wake up and shoot at the hotel (tequila in pool photos lol) and then head straight to the market to do some shopping. It was fun! Your typical market with all the traditional souvenirs and market food, etc. I wish we would could have stayed longer in the town to explore but… it was time to go to the entire reason WHY we were there. AKAMBA!!! Little did I know this was going to be probably the most fun 36 hours of my life… so here we go.
(Damn this is long) I hope you have stuck with me through this far… We head over to the Jose Cuervo Express to Tequila where they greet us with the strongest margaritas I have ever had. I felt like we were arriving at the Polar Express but… Instead of the North Pole we’re in Mexico, and instead of hot cocoa we’re drinking tequila, and instead of Santa Claus, it’s Jose Cuervo lol. So… better than anything I could imagine. I am going to try to paint you a picture but pretty much this train is super old school looking but modern and they have a live band playing in every cart. So it’s literally like a live concert in every cart with free flowing Jose Cuervo and tacos… EVERYWHERE! Everyone is cart hopping, eating tacos, dancing, having a ball. It felt like we were time traveling back in time. You know those scenes in Midnight in Paris when Owen Wilson is literally time traveling to different decades? It felt like that. It was unlike anything I have ever experienced… the best experience ever. There really are no words… That’s why I am trying to create a vlog of the experience (hopefully available at the end of the week).
(Stay with me here y’all) We pull up to Tequila in the train and we arrive at our BEAUTIFUL hotel, Hotel Solar de las Animas, the nicest hotel in Tequila. Again, the decor, the service, the food/drinks, the rooftop pool, etc. everything was exquisite (I don’t throw that word around often). Then from the hotel we go explore the plaza… The town of Tequila is pretty small but the plaza is gorgeous. Then we were off to the Jose Cuervo welcome party at Hacienda El Centenario where we had such a fantastic time that we didn’t even take any photos. It was such a great time to get to know everyone that was in town for Akamba and the Jose Cuervo team in Mexico as well.
The next day was a BIG one and probably one of the most fun days of my life. We woke up and went and explored the Jose Cuervo distillery and then swam at the rooftop of the Hotel Solar de las Animas, and then went to the music festival Akamba. There is so much to making tequila that I could go on for another 2 pages but it’s pretty much listed out on my highlight. There are some key points I want to leave you with that… 1. The color of tequila does not necessarily determine its quality. Sure there are nicer ones than others but just because its silver and not gold doesn’t mean it’s lesser. It just means it’s younger! 2. REAL tequila is made with 100% agave. If its not made with 100% agave then you’re not drinking authentic tequila. 3. Jose Cuervo is the only Mexican and family owned tequila company left! So buy purchasing Jose Cuervo you are supporting a great family and Mexican owned company 🙂 4. This may be obvious but tequila is NOT meant to be taken like shots and should always be served at room temperature. It’s actually easier if you take a sip and swish it around your mouth and then swallow it. You can really appreciate the taste/aroma of the tequila and it wont burn as it goes down. 5. Reserva de la Familia is released in 1995 after keeping it a family secret for 200 years… This is known as the cognac of the Jose Cuervo tequilas and should be drunk out of a snifter glass. It is SOOOOO good omg. Apart from tasting real agave plants and all these amazing tequilas, the tour of the distillery itself was absolutely beautiful. I would love to go back with my family.
Now we’re off to go relax at the pool of our hotel where we have a beautiful view of the town and chill before we go (that’s where I am wearing the weworewhat x onia suit). Now it’s time to get ready for the main event… AKAMBA! We actually met some artists that were playing at the festival and called their music “electronic oriental” and it honestly was my favorite set! They are @satorimusica on Instagram! You should def check them out. Anyways, as y’all know I love a good music festival and this one was just in the most beautiful place in the world and was so beautifully decorated! It was smaller with only two stages but I sort of liked that more because it was easier to get around and find people. The food and margaritas were delicious and the weather was actually PERFECT. I thought it would be really hot but it wasn’t at all!
In conclusion, I HIGHLY suggest going in 2019 with a group of fiends and making a whole trip out of it. Stay in Guadalajara for two nights to explore the town and then stay in Tequila for 2-3 nights. You could honestly spend one day exploring the town and the distillery then finishing at the pool. And then the whole next day preparing for the festival at the pool and heading there in the afternoon. It’s such beautiful town, I think I would stay three nights to have a night to recoup and chill in town.
I want to thank the Jose Cuervo Tradicional team for having me! It was such an amazing trip and I can’t wait to go back again! I hope y’all all make a point to visit sometime soon and let me know if you do!
Xx
Lex
