The food is reason enough to visit but we were also impressed by their tequila bar. It’s small, but packed with some really great tequilas. A restaurant or bar doesn’t have to stock 300 different tequilas to be good – in fact, we really enjoy a smaller, carefully chosen selection – as long as the person behind the bar knows a thing or two about what they’re serving.

Now, you know that we like to drink our tequila straight, but we have to admit that Yxta’s tequila cocktails are pretty damn good too.

One in particular stood out, and it turns out that it’s one of their bestsellers. The Jamaica Margarita, which uses the hibiscus-infused Gran Centenario Rosangel tequila, was so good that we asked for the recipe. It offers a nice balance between tart and sweet, and its fresh flavors makes it is easy to drink.

I went back a few days later, brought my camera, and Berenice showed us how it’s done.

Jamaica Margarita Recipe

(from Yxta Cocina Mexicana in Los Angeles)

Ingredients
– Gran Centenario Rosangel tequila
– House-made jamaica juice (water, hibiscus, sugar)
– House-made sweet and sour (lime, lemon, orange, simple syrup, and some egg whites for froth)
– Triple sec
– Lime wedges

Directions
1.) Fill a glass with ice
2.) Add 1 1/2 ounces of Rosangel tequila
3.) Add a splash of Triplesec
4.) Squeeze 1 lime wedge into the glass
5.) Add the sweet and sour mixture to the glass (2 1/2 ounces)
6.) Add the jamaica juice to the glass (2 1/2 ounces)
7.) Add to a cocktail shaker and shake!
8.) Return to the glass and serve

If you try this recipe, we’d love to hear your thoughts. How did you like it? Post your comments below!

Now, to be completely honest, we’ve been to our fair share of tequila museums before and most leave us disappointed. (In our opinion, the best “museum” experience comes from the town and distilleries of Tequila, Jalisco itself.) So we were pleasantly surprised with our experience at this particular museum, which is located in Plaza Garibaldi, best known as being the home of los mariachi in Mexico City. (This is where you come to hire a mariachi band for a party, or just hang out and enjoy the music.)

The museum gives a general overview of the tequila and mezcal production processes, highlighting their rich Mexican history, and has an impressive bottle collection containing some very rare specimens, including old Porfidio and Siete Leguas bottles. It was also very refreshing to see that this museum is brand-neutral, meaning that all brands are equally represented.

After the tour, we went up to the top floor bar and restaurant, “La Cata.” This is where tours end with a little taste of both tequila and mezcal.

For $50 pesos (about $4 US dollars) you get entry into the museum as well as complimentary mini shots of tequila and mezcal on the terrace, overlooking Plaza Garibaldi. Definitely worthwhile.

I was cruising through iTunes, looking for songs about tequila, and realized that our beloved spirit has found a comfortable home in country music, Pee Wee Herman movies, Sammy Hagar tunes, and Hip Hop.

So I decided to dig deeper into iTunes, to come up with a list of songs that are less known, more bizarre, and deeply amusing.

I created an iTunes playlist called  Fun, Funny, Obscure Tequila Songs

Here’s what made the list:

13 Obscure (Yet Awesome) Songs About Tequila

1. Drinking Tequila, Jim Reeves

What a great way to start this list! It’s an old song (back when Juarez was a place gringos could actually go), and the only country song that made the list, just because of it’s ability to get this collection off to a weird, fun start.

Best Tequila Lyrics:
“Drinking tequila and teasing the girls!”

2. We Like Tequila, Tortured Soul

This song is 100% awesome because is actually cautions people to drink only 100% agave tequila, and to make extra sure that it is! It’s like this band has been reading our website or something. LOVE IT. The groove is actually pretty fun and upbeat, complete with a sexy woman’s voice saying “tequila” over and over. “We have style, we drink tequila!” Damn right!

Best Tequila Lyrics:
“Margarita, or maybe just straight.
When you need a kick, añejo is great.
Reposado, silver, as long as it’s pure.
100% agave, you gotta be sure!”

3. Tequila, Terrorvision

Time to pick up the pace a bit now. This song is all about “the curse of Cuervo,” and I think we’ve all been there. Someone needs to tell this band to avoid mixtos!

Best Tequila Lyrics:
“If there’s a lot on your mind it’s there to help you forget,
To relax and rewind and leave behind the regret,
First sip makes you well before you know it’s time,
And you’re saying to hell with the salt, lemon and lime”

4. Drinking Straight Tequila, Chris Cain

This song contains the classic blues song structure, only better because tequila is involved.

Best Tequila Lyrics:
“I’ve been drinking straight tequila,
cause I’m feel so alone.
I want to call you baby,
but you wouldn’t pick up the phone.”

5. Tequila Sunrise, Cypress Hill featuring Barron Ricks

This Hip Hop song is loaded up with explicitness (which I enjoy) but one thing that I don’t like is where they keep saying things like: “Eat the worm, motherf***er, while you burn, motherf***er”. [Note to Cypress Hill: THERE IS NO WORM IN TEQUILA!]

Best Tequila Lyrics:
“Tequila Sunrise, bloodshot eyes
Realize we’re all born to die”

6. Tequila, YoungBloodZ 

Another rap song, but this is one I can relate to! It compares tequila with a woman, “a mexican lover,” to be exact. I love the intro, where it starts off as a conversation in a bar.

“Hey what’s happenin’ baby. What’s your name girl? Tequila? Oh yeah, my friends call you Cuervo. You alright with me baby… fo’ real.”  Yesssss! So smooooth!

Best Tequila Lyrics:
“But I love this girl Tequila
one shot of her love, it’s over
she takes all my money
and all I want to do is hold her….Tequila
my Mexican lover”

7. Mexican Cousin, Phish

I had no idea Phish wrote a song about tequila. I like them even more now! If I knew this years ago, I may have even ended up following them across the country in a Volkswagen van. Ok, maybe not. But in this song, they speak of some true wisdom: “Tequila’s where that starts and where it ends.”

Best Tequila Lyrics:
“Oh Tequila, I turn to you like a long lost friend
I want to kiss my Mexican Cousin once again”

8. Jesus and Tequila, Minutemen

This song says that the only true things in life you can trust is Jesus, and tequila. You can’t trust a woman, or your boss – because they come and go. But tequila will always be there for you. Praise Jesus for that!

Best Tequila Lyrics:
“My life – Jesus and tequila
I’m satisfied
And I can’t deny it”

9. Dr. Tequila, Dr. Tequila

It’s obvious that San Francisco-based Richie Barron, also known as “Dr. Tequila” knows his stuff, as this song makes several mentions of “blue agave” and even includes several different brands, including Patron, Don Julio, Hornitos, Milagro, Corozon, and Cabo Wabo. Makes me want to book them for a show!

Best Tequila Lyrics:
“From San Diego to the San Francisco Bay,
All getting down on the Blue Agave.”

10. Tequila Bomb, Marigold

Other than the name of this song containing the word “tequila”, I’m not really sure I understand what this song is actually about. Although it does say that drinking Mexican water makes you stronger – I’ve decided not to test that out. But, with lyrics like this, can you make sense of it?:

“You gotta watch for blood in the ice cream, and Polaroids of orchids in the trees.”

Best Tequila Lyrics:
“Oh tequila bomb, what’s been going on?
Let’s hang around here, we were having fun.”

11. Tequila Song, Dynamic Blues Band

This song is on an album named “One More Kiss & One More Beer”, so that’s pretty awesome right there. Their “Tequila Song” is all about using tequila to forgive and forget your past – especially when it comes to failed relationships.

Best Tequila Lyrics:
“Now give me more tequila
and I’ll forget my past
Now give me more tequila
and I’ll forgive my past
I get a real good feelin’
and I hope it’ll last”

12. Tequila Time, Kansas City Bear Fighters

This is a fun little ditty that deserves a listen every once in a while, just to remind yourself that tequila, and life, is supposed to be fun. I can’t help but smile all the way through this one, thinking about how life shouldn’t be taken so damn seriously.

Best Tequila Lyrics:
“It’s almost tequila time
don’t use salt, and don’t need lime.
It’s a Mexican embrace
Put a smile right on my face
Now we can drink it up together if you wanna
If you don’t wanna then I’m a still a gonna
Cause I like to get drunk and I love to have funna
It’s tequila time!”

13. Hey Nineteen, Steely Dan

I couldn’t resist ending with this one – a song that I used to listen to over and over again as a child, long before I ever knew what “tequila” or “Cuervo Gold” or “fine Colombian” was. When I got to college, I finally learned.

Steely Dan is simply awesome.

Best Tequila Lyrics:
“The Cuervo Gold
The fine Colombian
Make tonight a wonderful thing.”

Got anything to add to this list? Let’s keep it going – add a comment below, and share this story with others!

– Grover

When we drink tequila, 98% of the time we sip it slow and straight. But every once in a while (the remaining 2%) it’ll take the form of a margarita. There are two margaritas that we like best, the “Pure Margarita,” and “Charlie’s Famous Mango Margarita.”

Charlie is the happy, smiling bartender at the Quinta Don Jose Boutique Hotel, in Tlaquepaque, Mexico – our favorite hotel in the Guadalajara area.

His mango margarita is sweet, smooth, fruity, refreshing, and the tequila is still the star ingredient (it’s not hiding beneath other flavors.)

During a recent visit, I convinced Charlie to give up his recipe – and I even created a video of the process (above).

Mango Margarita Tequila Drink Recipe

1. Start with 1/4 of a fresh mango, cubed
2. Add approximately 1 1/2 cups of ice to a blender
3. Add the juice of 1/2 of a large lime (he says “lemon” in the video, but he means “lime.”)
4. Add 1 ounce of Cointreau
5. Add 1 ounce of simple syrup (sugar water)
6. Add 2 ounces of 100% agave tequila (Charlie uses Siete Leguas blanco, or if that’s not available, Siete Leguas reposado)
7. Add the mango cubes to the blender
8. Blend until smooth
9. Wet the rim of a wide glass with a lime wedge
10. Add Tajin seasoning to the rim of the glass
11. Add a thin slice of mango to the rim for garnish
12. DRINK UP!

Thanks, Charlie! And if you’re ever in the Guadalajara area, consider sitting poolside at the Quinta Don Jose while sipping on one (or more) of these.

Leopoldo Solis is the mastermind behind many well-respected tequilas. After our review of his most recent creation, Tequila Gran Dovejo, we were invited to meet Mr. Solis in person while he was traveling through Mexico City.

Solis is a “Master Tequilero,” and Casa Real, Campanario, Don Pilar, Real de Mexico, and Siembra Azul are some of his other creations.

We took the opportunity to interview Mr. Solis, and asked him what it’s like to be a Master Tequilero (a dream job for any tequila fan.) We also asked him to explain the difference between a tequila that is 38% alcohol (which is commonly found in Mexico) and that same tequila at 40% (found in the United States.)

When we asked Mr. Solis what someone needed to be a “Master Tequilero,” he didn’t hesitate with his reply – passion. This passion was evident off camera as well. While we were setting up the lights and camera, Mr. Solis was enthusiastically sharing his knowledge about how to properly taste tequila, from sipping and breathing techniques to experimenting with your own senses.

For example, he told us that since we are both right-handed, we should try looking to the right and down at the floor when smelling tequila aromas. Sure enough, we both detected stronger aromas on our right-hand sides than our left. (Apparently, if you’re left-handed the opposite is true.)

He also said that your senses will change if you’re looking up rather than down, even with your eyes closed. “Everything matters,” he said.

His attention to detail and sensorial elements can’t help but affect the quality of his tequilas.