Of 71 tequila distilleries inspected in the last six months, 65 failed to follow state and federal environmental norms in treating water contaminated by the process and the unused end product of the cooked agave piñas.



Although the largest tequila producers — accounting for some 80 percent of production — have invested millions of dollars in treatment facilities, many of the 130 smaller tequileras in the state are contaminating… Continue

Juan-Domingo “Dobel” Beckmann, the sixth-generation leader of the world’s most prominent tequila-producing family, today announces the introduction of Maestro Dobel, the first-ever diamond tequila. Unlike any other aged tequila, Maestro Dobel is a diamond-clear spirit – a result of a proprietary blending and filtration technique.

Juan Dobel first imagined this unique tequila brand that… Continue

ZAPOTLANEJO, Mexico — Here in the heart of Mexico's tequila country, where every town has a distillery and the air smells like sweet fermenting molasses, a sign proudly marks the entrance to Miguel Ramírez's farm: "Rancho Ramírez: Producer of Agaves." But behind the fence, the blue agave plants, the raw ingredient of Mexico's famous tequila, are getting harder to spot. They are being replaced by row after row of leafy cornstalks. That switch to… Continue

Mas tequila at the new Cabo Wabo in Fresno



You've watched the construction. You've heard the chatter. You've waited patiently. And now, the time is here: Fresno's Cabo Wabo Cantina is opening today.



Cabo Wabo -- a hybrid restaurant, bar and nightclub -- is the creation of rocker Sammy Hagar of Van Halen fame. He opened a location in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, another in Lake Tahoe and now a third in Fresno, at… Continue

Brown-Forman's Tequila Deal Has A Bad Aftertaste



Brown-Forman investors may want a drink.



The Louisville, Ky., booze maker, famous for favorites such as Jack Daniel's and Southern Comfort, was hit with a $22 million charge in the first quarter after their newly acquired Mexican tequila producing subsidiary announced it had run into problems making tequila.



The problem? The loss of agave plants to… Continue

If, like me, you occasionally succumb to the temptation to judge a restaurant by its name, you might suppose that Cava22 is some kind of champagne bar ... all right, a cava bar, cava being the word the Spanish came up with to describe their méthode champenoise–style sparkling wines. And you wouldn't be completely wrong; the place, opened last winter by the Valle brothers (Ramón and Samuel) and Roger Magaña in a cavernous Mission District setting… Continue

JALISCO, Mexico -- Terroir, the precious term that has been mispronounced and misunderstood for years in the wine world, is gaining currency in the spirits world. To wit: Scotch whisky now exhibits terroir; Kentucky bourbon claims terroir. So does rhum agricole from Martinique.

And then there's tequila. "If there's one… Continue

(FYI, the bottle in this pic is worth $150,000.00!)

Shaker of salt: Collector obsessed by tequila



TEPOZTLAN, Mexico — Ricardo Ampudia cradles the bottle of tequila like a baby. It is, after all, a rare "presidential" tequila - a bottle commissioned by former Mexican leader Jose Lopez Portillo when he was elected in 1976.



"It's exceptional," Ampudia tells a gathering of friends touring his collection. "It's what he… Continue

The Met's Liquid Work of Art

Jeff Koons' vivid sculptures have inspired a cool cocktail at the Met’s Roof Garden Café.



It's bold, bright and packs a punch - and we're not talking about the artwork. The Coloring Book, a cocktail tribute to one of the oversized Jeff Koons sculptures on show at the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s rooftop, was created by… Continue

According to the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States

U.S. imports of tequila have grown almost 50 percent in the past six years. The reason? The council says it's accessible to all Americans and available for every budget and occasion.



That might be the reason one local restaurant, Miguel's Latin American Cuisine, has so many… Continue

Damiana Flower Power: Agavero Tequila Unleashes Its Secret Ingredient After Study Finds Americans Need More Passion in Their Lives



Upcoming 'Halfway to Valentine's Day' is The Perfect Time to Invoke Passion With the Aphrodisiac Power of Agavero Tequila





NEW YORK, Aug. 11 /PRNewswire/ -- Do you think you have what it takes to… Continue

New Level of 'Airness' Reached as Hot Lixx Hulahan Wins 2008 Cuervo Black U.S. Air Guitar Championship



SAN FRANCISCO, Aug 11, 2008 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ ----The competition was brutal. Twenty-four of the nation's top Air Guitar stars each took the stage at The Grand Ballroom this… Continue

The Spanish Kitchen

Tequila School Sign Up!

Hornitos(TM) Tequila Introduces Innovative Mobile and Illuminating Technologies to Engage Consumers

Hornitos(TM) Becomes the First Spirits Brand to Offer Consumers the Opportunity to Buy a Drink for a Friend via Mobile and Use Illuminating Packaging



DEERFIELD, Ill., Aug 12, 2008 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Beam Global Spirits & Wine, Inc. (Fortune Brands, Inc. (NYSE:FO)), a global leader in premium spirits, and Hornitos(TM) Tequila, a… Continue

Bacon Monday: You tell me



It's Monday and you know what that means... another bacon inspired beverage! I have to admit I'm not sure what to call this one. It's a twist on one of my personal favorites, the Mexican Martini. This drink was inspired by my friends who make Bacon… Continue

Not long ago I attended a dinner sponsored by Casa Herradura at Adobo Grill on Wells. Herradura is a premium, 100-percent agave tequila. Adobo sells a ton of Herradura Tequila. Actually, almost 10 tons of it between the four Adobo locations (i.e., about 1,000 cases a year).

Adobo Chef Freddy Sanchez is from Zacatecas, in central Mexico, and the… Continue

Mastering the margarita: Tequila aside, even experts can't agree on what goes into the legendary cocktail

At Fonda restaurant in Albany bartenders make their margaritas with fresh lime juice, premium Tequila, Cointreau and simple syrup. The drink is served over ice in either a tumbler or margarita glass rimmed with salt. Many bartenders… Continue

There's going to be a tequila festival at the Monterey Fairgrounds in Monterey, Ca on October 4, 2008. More details when I get them.

It's not exactly as if we need an excuse to knock back a margarita or two while we're relaxing at the cabin or by the lake. But just in case, Julio Gonzalez has one for you.



Tequila, says the brand ambassador for Sauza, is actually kind of good for you.



"It's a very healthy product," he insists.

Tequila, after all, is made from agave, the miracle plant the Aztec Indians thought was a gift from the gods. And now Sauza… Continue