When I travel, I seek out places that reward curiosity; where you can eat your way through a neighbourhood and pick up on the culture without a guidebook. That’s why I very quickly said “yes” when La Mezcaleria invited me to tag along on their team trip to Mexico.

The Vancouver-based Mexican restaurant was heading to the town of Tequila, in the state of Jalisco, to learn firsthand how the spirit of its name is made from field to the bottle, under the guidance of Master Distiller Jorge Antonio “Tony” Salles and the team at El Tequileño.

The plan: spend a few days in Guadalajara, before moving on to Tequila for a deep dive into agave country. This clearly wasn’t going to be a vacation in the “classic” sense. Instead, I was signing up for an educational and multi-layered look at one of Mexico’s most iconic exports, guided by people who live and breathe it every day – all enjoyed with a handful of Mexican friends who know the culture, language, and insider “secrets” to having the best time.

Day 1: Guadalajara

On my first night, I stayed in Guadalajara’s historic city centre. Guadalajara is almost 500 years old, and its architecture swerves from colonial to “freestyle” buildings splashed with colour and built without apology. Nothing is “typical” here because over the centuries, developments, growth and life have added layer upon layer to make it what it is today. The city is bigger than Vancouver – denser, too — yet despite everything, it doesn’t feel overwhelming.

From my hotel it was a short walk to Colonia Americana, a neighbourhood full of cafés, mezcalerías, and restaurants, many which are actually carved into old houses and repurposed buildings. Though the length of my visit gave me limited time for exploring, I still managed to walk past Spanish colonial cathedrals, sharp contemporary designs, graceful archways, busy marketplaces, and hidden courtyards. All the while, the streets hummed with life — there were people and colours everywhere — while parks and galleries notched out quieter spaces.

I had never been to Guadalajara before, and my first impression was of a city alive with the good kind of chaos: gatherings of people talking, sharing food, laughing and dancing in the streets. Music spilled from bars, houses, and passing cars. People made out on the street. Late nights blurred into early mornings, when vendors begin setting up market stalls with fruit, vintage clothes, baked goods, and cold drinks. Of course, this isn’t utopia: economic disparity, exploitation, and crime aren’t hidden; but there is also a sense of real joy that feels like it’s built right into the system. The rules are looser here, and the living feels fuller, as a result.

Day 2: JOURNEY TO Tequila

On my second day, the Mezcaleria team assembled at a central meeting point in Guadalajara. After a quick but fortifying brunch of birria (a Jalisco staple), we were bound for Tequila by the early afternoon. The journey itself became a highlight. Halfway through the drive, we stopped at Cantaritos El Güero, a sprawling roadside cantina known for one thing: “Cantaritos” (clay jugs filled with tequila, citrus, and Squirt). You get to choose the tequila; so our group opted for El Tequileño, since this was our ultimate destination, and we considered it good “research”.

From then on, we floated through the afternoon, as tables of friends clinked Cantaritos, mariachi bands played, couples danced, and families joined in. At the end, clay mugs were thrown against the wall for good luck and good times. Sure, Cantaritos El Güero isn’t exactly off the radar, but it’s not a tourist trap either – locals (moms, uncles, teenagers and grandmas) come here too. It’s joyful, rowdy, and unfiltered. It was also the perfect introduction to the informal, lively, and refreshingly unpolished spirit of Tequila. I immediately felt connected to the rhythms and rituals of the region.

Day 3: TEQUILA, JALISCO

After a short drive along dusty roads taking us through the outskirts of Tequila, we checked into Casa Salles. Currently a 25-room boutique hotel, it was once the family home of the Salles family. Wrapped in greenery and anchored by a pool that catches just the right amount of afternoon sun, it offered a welcome contrast to the high-energy chaos of Cantaritos El Güero. Slipping into this space felt like stepping into a pocket of calm. The garden was quiet and lush, and the light was soft.

One of the most compelling aspects of staying at Casa Salles is how closely it’s tied to the production of El Tequileño tequila. The hotel shares its grounds with La Guarreña Distillery (where El Tequileño is produced), and the connection isn’t just symbolic — it’s physical. Walk through the garden and you’re on the production floor, where agave is chopped, cooked, crushed, fermented and distilled. There’s no ticket booth, velvet rope or curated visitor centre; just real production in motion, all day, every day. In order to get to their rooms, guests must pass raw piñas being hacked down and fed into hand-built autoclaves – a real and constant reminder of the work happening right here.

On our visit, we were fortunate enough to join Master Distiller Tony Salles (third-generation in the Salles family line) for a walkthrough of the entire process – not always a guarantee. From the roasting of agave to their unique fermentation process featuring the influence of 150-year-old mango trees growing on site, every step happens here. Unlike many brands that rent time at shared facilities, El Tequileño has produced its tequila in the same place for 65 years. The result is a product made with care — and honestly, you can taste it.

WHAT TO DO

Wander the town of Tequila

The town of Tequila is small and walkable, with cobblestone streets winding between plazas, taquerias, and distilleries. It’s also a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the history is palpable. There’s something to discover around every corner: be it a family-run taqueria, an open-air bar, or a shop selling hand-blown glassware. But the real standout of my visit wasn’t the food or the drinks (though they were all excellent). It was the people. Everyone I encountered was generous, funny and proud, and always down for music. Jalisco is the heart of mariachi, after all! Which means there are always instruments playing, and spontaneous dancing frequently breaking out, right there in the street. Mariachis aren’t staged for tourists, either – they’re part of the Tequila’s pulse. Like Guadalajara, the thing that really made an impression on me here was the joy I saw.

It’s not something I ever go looking for, but once I started noticing couples dancing, kissing, and laughing in the streets — unbothered by whoever’s watching — I realized how rarely I get to see that kind of uninhibited joy back home, in Vancouver. And this kind of intimate yet collective emotional honesty both disarmed and inspired me.

Visit El Tequileño’s La Guarreña Distillery

Everything at this respected establishment is made from 100% blue agave and volcanic spring water – the latter being a rare source that only a handful of distilleries have access to. There are no additives or shortcuts; just a clean expression of place undiluted by scale. For anyone curious about how tequila is made from start (plant) to finish (the bottle), the tour experience at La Guarreña Distillery will school you on it all. You can even speak with the hotel to arrange a tour of the agave fields, where you’ll see jimadores at work and get a firsthand look at what it takes to grow and harvest these plants. (More on that below.) Finish your tour with a tasting including El Tequileño’s full range, beginning with their bright, citrus-forward blanco and leading up to their Extra Añejo Gran Reserva.

Tour Tequila Fortaleza

While La Guarreña Distillery relies on its own unique and precise methods, a visit to neighbouring Tequila Fortaleza – another of the region’s most esteemed distilleries – will take you back to the very roots of traditional tequila making. Everything here is done the old-school way: agave is first roasted in brick ovens, then crushed with a volcanic stone wheel, before being fermented and distilled in copper stills. It’s hands-on, labour-intensive and unmechanized, by design. A tour of the grounds draws you into the heart of this process, from the aging room to the bottling line where each topper is hand-moulded and placed with care. It all culminates in a tasting of four Fortaleza expressions, held in a subterranean cave carved into the hillside. If you’ve got the energy, the optional hike to the mirador reveals sweeping views of the agave fields below. Take water – the Jalisco sun is no joke.

Walk the Agave Fields

You can’t understand tequila without stepping into the fields. The tough, spiny blue agave stretches in every direction, and because each plant takes six to eight years to mature, knowing when it’s ready to be harvested is not an inconsequential call. Jimadors are trained to read the plant and strike with a coa (a razor-sharp, shovel-like blade) with technique honed over generations. The timing of the cut, the way the piña is revealed — every move affects the final flavour.

René Carranza, of Atanasio Tequila, leads tours through the fields, breaking down the plant’s history, the role of the jimador, and the nuanced complexity of agave itself — how it grows and changes over time, and how its character shows up in the bottle. Carranza made it clear: the jimador’s story matters. This is punishing, skilled labour, learned over time and passed down. Once you’ve seen it and had it explained to you, it’s hard to look at tequila the same way. The clean, honest stuff costs more, but it’s clearly hard-earned (and it tends to treat you better, too.)

WHERE TO EAT, DRINK AND STAY

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In Guadalajara

Farmacia Rita Pérez – A neighbourhood cocktail bar in Colonia Americana where the focus is on regional spirits (mostly agave) and keeping things casual. The menu highlights independent producers, and the room feels like a local hangout you’d want to return to.

Old Peter – Through a side door behind Farmacia Rita Pérez, this agave-forward bar serves solid cocktails, good food, and low-key charm. Staff are warm, the mood is easygoing, and you’ll probably end up staying longer than planned. I did.

El Gallo Altanero – One of the city’s heavyweights (ranked #8 on North America’s 50 Best Bars, and #48 globally), El Gallo Altanero is known for its serious love of agave – particularly the independently procured. It’s loud, lively and confident, with a second floor open air patio looking up to the stars. It’s the kind of place that doesn’t try too hard, because it doesn’t have to.

La Chata de Guadalajara – A large format dining hall serving traditional Jaliscan fare since 1942, La Chata is a go-to for locals and tourists alike. Expect big portions, fair prices, and a lineup out front — especially for the “platillo jalisciense,” a fried chicken plate with five sides made from recipes passed down through generations.

Gabinete – For all-day brunch, fresh juices, and wine overflowing from the afternoon hours into the evening, Gabinete in Colonia Americana is the place to be. It’s got wood framing, big windows, and lots of plants. Open Wednesday to Monday from 8 am to 10 pm, and Sundays from 8 am to 8 pm.

Mercado Libertad – The Mercado Libertad is the largest indoor market in Mexico, and an ideal crash course in local culture. On the ground floor, vendors sell fresh produce, spices, and regional snacks like garapiñados; whereas the second level hosts simple eateries, and the third has artisan goods like hand-painted masks, pottery, and blankets. Open daily from 7am to 8pm.

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In Tequila

Ixtete – Located in the Centro district, Ixtete is a simple, and tastefully appointed bar with a sharp focus on tequila. The space often hosts guest takeovers and educational tastings, offering a chance to explore rare bottles and regional expressions with insight from people who live and breathe agave. A good stop for anyone interested in tequila, this place is a little more elevated, but still not at all stuffy.

Cleofas Mota – Essentially a local market food court, this place is packed with stalls turning out affordable, satisfying plates, and it’s a lovely spot to fuel up and watch the world move by. But if you’re chasing street food, you’re really in luck: in Tequila, the taco stands come out in droves after dark. At around 10 pesos per taco, you really can’t go wrong, and all the ones I ate at were fastidious about cleanliness.

Mango Cocina de Origen – In addition to the magic of staying on the same land as the distillery, Casa Salles’ on-site fine dining outfit, Mango Cocina, is a sharp step up from standard hotel fare. Under the hand of Chef Efrain Villanueva, the restaurant features thoughtful plating, interesting flavours, and a menu designed to share a sense of place. The cooking here was genuinely impressive.

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Casa Salles is a boutique hotel set on beautiful grounds beside a working distillery in Tequila, Jalsico. This polished retreat known for its attentive staff and relaxed luxury, offers modern rooms with private balconies, a pool, spa, and lush gardens. Guests can enjoy international dining, wellness services, and thoughtful amenities, all within walking distance of town and within easy reach of Guadalajara.