This premium brand is unveiling a collection of delectable cocktails, perfect for celebrating the season. The Cantera Negra portfolio, including Silver, Reposado, Añejo, Extra Añejo, and Café, stands out with no additives (except in the Café) and aging that exceeds the standard for Reposado and Añejo.

Louisiana isn't the place you normally think of when it comes to unique spirits and especially tequila but the Noël family from Donaldsonville - Ascension Parish (just outside of New Orleans) have whipped up some creative, delicious, and intriguing offerings that show what can be created from a cross-border partnership with a Mexican distillery. In addition to tequila, the distillery is also producing vodka and rum as well as offering tours.

Commemorate the day by mixing up the Basil Paloma, a unique twist on the classic Paloma cocktail featuring Hornitos Black Barrel Tequila, or the Coctel Del Barista, a sweet and refreshing cocktail featuring Hornitos Reposado Tequila, a variant created by Hornitos decades before it became common practice.

So you've probably experimented with whiskey before when preparing BBQ but sometimes the occasion just calls for tequila and so that what we tried. This recipe is a fairly simple smoked brisket recipe with light hints of tequila that help pair it well with a nice full glass of high-quality agave spirits such as our favorite, Don Julio 1942.

Raise your glass with Sláinte de la Noche, a cocktail inspired by the popular “Irish Coffee” as well as Teq-Kiwi, a drink as green as the Emerald Isle itself. Not into cocktails? Pick up a bottle of whiskey-like Hornitos Black Barrel, pour yourself a glass and taste what sets this unique product apart.

In honor of Mexican Independence Day, I'm sharing a tasty little recipe from Zinum Mezcal for their Basil Margarita!

Dia De Los Muertos is on Sunday and so it's important to take a look back at those of our ancestors who have passed and remember them. Along with just remembering them it's important to share stories about the great moments in their lives and how they have inspired us with their passion. While Don Julio is certainly not one of my ancestors, I feel that it's always good to extend this to a broader community as well. As someone who is passionate about tequila, there's a bunch I didn't quite appreciate about Tequila Don Julio until I watched their new video about his life and how he got started.

Memorial Day weekend is here and that probably means grilling burgers in the backyard and passing around cans of beer while sitting at a picnic table. While that's all fun and good, we think that a holiday weekend deserves something a bit classier, so here are two recipes that are easy to make but will impress your friends.

Juan Martinez, the renowned mixologist from LA's newest hotspot restaurant and lounge Toca Madera and formerly of Cecconi's, has fashioned a signature margarita cocktail featuring DELEÓN® Tequila that enhances every aspect of the classic construction with farm-fresh local ingredients to create a flavor profile for the celebrated holiday that's a unique representation of the city of Los Angeles.

The star of the "Amante Picante Margarita" – and the leader of the complete DeLeón Tequila line-up – is the new Platinum. Un-aged and unrivaled in finish, DeLeón Platinum Tequila ($60 MSRP per 750ml), made from 100% Highland agave, is a provocative Blanco with a rich, complex agave honey that is slow-fermented and twice-distilled. Locally-sourced serrano pepper and cilantro add some Mexican spice to this cocktail as a not to LA's significant Mexican population and influence.

Tequila in the United States has come a LONG way from the days when it was a rough, cheap spirit that gave you wicked hangovers. Today, there are some spectacular brands out there that are truly world class spirits that are are as good to sip as they are to mix into a cocktail. I've been blessed to have assembled a collection of bottles from press samples that now includes almost a dozen tequilas. Partida though is one of the few that I truly enjoy to share with friends as it is equally good to sip slowly as it is in a margarita. 

To learn more about this amazing spirit, we had a chance to chat with Partida's bartender ambassador Jacques Bezuidenhout.

San Diego has tons of craft beer bars and great wine is in no shortage either but the craft spirits industry is also growing rapidly here as well. One of the shining stars there is El Agave Artesanal tequila and so I was thrilled that the folks at El Agave Restaurant invited us back to try some additional menu items as well as a tequila tasting led by one of their experts.

Happy National Tequila Day!

Not sure about your plans, but we're celebrating with some delicious margaritas and tequila cocktail recipes that we've rounded up from around the world. Which is your favorite?

Just in case you needed another excuse to play in the sun down in Puerto Vallarta, the CasaMagna Marriott sends word that they have launched a new tequila appreciation program titled Secretos de la Familia and they are one of the few resorts in the world where agave azul is actually grown on the grounds and used for making their very own tequila.

According to the General Manager, the resort boasts an enormous library of this spirit including 114 tequilas regularly available by the glass and a Tequila Sommelier who hosts regular tasting classes for the guests.

Tequila tends to be a summer drink in the United States - it is synonymous with margaritas and doing shots on the beach or around a campfire. However, there is more to the spirit than just that. To help convince us, Tequila Avion sent us some great recipe ideas that will go well with your Thanksgiving celebrations this year.