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.

We love tequila and whether you are sipping, shooting, or enjoying it in a cocktail it's always a spirit to enjoy with friends.  While there are plenty of bars where you can celebrate we wanted to create a list of some of our favorite recipes provided by friends at our favorite Tequila brands including: CRUZ, el Jimador, Partida, Herradura, and others.

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.

With June 21 and the Summer Solstice fast approaching you can expect longer days, warmer weather and more social gatherings than anyone has time to plan for. We know you'll need every edge you can get to take advantage of the coming increase in summer events, so let's get started!

Tonight's the night to brush up on your mixology skills and transport guests from your backyard to cities around the world all in one night.

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.

San Diego's "festival" season is in full swing this month and between beer festivals it's great to try something different. The San Diego Tacos and Tequila Festival helped celebrate two of the other great things about San Diego, while raising some great money for the Front Burner Fund, which provides assistance back of house restaurant staff for health care costs and emergency medical needs.

The 2015 festival included 12 mixologists drawing from some of San Diego's best bars and 15 different food vendors (mostly tacos, but also cupcakes and ice cream). 

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.

Rum and Bourbon drinks are synonymous with Mardi Gras, but what about our good friends from Mexico?

Hornitos sent in these fun tequila cocktail recipes to help us celebrate!

It's date night and we're here to save you with some delicious cocktails with Hornitos that perfect for Valentine's Day or date night any time of the year!

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.

You've been to beer fests and wine festivals but there aren't that many spirits festivals that are open to the public unfortunately. If you are a fan of spirits and craft cocktails it seems that you're passion is best explored at a bar buying expensive cocktails and new liquors only to find out that you made an expensive mistake and are forced to either finish or let it go to waste.

The San Diego Spirits Festival on the other hand offers new as well as seasoned fans a chance to explore spirits brand new to the market as well as celebrate with friends over tasters of familiar friends like Don Julio, Stoli, and Woodford Reserve. 

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.

The following are some of my favorite tequila bottles and tequila brands.

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.

Margaritas come in all shapes, sizes, and in a variety of ways –from mango to strawberry, to frozen or straight up. With all of these types of margaritas available, deciding which to drink on Cinco de Mayo can be tricky.

So why not save yourself the trouble and go with the best? Man Tripping had a chance to try Tequila Avion reposado recently and we love the flavor!

We've looked at rums, whiskies, and even vodka over the past few months, but one fantastic spirit has escaped us. That of course, is tequila. Part of my reluctance to embrace tequila was that my familiarity with it was shaped primarily by experiences during college and spring break type situations where tequila was cheap, plentiful and tasted like shit.