You Can Visit The Real Town Of Tequila And Drink All Of The Tequila

Tequila: we all know it as the main ingredient in delicious margaritas and the end of many nights out when your friend arrives at your table with a tray of the shots accompanied by lime wedges and salt.

But you've be forgiven for forgetting the honey-hued spirit is actually named after a small Mexican town where the tipple was first born.

Tequila, located in the state of Jalisco, is a sun-soaked factory town surrounded by fields of blue agave - the plant which forms the base ingredient for the spirit, native to the area.

Pexels)

Now a major tourist area thanks to becoming a Unesco World Heritage site in 2006, the little town is packed with tequila bars on every corner and holds three big distilleries where tequila is made.

All three, the Casa Sauza, Tequila Fortaleza and Tequila Fortaleza, hold guided tours while the Jose Cuervo Express train is another famous way to see how the spirit is made.

Leaving every Saturday at 9.00 or 9.30 a.m. from Guadalajara (just an hour drive from Tequila) takes you on a scenic train ride and stops off at La Rojeña Distillery.

Jose Cuervo Express)

Here, you'll see the brick ovens where the drink is cooked up and peruse the ageing cellars where the drink is stored.

It's surely a bucket list destination for margarita obsessive (we all know one), and the great thing is it's so easy to visit.

Simply fly to Guadalajara, Mexico, and hop on a train or bus into the town. Once there, you can book a stay in one of the town's many well-priced hotels or even treat yourself to the a unique tequila barrel stay for the full experience.

Located just outside of the town of Tequila lies Matices Hotel de Barricas (meaning quite literally Hotel of Barrels), seeing rows and rows of enormous tequila barrels - where the drink was actually once stored - upcycled to make cosy little homes for guests.

Matices Hotel de Barricas)

While we can't wait to visit the home of tequila, it's worth remembering that currently Brits are advised against all but essential travel to Mexico. If you do decided to travel you might have to quarantine for two weeks afterwards.

A trip to Tequila might be one for next year, but it's certainly now high on our travel bucket list!

Topics: Life, travel

Ciara Sheppard

Ciara is a freelance writer working for Tyla. After graduating with an English Lit and Media degree from the University of Sussex, Ciara held jobs at GLAMOUR and Yahoo Style before packing up for a solo travelling trip around South America.

@ciarasheppard