Even if you haven’t recently perused your copy of Tequila Mockingbird, Cocktails with a Literary Twist, you may be inclined to tempt your taste buds with more than 200 different tequilas offered at the Four Seasons Punta Mita and combine it with a tequila blending class. Tequila aficionados or mere tequila sippers, following this informative class, impress your Gringo friends with your own personal blended Tequila. Included in the resort Culinary Experience program, the national drink can be personally blended, bottled and registered with the hand selected resort Tequila maker. Tequila tastings at home can be supplemented with your registered blend, order more for gifts, your personal blend is registered with Casa San Matias Tequila Factory.

Si Amigo, how is this accomplished? Tequila aficionados can create their own unique customized blend with the help of the resort’s Cultural Concierge. Enrique Alejos first leads a guided tasting to identify the flavors and aromas of various barrel-aged tequilas. Guests then sample all the varieties before choosing their four favorites and balancing them to taste in order to create a unique blend of their very own. The one-of-a-kind result is placed in a handmade Damajuana bottle and sealed with wax. A leather label is signed, numbered, and registered in the logbook of Casa San Matias Tequila Factory.

Tequila has always been deeply woven in Mexican culture and life, a historic blend of Meso-American and Spanish culture. The spirit education combines a bit of molecular mixology Enrique’s instructions tease out tequila’s surprising subtleties by using traditional Mexican ingredients in un-traditional ways. For a start, he recommends leaving the usual salt and lime slices aside. Instead, he provides several taste enhancers: lemon peel, chocolate and coffee beans, a slip of sugar cane, elements that highlight tequila complexities. Serious sippers rarely use shots of tequila, drinking from a tequila glass or a snifter optimizes the flavors and agave aromas.

Each guest will make a unique blend tequila from four different barrels of tequila. Guests can discover many different tequilas during their stay and experience many ways to get to the heart of each. Gift of the Gods.

Just as the French who have the distinct ownership of Champagne, in 1974, Mexico declared the word “tequila” as intellectual property of the country. In 1978, Mexico went a step further when tequila became regulated through the Appellation of Origin. The mandate sets forth strict production standards, including where the spirit can be distilled, to officially be considered a tequila. All 124 Jalisco municipalities are included in the standard, as are 56 others within Guanajuato, Nayarit, Michoacán, and Tamaulipas.

In the sprit of good health and a long future: Salud!