This summer, we’re taking you on a tour of some of our favourite wine and spirits regions via their cultural riches. Here, Alexandra Gray de Walden introduces you to the colourful magic of Mexico.

As the opening bars of Carlos Santana’s “Corazón Espinado” flow across the breeze and a cooling gush of Tequila and tonic passes my lips, I could be at a beach bar in Cancun. The air is alive with blooming guitar and the strong aroma of roasted pork and spices. But here I am in my garden in Berkshire recreating a Mexican fiesta.  

There is something so wonderfully exciting and colourful about the culture of Mexico. Take the Day of the Dead Festival (Día de los Muertos), held annually at the start of November. An amalgamation of the Aztec custom of honouring ancestors, with the tradition of All Souls’ Day introduced by Spanish invaders in the 1500s, this is far from the ghoulish notion of skeletons and ghosts.  

Deceased relatives are the guests of the day. Papier mâché skeletons in vibrant hues covered with flowers are displayed in windows, on street parades and at family altars. This is as much an honouring of the departed as it is a reminder to the living that death is only a part of life.

What better way to celebrate the joy of living than with a glass of Mexico’s national drink, Tequila?

What to drink

Mijenta, Reposado Tequila

I can’t be the only one whose first introduction to Tequila was in shot form. It was usually from a plastic shot glass, laced with table salt and followed by a suspiciously dry-looking lime wedge. Imagine my surprise, early in my spirits education at Berry Bros. & Rudd, when I was told that not only do we sell Tequila but that it is now a must-have for spirits collectors and widely considered by those in the know as the “next big thing”.  

Far from the high-volume, overtly alcoholic, paint-stripping Tequilas of my youth, artisan Tequila producers are now honing their craft and producing superlative spirits in traditional and time-honoured fashion. A distilled spirit produced from the blue agave plant, Tequila is mostly made in Mexico’s Jalisco region and, like Mexico itself, has become an increasingly cultural influence.

It was clear those university memories would take some bashing but it didn’t take quite as long as I imagined once I’d discovered Mijenta Tequila. The name comes from the Mexican “mi gente”, meaning “my people” and people are very much at the core of this producer’s ethos. The agave is grown without pesticides, the labels are made of agave waste, and the boxes are made from recycled paper. Mijenta has also been B-Corp certified since 2022.

The word Reposado means “rested”. After six months of slumber in American white oak, French oak and French acacia casks, Mijenta’s Reposado strikes the perfect balance between the earthy, herbal agave flavours and the softer, tempered spice from the oak. Its subtle golden colour well belies its heady nose of blossom, orange, hazelnut and rich bergamot.

The joy of artisan Tequilas such as Mijenta’s is you really can enjoy them neat – I promise. Mijenta’s Reposado has the most exquisite texture. Far from the throat-searing shots of yesteryear, it is velveteen and coating, almost like moleskin. Flavours of key lime, salted orange and dried chilli are woven together so elegantly that it’s challenging to pick them apart.

My preferred method for enjoying Tequila, however, is a Reposado and tonic water with a healthy squeeze of lime juice. This is a much more interesting and hedonistic alternative to a gin and tonic. It’s exquisitely refreshing and vastly more flavoursome.

For the cocktail fiends, El Diablo has a devilish twist, as its name suggests. Forget the Margarita or the Paloma – El Diablo is the Tequila cocktail to rule them all. It is a deft blend of Reposado, crème de cassis (or blackcurrant cordial if you’re feeling saintly), lime juice and ginger beer. This amalgam of earthy and fruity flavours with that twist of ginger spice is the last word in refreshment.

What to eat

Mexican cuisine is unquestionably delicious and has a strong historical influence from both the Mayan and Aztec civilisations. Indeed, the Aztecs are often credited with having invented the tortilla. Heavily focused around bases of local ingredients such as corn, maize and beans, the vast scope of Mexican food pleases all tastes and persuasions.

The taco is a folded or rolled tortilla filled with meat, beans and a sauce. Taco al pastor is thought to have been introduced to Mexico by Lebanese immigrants and is considered one of the most delectable and aromatic. Slow-roasted pork cooked on a spit (or trompo) is marinated in a mixture of chillies, spices and smoky achiote paste and served in a taco. Topped with coriander, onions and even pineapple, it is another festival of flavours and textures – so typical of Mexican culture. The mingling of local spices and succulent pork are elegantly cooled by the pineapple.

In this instance, I would probably advise against El Diablo as your pairing of choice – that ginger beer spice would zing the chillies in the taco far too much. Instead, flood some neat Mijenta Reposado over ice or crack open the tonic – this is the T&T’s time to shine. For the vegetarians, or for something a little lighter, the Mexican street corn salad also offers a flavour explosion. Brown some corn kernels in garlic and butter, add a mayonnaise, sour cream and lime dressing and top with torn coriander and chopped jalapeños. The blend of jalapeño heat, zingy lime and cooling sour cream is pure heaven.

What to listen to

The musical charms of Mexico can’t possibly be discussed without Carlos Santana. Often cited as one of the most talented guitarists of all time, he has been sharing Mexican-inspired rock around the world since the late 1960s.  

In fact, it is Santana’s eponymous first album, released in 1969, which provides the soundtrack to my Mexican-inspired, al fresco evening. It opens with “Waiting”, a highly 60s-sounding medley of psychedelic drums, cymbal skits and some Ray Manzarek-inspired keys. Carlos’s signature fretboard licks arrive for the last quarter and signal to the world what it would be lucky enough to hear for the next 50-plus years. The treasured gem on this album is “Evil Ways”. A tale as old as time, it tells of a lover who can’t give up their free-spirited partner who refuses to commit.

For a more contemporary foray into música mexicana, look no further than guitar duo Rodrigo y Gabriela. Their flamboyant mix of flamenco, traditional guitar and metal has featured in numerous film and television scores from Pirates of the Caribbean to Breaking Bad.

Despite arriving more recently on the scene than Santana, their music has a more distinctly traditional guitar sound to it: acoustic, raw and crisp enough to almost pick out each individual string. From their album In Between Thoughts… A New World (2023), you simply must listen to “Descending To Nowhere”. All seems subtle and calm but things quickly crescendo to a powerful, emotive and passionate flamenco – rather like that Reposado, in fact.

Buy Mijenta’s Tequila Reposado here.