Raiders vs Patriots in Mexico City

The anticipated Raiders vs Patriots game in Mexico City is just days away! The game is expected to be a hard fought game on both offense and defense as both teams look to claim their spots in the AFC playoff race. With the game, just days away and fans heading out to Mexico City we thought we would help out by sharing some suggestions on cool markets and historic places to visit while in Mexico City. Enjoy!

 "The game in Mexico City is sure to be a great opportunity for NFL fans from the United States to experience the vast culture that Mexico City has to offer. If you’re traveling to Mexico City for the Raiders’ Week 11 NFL game, be sure to stick around for the food, nightlife and sightseeing opportunities, too."

Read more here.

Tequila, the spirit of all seasons.

Why do we consider tequila the spirit of all season's? The answer is simple. Tequila is the best around! Tequila is a true art form that can be enjoyed in any mood. Tequila is known for the occasional round of shots at the bar or even the key ingredient to margaritas. However, tequila is not just limited to these forms of drinking but can be enjoyed on the rocks, cocktails and can even be used in forms of cooking to add the additional flavor to any food. Tequila can be enjoyed with any mood and that's why El Rey brings you the classical aged tequila's such as Añejo and reposado as well as the option of silver, pineapple coconut, hibiscus and strawberry.  A variety of tequila for whatever fits your mood. 

“You should drink the tequila which better suits your mood more than what suits your meal. Because we don’t eat beautiful dishes just to get full, any more than we want to drink tequila because we are thirsty. Drinking tequila is an experience all on its own.”

Read more here.

Tequila offers medical promise.

Great news! more reasons to drink tequila. Tequila has been a growing part of the American market for years as many enjoy drinking tequila in different occasions whether social or to relax. Reports have shown that tequila has a significant impact on your bones as well as a source of treatment for osteoporosis the reasons behind this is due to the plant that is used in tequila which is the coveted agave plant. The agave plant known as the center piece for tequila is now being used as more than just the sweetener of tequila but as well as a health benefit. 

"The blue agave plant is already being investigated as the source of treatments for osteoporosis an lowering blood glucose, and now is being used as the raw material in a bio-skin to treat second- and third-degree burns."

Read more here!

Bats are an essential part in the making of tequila.

Did you know bats have an impact on how tequila is made? Agave is one of the only plants that pollinates at night to add that sweet base to every tequila bottle.Bats are an essential part on how the agave plants are grown as bats help pollenate each agave plant. However, the species has dropped a significant percentage due to it's "ecosystem being disrupted by large-scale, cheaper methods of making tequila." Growing agave naturally is an essential part of making tequila and that is why our own Cascahuín Distillery contributes to the preservation of bats by letting 2% of its Agave plants to bloom.

"You can't have tequila without agave, the spiky desert plant used as its base. And it's hard to have agave without bats — because a few species of these winged creatures are the plant's primary pollinators. Agave co-evolved with bats over thousands of years. As a result, it's one of the very few plants that pollinates at night. Daulton says industrial agave farming adversely affects both plants and bats."

Read more here!

The Sugar Sweetness of Dia De Los Muertos.

An Iconic image of Dia De Los Muertos is the sugar skull. It has become a classic art form of Dia De Los Muertos and truly brings out the creativity in many of those who have mastered the skills in making them. Like many of the art forms you see during Dia De Los Muertos festivities, sugar skulls have their own meaning and history as well. Sugar skulls represent the beauty of death as a celebration for those who have passed away. The skulls are usually placed on gravestones sometimes with food and beverages that serve as a guide to bring the spirits back to earth. The smaller skulls are put on altars representing the children who have passed away. Unlike many cultures, Dia De Los Muertos is a tradition that celebrates the dead opposed to many other cultures who mourn the deaths of loved one's differently. 

"The sugar skulls are reminders of a long history that can be traced back to the Aztec empire. Celebrations honoring the underworld and its inhabitants “could be found in Mexico well before the European invasion,” says Delia Cosentino, an associate professor of art history and architecture at DePaul University who specializes in the visual culture of Mexico, in an email."

Read more here! 

Dia De Los Muertos is more than what you think.

Dia De Los Muertos is not meant to be halloween or meant to be scary. Dia De Los Muertos is celebrated yearly from October 31st-November 2nd. The celebration goes beyond just making skulls and painting faces. It is a way for families to remember loved one's that have passed away by building a "catrina" in memory of them or even taking a tequila bottle to the cemetery in good spirits to remember good times. There are countless ways many people celebrate Dia De Los Muertos from a variety of traditions and cultures but ultimately each tradition has the same purpose, which is to cherish the memories of loved one's and celebrate the lives they lived, specifically the children that have passed away. 

"Other traditions include sleeping in the graveyard next to the altars, or dancing in the graveyard wearing traditional shells tied to the clothing in order to wake the dead.
Public schools and government offices are not exempt from the celebrations. Shrines and altars are not only found in private homes, but schools and offices as well. The tradition of Dia De Los Muertos is sacred to the Mexican people. It is more than just a holiday; it is part of their heritage."

Read more here

Cascahuín Distillery in National Geographic

Salvador Rosales Torres and his son Salvador Rosales Jr. of El Rey's very own Cascahuín distillery discuss some of the challenges of cultivating agave in November's issue of National Geographic. 

It's in Spanish, which might pose its own kind of challenge for many of you, but trust us when we say that Cascahuín is doing good, not just by cultivating some of the best blue Weber agave around but by nurturing the genetic diversity of the species by allowing a certain percentage of the plants to flower, thus providing critical food for the area's endangered bats.

Here's to Cascahuín, and consequently El Rey, both certified bat friendly.

The Music of El Rey

Music and tequila share a celebratory spirit—each is something to be shared with family and friends. In fact, the prolific Mexican mariachi artist José Alfredo Jiménez was instrumental in our evolution.

Among his vast discography is an iconic song called El Rey that served as the inspiration behind our name. In it, the legend sings I have no throne or queen, nor anyone who understands me, but I am still king. We heard this as a rallying cry for those staying true to themselves, and named our creation Tequila El Rey in honor of this dignified yet democratic spirit.

El Rey has also inspired others. In 2008, it was mentioned in a song called Superman by San Francisco Bay Area hip-hop musician Prohoezak. The song shot up the local charts and was later remixed with noted Bay Area rappers E-40 and San Quinn. Since the success of Superman we commissioned Prohoezak to produce a song exclusively for El Rey. The result is a dance floor groove you can't help but move to.

We hope to see a ton more from Prohoezak in the future—and look forward to collaborating with many more musicians and artists along the way. 

Science Says Drink More Tequila

Did you know that in addition to tasting great, tequila's agave base might build better bones, provides habit for endangered bats, and could even be used as biofuel? We didn't.

OK so maybe we knew about the bats—Distillery Cascahuín, where El Rey is made, is known for the way it helps endangered bats—but the rest was news to us. And good news at that!

Check out this very welcome BuzzFeed article for more. Then pour yourself a glass of healthy.

Cascahuín Ranked Second Best Tequila by Forbes

We were thrilled to see Distillery Cascahuín, where El Rey is produced, featured in Forbes magazine's list of  Five of the World's Best Tequilas—and at #2 on the list, no less.

Here's how Forbes describes Cascahuín Blanco: 

Earthy, sweet, oven-cooked agave, citrus, and anise harmonize nearly perfectly in this old-school treasure. This is very close to what Tequila tasted like 100 years ago. It’s made by the Contreras family, whose roots go back centuries nearly to the origins of Tequila itself. They began producing Cascahuín in El Arenal in the Tequila Valley in 1954, and just this year released this gem of a Tequila...

We're not surprised, though. The flavors Cascahuín produces are exquisite and exactly what we were looking for when we set out to create El Rey—in fact, they share the same base flavor.

We look forward to seeing Tequila El Rey in future "best of" lists alongside its cousin Cascahuín.