I recently joined a secret society of rambunctious tequila drinkers who go to Guadalajara every year with one goal in mind: to have the time of their lives downing the unbelievably smooth taste of El Cristiano over one action-packed weekend.
When we touched down at LAX we were greeted with little shooters of the beloved Arandas-based tequila. I knew then that I wouldn’t be passing any sobriety tests for the next few days.
My fiancee and I quickly realized that many people on this trip already knew each other. But if I had any worries about making friends on the trip, those were quickly tossed out the window the second we touched down in Guadalajara.
We piled onto party buses and made our way two hours to our downtown-adjacent hotel. On the bus? Tequila. In the hotel lobby? Tequila. At the hotel bar? Free tequila.
With all that go-go juice flowing through our veins we were ready to talk to any and everyone. What we learned quickly was that this group knows tequila.
They’re industry professionals – bartenders, liquor reps and journalists – who aren’t just here for shits and giggles. They know El Cristiano is a bestseller and the smoothest on the market. That’s because of their rigorous production process that starts with the meticulous choosing of pinas, with only the fattest making the cut.
The finest six years aged Jalisco highlands Blue Weber agaves join the mix to produce a completely additive-free tequila that’s a hit with both the craft crowd and the casual consumer.
After a brief tete a tete at the hotel – and my short shopping trip to H&M for a party-appropriate blazer – we pulled up to a rooftop fiesta al centro. We were greeted with fried crickets, tacos and magnificent mariachis.
Our group of hotties danced the night away, endless flights of El Cristiano flowing from every corner.
CEO and co-founder Karan Khanna leapt onto a table and gathered us around to express his gratitude and excitement for our presence at Fourth Flight, the fourth annual invite-only pilgrimage to central Mexico.
Me and bae headed back to the hotel a touch early so we could be fresh for our 7am call time on the party bus. I practiced my half-drunk Spanish with our uber driver then passed out in our room.
Saturday was packed beyond belief. We kicked off the day with a picturesque ride to Arandas, a town 7,000 ft above sea level where El Cristiano’s distillery lives.
Khanna gave us a personal tour of the facilities, his encyclopedic knowledge and unbridled enthusiasm shining through.
“This would not be possible without the love and care that all of you have shown us over the years,” he said atop another table.
Co-founder Christian Navarro met Khanna while working at Wally’s, the specialty wine shop he owns in Los Angeles.
“It took a lot of tears to create what we’re doing today,” he said. “It may not ever happen like this again, in an organic fashion.”
We made our way to Casa Hogar Portal de Belén del Niño Jesús, an orphanage in Arandas. It was heartbreaking.
The kids greeted us with waves and smiles and a million questions. They mostly wanted to know where we were from and if we liked it there. I practiced my Spanish and failed miserably, as Duolingo lead me astray again.
El Cristiano employees came out of a backroom dressed as Mario and Luigi, and Jasmine and Aladdin. I cried watching the kids jump around all excited, with little toy mustaches on handed out by our favorite cartoon plumbers.
Casa Hogar is a regular recipient of donations from our gracious host tequila company. A few of us newbies, while impressed, wondered why a liquor brand was donating to an orphanage. We were all for it, obviously. But why?
Navarro grew up in an orphanage and insists on the company giving to these kids, which took me from ‘I like this company,’ to ‘I would ride into hell for them.’
We later got to stop at a youth bicycling club also supported by El Cristiano. We witnessed a couple races and watch Khanna present one of those big-ass checks.
A stop at the breathtaking Arandas church and a stunning agave field rounded out an action-packed second day.
Back at the hotel, a group of buck wild revelers and I shot out into the night looking for trouble and found it at a couple mega nightclubs. I can still smell the poppers.
Our final day consisted of lunch at a heritage tequila distillery where mariachis and people performing traditional dances entertained us before a DJ spun us out of control.
A White Lotus-like bacchanal ensued as the liquor flowed and flowed, soul train lines forming and the harder partying in our group ducking in and out of corners as birthday boy Sebastian was tossed in the air and soaked into liquor.
Tequila waterfalls popped off left and right, dancing intensified and then suddenly we were at the airport. During an unexpected extra night at a hotel airport in the city, my man and I watched The White Lotus season 3 finale and ate Guadalajara’s answer to Wing Stop: Wing’s Army.
While the child soldier animation at the restaurant entrance was a bit much, them wings were a fuckin 10.
We got home to LA and slept for a week straight. This was an unforgettable trip and I pray we’re invited back next year.
Fifth flight here we come?
