Stories and sips from altos

The Margarita is one of the most popular cocktails in the world, and it’s easy to see why. The combination of the Classic Margarita with tequila, lime juice and triple sec results in a drink with many nuances. The Margarita is a cocktail that has evolved over the years and today can be found in various forms. There are the frozen margaritas, a whole variety of Margaritas that are made with different fruits, such as the Strawberry Margarita or the Pineapple Margarita, or even our Margarita Recipe version. The drink originated in Mexico, but has spread all over the world, resulting in a growing number of variations. Who invented the Margarita? The Margarita cocktail is a classic margarita recipe that has been around since the early 20th century. The exact date and inventor are still the subject of debate, but there is one theory that has more strength than the rest:…

This 4th of july America celebrates its Independence Day. It’s a day of great significance and tradition, but it’s also the perfect opportunity to reflect on what it means to be an American. Independence Day is a national holiday in the United States that celebrates the Declaration of Independence, which was signed on July 4, 1776. The date was chosen to commemorate the day the Continental Congress voted to adopt the Declaration, even though it wasn’t officially adopted until August 2nd. In 1860, President Abraham Lincoln declared July 4th as a national holiday. This year’s Independence Day celebrations will be taking place across the country this week. Many cities and towns will be hosting parades and fireworks shows for their residents. Some locales will also be having picnics or other outdoor events where you can enjoy family time with friends and neighbors….

National Tequila Day is a day of celebration for the tequila-loving community. In 2006, UNESCO declared the agave landscape a World Heritage Site. And on July 24, it’s officially declared that day to be National Tequila Day. This means that in many countries around the world—including the United States—that day is recognized as National Tequila Day. In Mexico, however, National Tequila Day is celebrated on the third Saturday of March. The history of tequila dates back to 16th century Mexico, when Spanish settlers brought the distillation process over from Europe. This began with pulque, which was made from fermented maguey sap. By the 18th century, however, entrepreneurs had begun to distill agave juice into tequila using copper stills heated by wood fires—a process known as “destilación al vapor” (steam distillation)….

Huichol art is one of the most well-known inside and outside Mexico. It is produced by the Huichol people, who live in the states of Jalisco and Nayarit in Mexico. The unifying trademark of their work is the colorful decorations that use symbols and designs in chaquira (small beads) to represent key aspects of their world vision. Meet San Andres Cohamiata Altos has partnered with Huichol communities to offer a special edition of Altos Huichol bottles through e-commerce. The goal is to generate a positive impact on the quality of life of the Huichol Community in San Andres Cohamiata, Jalisco. In collaboration with “Ascalapha,” an organization which has been working to improve the lives of these vulnerable groups, we intend to help artisans achieve a daily minimum wage nine times higher of what they usually make with their work. …

Altos’ mission is to produce a tequila of the highest quality while taking care of the planet and its people. For us, sustainability is not only about reducing our waste or reusing our trash. It is a lifestyle that requires meaningful, shifts in our day-to-day lives. It’s not about perfection, but about a commitment to care and continually improve. Here is what Altos deeply cares about: Our Planet We care about our land…

When it comes to energy in Altos Tequila distillery we measure everything, that way we keep optimizing and improving our sustainable energy strategies. We have implemented simple ways such as using natural lighting in our workspaces and insulating all the piping where we transfer the steam, which has been a big benefit for the reduction of energy. Additionally, in our steam generation systems, we have been retrofitting the boilers to modernize the carburation methods from analog to digital to get more precision when mixing the fuel with the air, which translates in more efficiency, and consequently, more steam generation with less energy.  Also, we generate fewer emissions so we have a double benefit there.

Tahona Society is a collective of spirit makers and bartenders formed in 2009 to educate in agave spirits categories, promote career opportunities, enhance community networking, and encourage life balance & health practices. After 9 years of existence and 7 cocktail competitions, our key challenge was to change the concept of “another” cocktail competition in the industry. Therefore Tahona Society Collective Spirit Competition was launched as the first-ever competition of the industry centered on social and sustainable values. Additionally, we launched the Henry Besant Scholarship in honor of our late co-founder, who truly believed in bartender education and training. This scholarship is awarded to a bartender at the beginning of their career. The winning beneficiary receives a monetary grant, as well as the opportunity to join the Altos team by becoming a junior Brand Ambassador to represent our tequila around the world….

At Altos, we compost 3,900 tons of organic waste per year, and 99% of all the solid waste in our distillery is recycled. In fact, the total amount of non-recycled material that we generate per month could fit inside the trunk of a car. Moreover, we believe in finding ways to give a second life to waste. We are currently working alongside researchers to find innovative uses for agave bagasse including biofuels and construction materials made out of organic waste.

Eco-design consists of integrating sustainable practices over the design and development of products and packaging to minimize negative environmental impact during the life cycle of a product. A product life cycle includes design, production, distribution, use, and disposal of the product. Thinking in how we can reduce the environmental footprint we have in each phase is crucial to take care of our planet. In 2018, Altos’ iconic bottle was redesigned to reduce the glass weight of the bottle by 20%. By making the bottle a little bit smaller and thinner, without compromising the volume of tequila, we were able to reduce 20% of CO2 emissions.