San Miguel De Allende: Traditional Mexican Drinks Tasting

Best tasting ever. Seriously. I have had dozens of tasting experiences. This was by far the most educational. Alex was incredibly knowledgeable but, most important, created a structure for tasting before we started that changed the entire experience…from somewhat randomly tasting things to really being able to analyze the spirits. So much fun! I left the tasting happy, and smarter!!

Alex is very knowledgeable and great teacher . Learned a lot through this tasting event . Great event

We went to San Miguel de Allende (SMdA) for a weeklong cooking school with Cook In Mexico. We spent the week at the beautiful Casa Novem (27 Hospicio) located a couple of blocks from the main square in the historical district. We went to the market frequently and shopped in the historical center. Lots of old historical sites in the main city center as SMdA is considered the heart of not just Mexico but also the Mexican Independence. Founded in 1542, SMdA is a UNESCO World Heritage site and should be on everyone’s bucket list. The culinary scene is amazing - do not miss the street food stands throughout the center, and try out the mescal & tequila tastings.

I really can't say enough about the Traditional Mexican Drinks Tasting. Alex does a great job tailoring the discussion to each individual. His expertise is obvious, and he's also easy to talk to and can relate to each person's individual exposure and knowledge to Mexican spirits. Spirits covered are Tequila, Mezcal, Sotol, Charanda, and Raicilla. I had never heard of the last three, and it was amazing to learn so much during my short time with Alex. Alex shares his vast knowledge of these drinks, and there is also a nice amount of tasting! The learning aspect of this is what really takes it over the top. Thank you, Alex. I would highly recommend the Traditional Mexican Drinks Tasting!

This was one of the best experiences I have had in my travels. Alex does such a great job, tailoring the tasting and knowledge sharing to the individuals attending. I enjoyed the tasting, but the educational part was the most fascinating. Much is shared about the process of making spirits, differences in the process, environment, and aging. Even using each spirit to determine the aroma families that are present. The spirits covered are tequila, mezcal, sotol, bacanora, and raicilla. I learned a lot since I wasn't familiar with the last three, and I also tasted three new spirits! I recommend the Traditional Mexican Drinks Tasting with Alex.

What a great experience - I highly recommend if you’re visiting San Miguel - not to miss a tasting with Alex!!! We didn’t know there was so much to learn about Mexican spirits. Alex and his wife were very gracious hosts and passionate about what they do. We enjoyed the education and the tasting. (We want to come back for the Mexican wine tasting experience.) Make room in your suitcase!

Alex was excellent and we had so much fun at our experience! Highly recommended, he was very knowledgeable and gave us more practical knowledge in two hours than all other tastings we’ve been to combined.

This experience was very educationally intensive. About the first hour was spent on education about the spirits. The host was very knowledgeable. I gained a whole new appreciation for Mexican spirits

We had a testing of 6 different spirits. Alex the owner of the tasting room went through the process of making each one, the Mexican states where each can be produced, and how to use smell and taste to judge each one. There were some delicious snacks. Alex is very personable and makes it fun while learning. Alex also owns a restaurant, Eneldo, so we decided to have dinner there for their 7 course dinner with wine pairing with each course. Alex looked after the wine pairing (he’s expert) and the wines and meal were delicious!

Fabulous, five star plus, mezcal tasting and wine briefing. This is a must on every visit to San Miguel de Allende! I will definitely return.

Fantastic experience - our favorite in San Miguel. Alex teaching style is wonderful and our group agreed that despite the fact we've all participated in many tastings in many parts of the world - this was the best! We did a tequila tasting one day, enjoyed it so much had Alex curate us a Mexican wine one the next day. Are going back next week with a different group to do a second Mexican wine.

Fantastic!! Alex is magnificent. Learned so much and had a wonderful time! The selection was perfect and explanation about these liquers was even more superb.

Absolutely fantastic!! So glad i went. What a learning experience and tasting! Beyond expectations! Alex was the best!

What a knowlegeable man! So friendly, passionate and humble. We had an amazing time. Learned so much … Definitely something to experience!!! Peter & Annelize McKellar South Africa

I'm so happy I booked this tour! My husband and I (mid-60's) attended with our 27-yr-old son. This was a fun experience for all of us. Alex shared his knowledge and passion for Mexican spirits in an unpretentious manner. This high-energy class was held in a lovely, comfortable, easy-to-get-to space. Book your experience today. Thanks, Alex!!

This was our second tasting with Alex, and it was just as incredible as the first. Initially, our friends invited us, and we were a bit skeptical—having WSET Level 2 certifications, we weren’t sure we’d learn anything new. Little did we know the depth of Alex’s expertise and credentials. His sessions are not only highly informative but also engaging and fun. We loved it so much the first time that we brought our parents along for the second tasting during our next trip to San Miguel. Highly recommended!

I cannot recommend this tasting highly enough. Alex Galina is a certified sommelier on 4 continents and a passionate teacher. We learned an enormous amount about the art and science of taste and quality.

My wife and I scheduled the tasting through the Viator app. I messed up the date but realized it after the cancellation window closed. I contacted Alex through the app and he rescheduled us on a date and time of our choosing. ⭐ Then, on the day of our appointment, Alex called to remind us and see if we needed directions. Very kind. ⭐ When we arrived, he was setting up our tasting meticulously. His store is beautiful, cozy, and comfortable. ⭐ Then the education began . He has trained everywhere and knows so much. Of course I don't run into experts life him everyday, so I had lots of questions. He patiently answered all of them, which enriched the experience beyond my expectations. ⭐ Although he's an expert, Alex was friendly, helpful, and kind--never condescending. It was like having a good friend who was trying to brief you before you headed into the world of tequila. ⭐ All in all, it was a five star experience and I want to come back with friends.

Alex was the ultimate host. He started off by giving us a fascinating history of drinks and mixology. He was thorough in his explanations and answered every question our group had about drinks and the process of making them. The tasting was enjoyable and we learned how to look for the best drinks for each of us, personally. I highly recommend to put Traditional Mexican Drinks Tasting on your itinerary while visiting San Miguel De Allende.

The traditional Mexican drinks tasting that my husband and I attended was run by Alex. Alex's passion really shines through in his presentation. We learned about the production process, areas where spirits are produced, along with the compositional differences. We learned how to use both our nose and mouth to taste, as well new vocabulary around complexity, aroma and pallette to help us fully appreciate the various options presented to us. More than a handful of the spirits we tried we completely new to us. This was far more than a simple tasting and Alex's knowledge was phenomenal, without being stuffy. Looking forward to attending one of the other tastings.

Alex Galina is passionate. We learned so much today about the traditional Mexican spirits...tequila, mezcal and sotol. But then....we got to try bacanora, raicilla and posh, the lesser known spirits. We learned the nuances of each and the complexities that help make an informed decision about the quality of each spirit. After the tasting, we were able to see other available spirits and purchase if interested. I have always been a mezcal girl and not a big fan of tequila....tell me why I bought 2 bottles of tequila after this experience. Thanks Alex!!!!

They changed the price and tried to scam us! It was one of the craziest experiences I've had in Mexico. I've been in and out of Mexico for more than 2 years, and you know that I love Mexico and Mexican people. They lost a big sale today (July 31, 2024, in the afternoon) due to playing dirty with the prices. I'm helping translate for Chinese people who want to visit and get to know Mexico. I love doing this because I want people to understand why I love this country. I helped a wealthy Chinese couple buy tequila since they wanted to know and try Mexican alcohol and bring some back to China. I found ICAVI through Google Maps, which had high ratings and good reviews. They were looking forward to the tasting and asked me to go in advance to see if we needed to make a reservation and to get some information about the different types of tequila and mezcal they had. After the owner knew they were rich, he invited us to come and do the tasting in the back of the store. He showed me the place with all the alcohol, and I carefully noted the prices of some items I thought they might be interested in. I even talked with the owner's wife about the prices, which made what happened next even more shocking. We scheduled the tasting for 3 PM. When we entered the room, I saw the prices had changed. I don’t remember all the prices, but I remember the ones I paid attention to. Most of them had an extra 1 in front of them. For example, before it was 5600, and now it was 15600, which is 10000 pesos (about 535 USD) more than the original price😡😡! I couldn’t believe it. I told my group right away and questioned the owner. He said the 1s in front of the numbers were a symbol. Then I asked about the 2 in front. For example, the Tequila Artesanal Fancy Plata Rosa was 3100 pesos, but now it was 23100 pesos (20000 pesos more, about 1070 USD)🤬🤬🤬! I found the price online, which was 2115 pesos. I understand that it could be 1000 pesos more due to rent and staff salaries, but 20000 pesos (more than most people’s monthly salary 🤯🤯)more is insane. And I told him that I didn’t see them when I came in 15mins ago, He didn’t answer us directly, just said the price was 3100, so we were sure he was trying to scam us. And after I questioned the owner, We could tell he was a bit panicked, then he offered more drinks and recommended cheaper tequilas to the couple. I was really upset since I brought the people there because we trusted their knowledge. The wife even calmed me down and said we were already there, so let’s see. But her husband distrusted them. They tried all the recommended ones. The owner is very knowledgeable, but what they did was cheap and greedy. He told us they have 3 stores, work with different countries for special tasting events, and he was certified in different countries. I don’t doubt his knowledge, but I can’t understand why they tried to scam innocent tourists. They knew I knew the prices since they showed me the place JUST 15MINS BEFORE the testing, but they still had the guts to change the prices. Wow! I don’t know what if someone did the same to them in a foreign country? I can’t understand what they were thinking. Anyway, The wife decided to buy some since she liked what he recommended, but her husband asked her to buy less because he didn’t trust the store no more. You know what? After they went to a liquor store with prices in the system and bought almost SIX times the amount of tequila they bought at this store. I hope this teaches them something, and I’m writing this to warn others too. If I kept quiet, more foreigners might fall into the scam. None of the money is easy money for anyone, so please respect and be honest, especially when doing business with products made in your country.

The owner tried to SCAM my girlfriend and her Chinese tour group by raising the prices by literally 10,000 or 20,000 pesos. My girlfriend visited the store by herself before bringing her tour group there, which was an extremely rich Chinese couple. She saw the prices in the store of some of the tequilas she knew they were looking for and when she returned later with the couple she found that they had increased the prices by either 10,000 or 20,000 pesos by putting either a 1 or a 2 in front of the existing price. For example, the one tequila was priced at 5,600 and they added a 1 in front, making it all of a sudden 15,600. Another was 3,100 and they added a 2 in front, making it 23,100 - a 745% increase! This is no joke. I’ve uploaded a photo where you can clearly see that the 1s and 2s were not written at the same time as the rest of the price. To make a long story short, my girlfriend was obviously upset because she knew that they were trying to scam the rich couple that was with her and so she asked them what happened to the prices. She told them then they had changed the prices and the owner, yes the owner himself was a part of this dirty scam, told her that the 1s in front of some of the prices were just some sort of price symbols (what a joke). Then she asked ‘well then how do you explain the 2 in front of the one price?’ They didn’t know how to respond and just started offering more tastings as a distraction. So anyways, I’d avoid this place like the plague unless you know the prices beforehand. The people running it have been overcome by greed and will stop at nothing to rip off their customers. They clearly have lost all control and can only see dollar signs. If they’re willing to rip off a customer by raising the price 745% then who knows what else they might do.

We had a great evening with Alex. He is a natural born teacher and very enthusiastic about the craft of spirit and wine tasting. We learned a lot and enjoyed tasting delicious spirits including several of which we had not heard of before. I highly recommend booking this tasting.

Alex, the owner of the mezcal tasting bar, was incredible. I had no idea what to expect from the mezcal tasting experience, and I was blown away. The overall experience was educational, in a fun way. I learned so much about mezcal, tequila, and even wine. We learned about how mezcal was made, how to determine quality mezcals, and about our personal preferences. I highly recommend this experience for couples or groups of friends.

What a FANTASTIC experience. So with tastings, it’s inevitable that you’ll drink. Obviously…but with THIS it was so much more. Alex is so passionate about what he does, that you leave with more than just a buzz. You leave with a genuine appreciation of the Tequila/Mezcal. You learn quality, and how to tell the difference. You learn how products are made. Knowledge that I know I’ll remember for the long haul. We had a great group, and this was definitely a highlight for the trip. The only downside was that it’s advertised with “snacks/small plates for pairing.” We didn’t get any kind of food during the tasting, but outside of that it was advertised. Would do it again.

Alex was a very knowledgeable host. W had a wonderful time learning about and sampling some very high quality drinks. Would highly recommend!

This booking did not turn out quite as expected. We tried to confirm a time via email, unsuccessfully, so stopped by the location when arrived in San Miguel, and on the second try finally were able to speak with Alex, the event leader. We rescheduled, as he had no record of the booking, and then there were others invited to what we thought was to be a private tasting. Also, this was described as including wines and tapas in addition to spirits, but neither was not part of the tasting. So while the event was nice, it was not exactly what we booked. Keep that in mind when deciding your preferred activity.

The tequila class and tasting was fantastic! Alex was so knowledgeable and we spent the entire rest of our trip using his teachings to discern the quality of the rest of the tequila (and wine) that we had. I learned so much and had a great time.

Alex's Tequila vs Mezcal class was great! It was educational and fun at the same time. He does a great job of explaining how to judge the quality of a spirit vs one's personal preference (just as valid!) His style is accessible and entertaining, definitely a must do in SMA!

Alex is a phenomenal teacher who takes learning about spirits and wine to a whole new level. Super informative, definitely NOT pretentious, unique and fun! We enjoyed the Mexican Spirits class so much yesterday we are going back today for the wine class. If you enjoy learning about what you are drinking I guarantee you will love this experience.

What a treat! Alex is a great host and teacher, explaining the history of tequila and the process by which it is made. He helped identify the flavors that we like and use that knowledge to select a tequila that we will enjoy drinking. He is very personable and entertaining. I highly recommend it!

As part of our stay in San Miguel, we decided to do Alex’s Mezcal tasting class and it was excellent! If you know even a little bit about wines or spirit distillation, this is an excellent and fun course to do (2 hrs). Not only do you come away understating how Mezcal and Techila are made, you will learn how to select good quality purchases. Super fun (adult) family thing to do. Given how much Mezcal is now on the market, do this course to learn what’s quality and how to get best value for money when purchasing. Thanks for your passion and expert running the course, Alex! Super!

This was a great learning experience. I am not a fan of most of these mexican liquors, but it was still fun to learn about each spirit and how to determine the quality of each spirit.I would recommend to anyone looking to educate their palate.

Doing a tasting class with Alex at ICAVI in San Miguel Allende will be a highlight of your trip. I did the tequila tasting. You get a brief Masterclass on tequila and then a tasting. Wow was of fantastic. I actually got a one on one class and it was beyond fabulous. So informative and then experiencing the different types of tequila, understanding what you are tasting, something sill carry with me the rest of my life. Five stars wasn’t a high enough rating. You will want to do this. Alex also does wine, mezcal and other trainings and tastings. He is a certified sommelier in countries all over the world. Don’t miss this!!

Alex is very learned and super friendly! It was my ever first wine tasting experience and I’m very pleased with the knowledge! Excellent vibe, very cozy, and informative.

My family and I had a wonderful experience with Alex this evening. Tequila is our drink of choice so when we had the opportunity for tasting, we were excited. Alex did not disappoint. He was as entertaining as he was informative, and we have no trouble recommending this experience. It was one of the highlights of our trip to San Miguel.

We were visiting from Nashville as bourbon lovers so the traditional Mexican drink tasting was a new twist. The tasting offered more than just tequila and mezcal although I did taste one of my favorite tequilas to date; we ended up buying several bottles! I Alex offered a perfect balance between educational and fun. Our group was still talking about the class days later. I highly recommend you make time during your trip for this one.

Alex, the owner, is a Master Somm and has trained in Italy, France and England. He is an expert not only in wine but in spirits. His knowledge base is amazing. My wife and I did the tasting. I had some knowledge of tequila but left with a much better understanding. He is fun and makes it a very enjoyable experience. If you are interested in tequila I would highly recommend spending the time and money to do the tasting. We will come back and bring our family.

Great time with Alex. The tasting room is quaint. His explanations and knowledge were extensive. And overall the tastings were excellent. Would recommend.

This is a must do activity. Alex spent over 2 hours with my husband and I. Knowing quit well my likes and dislikes of tequila I gained even more knowledge of the true technique of tasting and savoring the flavors. His knowledge and presentation is incredible! I'm sure his wine tasting experience is just as great! If you want a unique experience in either wine or tequila/mezcal tasting this is the place to go! He will not disappoint you!

I live in San Miguel de Allende and I had well traveled friends visiting me here recently. I love to show friends and family around my town. I'm the official tour guide whenever I have visitors. It was beyond a typical tasting. It really was a Master Class about everything I didn't know about Mezcal. Alex could answer anything thrown at him, as he is truly an expert in Mezcal, Tequila and Wine. I will definitely want to learn all his has to offer about Tequilas and Wines in the future. The most unique take away for me is that he has such a wide range of knowledge to share, speaks multiple languages as he has lived and worked in many countries, but he doesn't sell any products!!! Alex, is not promoting any brands so that you will buy them, but explaining what to look for when you smell and taste. YOU decide which is the best one by what you like and I also found out the most expensive is not necessarily the best. He truly is a special find in this age of people selling whatever they can to make money. It was a very special experience on so many levels. Thank you Alex for sharing your knowledge.

Amazing tequila and mezcal tasting to enjoy with friends or family! The service was incredible and we had a great time!

Alex is incredible! His knowledge, presentation, and perspective is well worth the trip, not to mention the "beverages"...!! This is a can't miss tasting that you will thoroughly enjoy.

What a wonderful experience! A world class sommelier teaching you the differences between drinks and how to become a much more knowledgeable drinker. You will learn to appreciate the scents, tastes and flavors of the famous Mexican drinks while chatting and laughing amongst friends (because you will feel amongst friends). Tasting started on time and was as described online. Exceeded our expectations, fully recommend it! Congrats mr Galina, what a wonderful experience:)

Bien chingón el compa Alex!!! Very knowledgeable with the drinks he presented us with. Super cool guy, loved the experience. My new drink of choice besides tequila is raicilla. Can't wait to come back. 😁

My wife and I had an incredible experience at the tasting room. We took the "spirits" course and came with a greater appreciation for some of Mexico's popular and lesser known spirits. Alex was a wonderful instructor. He was extremely knowledgeable and a wonderful presenter. We came away, not only with a greater understanding and appreciation for these spirits, we also learned how to assess other types of drink. We are no experts after this experience, but our knowledge has definitely increased and our curiosities piqued. Lastly, Alex has a great selection of wonderful and hard to find spirits. You are allowed to sample any of these and purchase a bottle if you wish....we did. All in all, it was a great experience and something we recommend to anyone visiting San Miguel. Thanks, Alex.

This experience was simply amazing. Alex is incredibly knowledgable and passionate and that really came through in our tasting experience. My husband and I happened upon ICAVI while wandering around San Miguel and I'm so glad we did. The don't describe themselves as a "tasting room" so much as a "school". Alex does not represent any brand and instead focuses on education and quality assessment. We chose to learn about different Mexican spirits so we had a class based on tequila, mezcal, sotol, bacanora and raicilla. This tasting experience was anything but pedestrian. I loved the learning the differences between each spirit as we wove our way through the rich tapestry that constitutes Mexican spirits. Equally important as well was the focus on the question of the night - what truly makes a quality spirit despite our personal tastes or preferences. We happened to find Alex's school on our first night in SMA, lost track of time and ended up chatting the night away. He was kind enough to recommend restaurants in town as well and they were phenomenal. Alex is truly a kind human and a master of his craft and this was a really special experience for my husband and I. Highly recommend if you're in San Miguel!

Awesome experience! Alex is so knowledgeable. We participated in the tequila tasting and learned all about the process to make tequila, how to identify aromas, and how to tell good quality tequila from bad. I would recommend this to every single person curious about tequila.