Sacramento’s Agave and Heels is teaching women about tequila. Here’s how it came to be
Rebecca Juarez’s passion for tequila began before she could even legally drink.
As a child, family get-togethers at her grandmother’s house would consist of her musician uncles drinking the liquor and playing the guitar. Eventually, those same uncles would offer Juarez her first sips of tequila.
“I was so curious about it,” said Juarez, now 52.
That curiosity led to Juarez starting her own tequila bottle collection in her 20s. Then in her 30s, she made routine trips back to Michoacán, Mexico, where her family is from. Each time, she tried to bring back a new bottle. What started as a collection of five bottles is now about 120.
Juarez also sought community, and began attending tequila tasting events across Northern California. She quickly found people who shared her enthusiasm for the liquor, but there was just one problem.
“I had found what I love,” Juarez said. “But one thing I noticed in going to all the events was that it was very male dominant.”
Juarez is now hoping to break those barriers through her business, Agave and Heels.
Named after the plant used to make the liquor, the business offers tequila tastings for women. The goal is to provide a space for women to learn and talk about artisanal tequila.
“I wanted it to be a tequila sisterhood,” Juarez said. “Something that bonds us.”
Sharing the passion of tequila
Juarez’s business comes as the demand for agave-based spirits has grown in recent years.
Tequila and mezcal are now the second-largest alcohol category by revenue behind vodka, which has been the top-selling spirit in the nation since the 1970s, according to the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States.
An Agave and Heels tasting mirrors a wine tasting, Juarez said.
The tastings begin with an education portion that consists of Juarez explaining the chosen tequila’s agave fields, distillery and fermentation process. To be officially designated as tequila, the beverage must be distilled from agave grown in certain regions of Mexico. Each tequila’s taste will be determined by its elevation, water source and soil.
Juarez walks attendees through the process of inhaling, swallowing and exhaling while drinking.
“It’s not about shooting and getting drunk,” Juarez said. “It’s about sipping, enjoying and knowing what you’re drinking so you can get that full experience that I believe makes it more memorable.”
Juarez had her first event in late 2021, with public and private tastings growing periodically over the last three years. Tickets for public and private tequila tastings can be bought on Juarez’s website.
Each one has sold out, she said. The demand exists because women already consume the liquor regularly through margaritas, Juarez said.
Public tastings sometimes take time to plan due to the combination of factors. Juarez must find a venue licensed to sell her approved artisanal tequila. Often, those tequilas are coming from lesser known distilleries Juarez has visited in Mexico.
“When I go (to Mexico), my whole point is to visit new distilleries that are small and expose them to people here,” Juarez said.
Juarez’s next endeavor is to showcase distilleries and the tequila making process in-person. Later this month, she will be taking five women on a distillery tour in Mexico. Juarez called it a pilot program, but hopes to continue the tours in the coming years.
“For me, sharing is caring,” Juarez said. “So, I want other women to also share this passion with me.”
