Agave Runs Through It at the luxury Grand Velas Los Cabos resort

From sipping to spa treatments, Los Cabos resort celebrates indigenous spirits

Posted on October 11, 2019

With all due respect to the Eagles, it’s more than just another tequila sunrise when you’re gazing out on the Sea of Cortez from a private balcony a stone’s throw from the shoreline. Luxury resort Grand Velas Los Cabos capitalizes on natural beauty and a Mexican delicacy — 1921 Crema de Tequila — to provide the finest form of wake-up call. Lacing coffee promptly served five minutes before daybreak, that agave, cinnamon, and anise-tinged liqueur adds great depth and subtle sweetness to an already delectable day in paradise.

The “Tequila Sunrise” amenity is available in any of the resort’s 300+ private terrace-equipped ocean-view suites, and is but one way in which this AAA Five Diamond designee honors its homeland’s cactus-infused spirit standouts. Prefer sleeping in to chasing the sun? No problema. Tequila cream can be tacked on to your room service order at any time, as can sugar-and-spice-coated churros, making for a perfectly indulgent one-two punch.

Also available as a standard value-added in Grand Velas Los Cabos’ 1,100-plus-square-foot suites — not just on a 24/7 basis, but in unlimited quantities — are bottles of artisanal mezcal produced especially for the resort. Crafted exclusively with Espadin agave by master mezcalero Olvídame Si Puedes, this twice-distilled blanco mezcal is earthy and herbaceous, with a finish featuring the tantalizing smokiness that is this spirit’s calling card. Sipped while taking an initial dip in a patio plunge pool, it makes for a warming, welcoming beverage rife with indigenous flavor and flair.

A wealth of extended agave-rich spiritual experiences await beyond those well-appointed suites. The expansive, multi-level resort offers a variety of cocktails from standard and signature margaritas to modern mixology tipples incorporating tequila and mezcal at its sextet of uniquely plush and posh stand-alone bars and poolside swim-up refreshment stops. And, of course, agave-infused offerings find their way into the menus and beverage lists of Grand Velas Los Cabos’ seven culturally diverse restaurants, including Cocina de Autor, a tasting menu-driven white linen helmed by two-star Michelin chef Sidney Schutte.

Those in search of an unadulterated tasting experience may venture to the aptly named Tequila y Mezcal, where an impressive 140 varieties of its namesake liquors are available. That library includes blanco (unaged), reposado (aged up to a year), añejo (one-to-three years), super añejo (more than three years), and joven (blends of different aged spirits). More than 50 premium varieties are included under the resort’s all-inclusive palapa, along with rare and highly coveted varieties including Clase Azul Ultra Extra Añejo Tequila, French oak-aged Herradura Selección Suprema, and Los Garratos de Oaxaca Xaguar Mezcal.

Those unfamiliar with the differences of so many brands and varieties or simply looking to get to know tequila and mezcal can sign up for educational tastings conducted by on-property experts skilled in demystifying the production, composition, and finer points of both beverages. Sensory revelations are built in care of edible fare selected for its compatibility with the subject spirits. Dark chocolate is a lovely go-with for Don Julio Reposado, while blanco tequilas are best paired with desserts built around berries and citrus fruits.

Instructors also enjoy pointing students toward some of their personal favorites such as Don Julio 70th Anniversary Añejo Claro, tequila aged 18 months in American oak then charcoal-filtered, or Código 1530 Rosa, a blush-hued tequila rested in Napa Cabernet Sauvignon barrels.

Grand Velas Los Cabos takes its embrace of these spirits’ base ingredient beyond the palate, utilizing blue agave at its spa facility, Se. That sacred plant’s extract is the cornerstone of exfoliation, facial, and after-sun treatments. It also plays the starring role in Se’s blue agave candle massage during which warm, aromatic wax is rubbed into the skin for its anti-inflammatory and antiseptic properties.

In search of even more agave? This month, the shot glasses of tequila lovers in Los Cabos will runneth over during the Baja Sur Tequila and Mariachi Festival (October 17-19). With so many spirits haunting Grand Velas Los Cabos on an everyday basis, a multi-faceted, agave-infused experience awaits at Baja’s southernmost point year-round. loscabos.grandvelas.com   Brandon Hernández

Pool: Photo courtesy of Victor Elias Photography