Yes, you read that correctly; Jose Cuervo has it’s own tequila train, and it is absolute #goals. It includes unlimited drinks and tequila tastings while it takes you to Tequila, Mexico. Welcome to the best Mexican vacation you will ever have.
The genius locomotive experience picks you up in Guadalajara, and spends two hours chugging along while you booze it up with flutes of straight tequila and mixologist crafted cocktails. Talk about one hell of a happy hour!
Below you’ll find all of the information about the Jose Cuervo Express tequila train, plus some awesome things you can do once you get to Tequila (the town)!
9:00am Board the Jose Cuervo Express Tequila Train in Guadalajara
Where: Guadalajara Bus Station
Cost: $110 (Click for tickets)
When: Every Saturday and some Sundays
Head to the Guadalajara train station bright and early to begin your tequila train experience! You probably haven’t drank tequila this early since college, so be prepared for it! At the train station they offer free coffee and food, just in case you’re not!
You’ll also pick up your tickets here, bring your passport just in case! Also plan for extra time for traffic and long line waits!
We had regular admission seats which were fine, but if you can splurge, the upper class has actual tables that looked a lot better!
Enjoy a Server or Head to the Train Bar
Each train car on the Jose Cuervo Express has 2-3 servers that are very attentive (AKA you’re going to get A LOT of drinks). They’ll explain to you what the pre-made drinks are that they’re serving, or you can make a special request.
If you’re starting to get a little antsy, you can also head to one of the train bars! There you can make a special request, or have the bartender surprise you!
There’s also a guide who will explain the tequila tasting techniques and all the information you could possibly know about the alcohol. Be sure to ask ahead of time though for an English speaking train cart, ours was in Spanish!
Types of Tequila Cocktails to Try
The first rounds of drinks will be a basic tequila with soda and lime, or tequila with ginger ale. Next they’ll start bringing out the tasting flutes with different types and ages of tequila.
By the way, the proper way to drink tequila straight is by sipping it in a flute, NOT a shot glass! The whole shot of tequila in a shot glass with salt and lime chaser was all completely made up in America!
Anyway! My favorite cocktail concoction on the tequila train was the mango margarita! I also tasted a jicama margarita which was a little less sweet, but still good!
Will You Get Wasted on the Tequila Train?
Depends on your alcohol tolerance and how much advantage you take of the “all you can drink” offering!
To be honest, I was a bit worried about starting to drink tequila at 9am, and also because I rarely drink liquor (only wine). But the drinks aren’t too strong, so even with about four mixed cocktails and two straight tastings, I was fine.
They do serve some food as well, so that definitely helps! Eat as many tamales as you can because the starchiness will help absorb the alcohol! They have chicken or cheese options! They also served little skewers of mozzarella and tomato, and a harder cheese with cherries!
Oh, and just in case you aren’t able to handle the tequila…there’s clean bathrooms in each cart.
What Else is There to do on the Jose Cuervo Express?
Not much. The main point of it is to have the unique tequila tasting experience, and trust me, that’s enough!
Once you’re out of Guadalajara, you’ll start to get some gorgeous landscape views, which definitely adds to the experience! Especially when you start to see the endless fields of spiky Blue Agave plants, with the hazy mountains and volcano in the backdrop!
What to do when You Arrive in Tequila
NOTE: We did a slightly different schedule than what’s included with the ticket because we wanted to stay the night. We mostly did it because it was Dia de los Muertos and we wanted to partake in the evening festivities there, as well as do horseback riding in the agave fields at sunrise (that was a special request).
The included day tour should be enough time for you to experience Tequila Magic Town though! I’ll write out the set itinerary below, but if you do want to stay the night, the Casa de was a GORGEOUS hotel there to stay at!
11am: Arrive in Tequila Magic Town
Once you carefully stumble your way off the Jose Cuervo Express, a shuttle bus will take you into the little town! The guide in your train cart will help lead you to the correct group, which is separated by the language you request for your tour.
If you’re on the English tour and you had a Spanish guide on the train, they’ll first re-explain what was said on the train. It’s basically the information and instructions for how to properly taste tequila…which means you’ll be drinking another straight sample of it!
11:35 am: Tour the La Rojena Distillery
If you’re starting to feel all the tequila by 11:30am like I was, don’t worry! You’re going to spend the next hour on the distillery tour, which will hopefully sober you up.
Well, or maybe not since it also includes a tasting of the strongest grade tequila, and then some more from three different aged barrels. For everyone who wants more tequila, also don’t worry…it’ll only be about 30 minutes until the next tasting.
Anyway! On the distillery tour you’ll see the actual working Jose Cuervo distillery, and will learn about the process of making tequila! From roasting the entire Agave heart then squeezing out its juices, to aging the liquid in massive wooden barrels.
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