Somewhere along the rolling hills of Tequila Valley in Jalisco, Mexico sits an estate-grown on the edge of an extinct volcano whose porous, fertile soil creates the heavenly foundation for Blue Weber agave plants to grow in abundance, living their best lives. Known as La Cofradía, this third-generation distillery of more than 50 years is where the coming-up tequila brand Hiatus calls its stomping grounds before being distributed across the United States—with a particularly strong presence here in Sarasota and the surrounding Tampa Bay area. Together, with La Cofradía, Hiatus founder Kristopher DeSoto crafted a smooth-as-silk spirit you’d rather not mask in a margarita. Raised in Texas, where the ranch water flows like the Rio Grande, DeSoto was introduced to tequila early days. You could say the love for tequila springboarded his many travels throughout Mexico, including one trip that lasted seven years. In that time, DeSoto noticed that the most sought-after tequilas south of the border were often different from those found on U.S. shelves—the flavors and aromas, he shares, more robust and expressive.

Photo of thriving agave plants at La Cofradia in Tequila Valley, Mexico courtesy of Hiatus Tequila

PHOTO OF THRIVING AGAVE PLANTS AT LA COFRADIA IN TEQUILA VALLEY, MEXICO COURTESY OF HIATUS TEQUILA

Such a tequila (all-natural in taste and production) should also be available in the United States. And luckily, a strong presence happens to be right here in Sarasota, with DeSoto having ties to the area, spending his time between here and New York. “There’s a lot of mystery surrounding tequila. It’s made from a plant the ancient Aztecs deemed sacred, and the spirit itself is centuries old. We believe that’s where the mystery should end,” said DeSoto. “We’ve created a tequila with full transparency—ensuring that the spirit in the bottle is a true expression of what tequila should be by using only fully mature agave, taking our time to cook them slowly in masonry ovens, and double distilling to maintain the earthy agave notes that make tequila unique, before filtering out the unsavory finish that defines many tequilas. It may be a slower process, but we prefer quality over speed.” 

Find Hiatus at local liquor stores as well as on the shelves of 150+ local bars and restaurants in the Tampa Bay area. For Hiatus craft cocktail recipes, hiatustequila.com, @hiatustequila

FIND HIATUS AT LOCAL LIQUOR STORES AS WELL AS ON THE SHELVES OF 150+ LOCAL BARS AND RESTAURANTS IN THE TAMPA BAY AREA. FOR HIATUS CRAFT COCKTAIL RECIPES, HIATUSTEQUILA.COM, @HIATUSTEQUILA

Produced with the same tools and methods of ancestors centuries past (entirely by hand), La Cofradía’s hard-working jimadores harvest the agave using a primitive tool called a coa to slice the perennial succulent’s fleshy, thick and spiny leaves just the right way to extract the desired piña (the heart of the plant). The jimadores then remove and replant the baby agaves for propagation. Not sacrificing taste or quality for quickness and convenience, Hiatus Tequila harvests its agave only once it has achieved optimum ripening—at roughly 7-8 years of age. Many big brand tequila companies have been known to cut corners by harvesting their agave before fully ripe, or not using real blue agave at all. Harvesting prematurely often leads to a bitter, harsh taste of unwanted flavors (cue the pursed lips and furrowed brows followed shortly after an emptied shot glass). The piñas filled with sweet agave nectar are then hand loaded onto trucks for their final journey to the distillery. From there, they are weighed, sampled, slowly baked, hand-milled, fermented, distilled twice, filtered, oxygenated, bottled and then aged (no aging required for blanco; six months for reposado; a full year for añejo). 

Sipping Hiatus neat, or in a craft cocktail, you’ll experience a top-shelf quality that furtively plays with your senses—luxurious mouthfeel, clean aromatics, complex tasting notes and a flawlessly clear (almost undetectable) liquid. Collectively, this grass-to-glass spirit creates a pure, elevated head high, rather than a sloppy, double-vision inebriation largely conspired from mass-produced, “house” labels that have earned the mantra, “one tequila, two tequila, three tequila, floor.” On its own agenda, Hiatus does just what it sets out to do—interrupt the continuity of time, maybe even disrupt the status quo.

When life gives you limes, make a paloma—because “going on hiatus” means seeking balance from life’s hectic schedule. And if escaping the daily grind is not in the cards for you, at least opt for a tequila you don’t have to chase.