Within the highlands of Jalisco, swatches of land are lined in inexperienced and metal grey. It’s the colour of the blue Weber agave—the plant from which tequila, mezcal and sotol are derived. The Mexican state can be the birthplace of charros, the Mexican cowboys who reside by 4 pillars: God, patria (the homeland), their lady and their horse. 

Jesús Azpeitia Morales, who prefers the title El Chato (a nickname given to individuals with a flat nostril), is the embodiment of this Mexican heritage. “With El Chato, you’re going to come across a particular type of Mexican cowboy,” says Roberto Nuñez, Patrón’s nationwide ambassador and a Jalisco native who grew up listening to tales of the bar proprietor. “At 87, he nonetheless has a number of fashion. He serves with aptitude.” He’s additionally the creator of probably the most well-known drinks within the area: the Chatazo.

Jaliscienses reside by the motto of “¡No te rajes!”—“by no means again down.” It’s a saying that explains how El Chato turned considered one of Atotonilco el Alto’s savviest businessmen, regardless of missing a proper training of any variety; he even taught himself to learn and write.

Atotonilco el Alto, positioned a two-hour drive east of Guadalajara (considered one of Mexico’s largest cities), may not ring any bells, however there’s a very good probability its merchandise do. The city is house to the three largest tequila producers: Don Julio, Patrón and Siete Leguas. It’s a spot dominated by the tequila trade, the place “virtually everybody works for a distillery in some capability or one other,” says Victor Manuel Villalobos Vazquez, a driver for native haciendas. Like most individuals on the town, he has identified El Chato and his bar, which doesn’t have a proper title, for many years: “In the event you ask for La Cantina del Chato, everybody is aware of what you’re referring to. Ask a canine and even it’ll know.”

The Chatazo, named after its creator, is a straightforward drink. It was born from El Chato’s disdain for soda, and it combines about two elements contemporary grapefruit juice with one half tequila. The native agave’s herbaceous notes mix with the tart, floral citrus; the drink is crisp and earthy. El Chato has served it up for 65 years.

El Chato created the signature drink whereas he was working at Balneario los Chorritos, an outside water park powered by pure springs, the place he served it at particular occasions. Finally, he opened his personal bar. “You gotta take dangers,” he says. “Put up a enterprise. If it succeeds, nice. If it doesn’t, who cares?” 

El Chato’s recipe follows the Mesoamerican milpa precept of “What grows collectively, goes collectively,” says Mexican chef Alex Henry, of El Molino del Sureste. That very same precept, nevertheless, has modified El Chato’s beverage. The unique Chatazo was tequila paired with lima, a sweeter model of a lime. However the land in Atotonilco el Alto started to vary fingers, and farmers switched their focus from lima manufacturing to grapefruit to satisfy shopper demand. Now, it’s evolving as soon as once more. As agave replaces native manufacturing of citrus, reflecting the rising international thirst for tequila, El Chato now has to supply his grapefruit from different states like Michoacán, Sinaloa and Veracruz. His enterprise acumen—maybe that ¡No te rajes! mentality—led him to launch his personal firm producing grapefruit juice (additionally named El Chato), which he sells by the gallon to Patrón, Siete Leguas and different companies within the space.

To go to El Chato’s bar, it’s finest to easily ask somebody within the city’s foremost sq. to level you in the precise route. The doorway is unmarked, tucked simply off the nook. It’s simple to overlook. 

“It’s not tremendous elegant,” says Nuñez. “You stroll up the steps and also you see three males seated. It’s unclear in the event that they work there or in the event that they’re clients. They’ll ask what you need as a result of they know their regulars, and also you’re not considered one of them… It’s a jarring expertise, however as soon as you’re employed by that, the hospitality is top-notch. That’s one of many foremost issues El Chato is thought for.”

Once I spoke with him, the octogenarian was spry, rocking a cowboy hat and boots, denims and a pressed button-up shirt. 

“I’m open seven days every week, starting at 6 a.m. and shutting at 8 p.m.,” he stated earlier than strolling over to a pair of holiday makers and asking them to face. He positioned himself behind one of many males and commenced to therapeutic massage his abdomen to “help him in his digestion and assist along with his hangover,” then repeated the method for the opposite. This, getting to talk with the native legend, is a part of the bar’s enchantment. He’s glad to stroll you round his bar and let you know the tales behind the pictures on the wall, a set depicting Mexican revolutionaries and cowboys, together with one portrait of him. “If individuals come and don’t see him, they don’t keep,” says Villalobos Vazquez. 

El Chato hopes that considered one of his grandchildren or great-grandchildren will take an curiosity and run the bar when he’s gone. However he’s not likely considering that far forward. He’s a charro in spite of everything, and he has a job to do. So long as clients preserve exhibiting up, he’ll proceed to serve them, and that’s the place his consideration is for now.

“It’s a extremely cool expertise to satisfy a dwelling legend who created an iconic beverage for Mexico,” says Nuñez, who encourages individuals to make the trek to expertise El Chato’s bar, and the Chatazo, themselves. “You’ll by no means perceive tequila should you don’t perceive the place it comes from, the individuals who make it and the tradition round it.” 

Elizabeth Quan Kiu V. contributed to this story.