Día de Muertos, or Day of the Dead, is a festival with origins dating back to pre-Hispanic Mexico. Held at the end of October through the beginning of November, it commemorates the deceased and their spiritual journey.
Despite the seemingly gruesome name, it’s not a somber observance of those gone from the Earth’s realm, but rather a celebration marked with food, music, dancing, and rituals such as the building of ofrendas (or altars) to the dead. Traditionally, they come decorated with marigolds, photographs, and the departed’s favorite foods or other personal items. The distinctive visual features of the festival, especially that of skulls and skeletal representations of the dead, are featured in such films as Pixar’s Coco and the Bond film Spectre.
Such a joyous occasion with traditions originating from Central and Southern Mexico merits a fine spirit of similar provenance—tequila, bottled in an equally exquisite bottle.
Tequila Clase Azul is world-renowned for premium tequilas bottled in distinctive ceramic vessels, each handcrafted by artisans in the small Mexican town of Santa Maria Canchesda, a unique bottle not only meant to catch the eye sitting atop a bar shelf but also meant for repurposing once the liquor goodness inside gets consumed. This year’s Día de Muertos edición brings the lively and joyous spirit of the holiday to its iconic bottles.
This Joven, or blanco blended with aged tequilas, is packaged in the brand’s signature ceramic “upside down gothic table chair” shaped bottle painted in a bone-like color, tying it to the transition from life to death. Traditional marigolds adorn the bottle, much like they do the homes and ofrendas built for those that have left meatspace. A large skull, a common symbol of the holiday, is featured on the bottom of the bottle. Subtle, dirt-like accents are painted on, evoking burial, an artistic detail that strengthens the overall theme. Finally, a bronze-colored domed cap gives a luxurious flourish to the painstakingly handcrafted vessel.
Only 2,000 bottles will be made worldwide, with half going to the U.S., the first time the tequila brand has exported a Día de Muertos edición offering.
