
Tequila Don Julio Unveils a Sensory Tasting Experience at Mercer Labs
González's journey began at his first tequila distillery in La Primavera — and now, that legacy comes to life in a high-tech, multisensory takeover. Set within the museum's art-meets-technology space, the experience transports guests to the nutrient-rich clay soils and warm climate of the Jaliscan highlands, where the story of Tequila Don Julio first took root.
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The sensory installation ran from June 12-15. While some parts of the activation revealed the spirit's origin story, other rooms invited visitors to guided tastings of Tequila Don Julio Reposado, Tequila Don Julio 70 Añejo Cristalino Anejo, and Tequila Don Julio 1942.
While guests savored the layered flavors of Tequila Don Julio and it's award-winning 100% Blue Weber Agave tequila, they were also immersed in the scent of roasted agave and rich oak—hallmarks of the brand's signature character—set against the vibrant rhythms and energy of Mexico. Reflecting the brand's blend of passion and artistry, the experience invited attendees to tap into their own creativity by crafting custom artisanal cocktails.
'Mercer Labs is a home to the world's most forward-thinking creators, and this collaboration with Tequila Don Julio represents a perfect union of creative vision,' said Roy Nachum, Co-founder and Creative Director of Mercer Labs. 'We're proud to host the brand's first immersive takeover and give guests the opportunity to experience tequila in a way that's never been done before.'
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Axios
2 hours ago
- Axios
Very Best Day in Austin with JJ Gottsch
This weekend is Gambler Days, when Austin's local professional bull riding squad competes at the Moody Center against teams from around the country. Why it matters: The Gamblers are the defending champs on the PBR circuit, and are now second in the league. We caught up with Gamblers CEO JJ Gottsch, 53, who lives near Camp Mabry, as part of our occasional series asking Austinites about their ideal day. For the record: Gottsch has never topped a live bull — but he has ridden a mechanical one. "But that's like comparing riding a bicycle to a Lamborghini," he tells Axios. How are you starting your day? "I get up early, around sunrise, and go to Mount Bonnell. If there's not a lot of traffic on the water, I'll go down to Lake Austin, when the water is like glass, and go out with some friends and wake surf." What about breakfast? "I like to find a hole-in-the-wall Mexican restaurant. I'm going for migas, my wife for huevos rancheros. I like Nuevo Mexico, by Lamar and 183." How does your afternoon look? "I like to head for Perla's for lunch. They've got some monster tiger shrimp, the BBQ style. You get your hands dirty and it's fantastic every time. The appetizer will fill you." What are you doing for dinner? " Fonda San Miguel. I'm getting the chipotle shrimp." A double shrimp day?! "I've got to watch out for gout."


Los Angeles Times
3 hours ago
- Los Angeles Times
His immigrant mother named him after a sun god. Now Tonatiuh is a breakout star
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'Then I started realizing, 'Why am I denying even my own name to fit in?' It's so stupid.' The entertainment industry proved just as unwilling to accept all of him. Those advising him warned him to play ball. 'It's already hard enough given the way you look,' Tonatiuh recalls hearing from them. 'I was just like, 'Are we going to change my name to Albert?'' As for his last name, Elizarraraz, he conceded it might be a bridge too far for English-only speakers. 'My first name's already difficult enough,' Tonatiuh says. 'They are not ready for that.' Increasingly, he found the concept of a mononym enticing. 'I was like, 'How many other Tonatiuhs are in the industry?' I looked it up on SAG, and it was just me,' he says. Enamored with drama from a young age, Tonatiuh remembers watching James Cameron's 'Titanic' on VHS as a formative experience. But it wasn't until a friend's mother invited him to see a live performance of 'Wicked' when he was a teenager that acting grabbed him. 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Sociopolitically outspoken material has shaped Tonatiuh's resume so far: 'Vida' dealt with gentrification, while the 2022 ABC series 'Promised Land' followed undocumented characters who amassed power by way of wealth. Now, 'Kiss of the Spider Woman' examines authoritarianism through a queer lens. 'My body is being used for a purpose much greater than just entertainment,' he says. 'I didn't have any nepotism. I was very fortunate that people believed in me, and they gave me opportunities.' 'Spider Woman' director Condon credits producer Ben Affleck with the liberty to cast someone talented but not yet a household name. 'He said, 'I know how important this is,'' Condon, an Oscar winner for 1998's 'Gods and Monsters,' recalls. 'He took that off the table right away.' The search for Condon's Molina/Kendall was as extensive as the one he did for Effie in his film version of 'Dreamgirls' 20 years earlier, the role that famously went to singer Jennifer Hudson. 'Hundreds of actors in South America, Central America, Mexico, Spain, New York, Los Angeles, London and other cities,' remembers Condon. 'But it wasn't like with all those hundreds there were dozens of credible choices. There were really just a handful.' Among them, Tonatiuh grabbed attention on a self-taped audition. Condon sought someone who could be persuasive within the gritty realism of a prison movie, while also credibly being a larger-than-life Hollywood musical star. Tonatiuh inhabited both modes seamlessly. 'Tona has the most extraordinary, open, beautiful face,' Condon says. 'And his eyes just invite you in. There's a lot of camp humor and that's not something that comes naturally to someone of Tona's generation, but he just has it in his bones. But it's the depth of feeling that he can convey that mattered most.' Tonatiuh seized the chance to play two distinctly complex characters within one movie. 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His eyes wet, Tonatiuh recalls an emotional scene with Luna's Valentin, Molina's improbable love interest, that once again seemed to him as if film and his reality were in direct conversation. 'When I'm telling Valentin, 'The film's almost over and I don't want it to end,' it broke my heart because I realized that the film was actually almost over and I didn't want it to end,' he says. 'I bawled my eyes out as if I'd lost the love of my life, and that, for me as a person — what a gift, because it's fake but it was real for me.' Since wrapping 'Kiss of the Spider Woman,' Tonatiuh has acted in Jeremy O. Harris' play 'Spirit of the People' and Ryan Murphy's upcoming series 'American Love Story.' For his next act, he wants to start from scratch. 'I want to do something completely different than Molina because I love being a shape-shifter,' he says. 'I want to be unrecognizable every time I come on screen.'


Axios
16 hours ago
- Axios
Former reporter's new novel features Valley institutions — including Axios Phoenix
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