Let’s Raise a Toast to National Tequila Day with Don Javier’s Creation—the Batanga!

About National Tequila Day

This month we celebrate National Tequila Day in Mexico, though for us, all holidays deserve to be celebrated with a drink made with Altos tequila!

Did you know that four years ago, the Mexican Senate approved a proposal to celebrate a new National Tequila Day with the intention of boosting the drink’s international reputation as an emblem of Mexico? 

Thanks to this decision, the iconic tequila has become an ambassador for the Latin American country around the world!

In 2022, Mexico’s tequila producers prepared their distilleries and casks to celebrate National Tequila Day on March 14th. 

In Mexico, National Tequila Day is always celebrated on the third weekend of March, while in the United States, which already had its own National Tequila Day, is observed every year on July 24th.

In the spirit of National Tequila Day—a tribute to Don Javier, creator of the Batanga

In celebrating National Tequila Day, we’d like to pay tribute to Don Javier Delgado Corona, creator of the famous cocktail, the Batanga.  

In an unassuming corner of the town of Tequila, in the state of Jalisco, is one of the oldest, and without a doubt one of the most famous, cantinas in all of Mexico.

It is called La Capilla, or rather, The Chapel. This watering hole has had many names throughout its 80-year history, but La Capilla was the popular one that stuck. 

Behind the bar there are dusty bottles and plenty of tequila. Memorabilia and photos of old friends adorn the walls, among them one of the late Henry Besant, co-creator of Altos tequila. 

The passage of time has given the whole scene a special luster. What is it exactly that makes this place a reference point for bartenders across the globe? 

“My idea of the ideal bar or cantina was simple, welcoming and warm: Smile when someone walks in. Greet them. Ask them where they want to sit, and get them a cool drink in a clean glass.” 

Javier Delgado Corona, known as Don Javier 

5 facts about the real Batanga on National Tequila Day

The drink—created some time between the 1950s and 60s by Don Javier—is a favorite of the regulars at La Capilla as well as across borders, capturing the attention of bartenders at a global level who have made La Capilla a lucky place of pilgrimage.

1. The recipe is pretty simple but complex at the same time: it combines silver tequila, with lime juice and Coca-Cola.  

2. Everything is served in a tall frosted glass with a ton of ice and rimmed with coarse sea salt. 

3. The result is a nuanced and refreshing flavor combination of sweet, salty and perfectly acidic! 

4. A Batanga should be stirred with the knife you cut the limes with. 

5. In the cantina La Capilla, the Batangas certainly make everyone who arrives become more social. And that is the great, timeless legacy of our dear Don Javier. 

The international audience that visited La Capilla and tried the Batanga voted La Capilla to be included on the prestigious list of the World’s Best Bars from 2011 until 2014.

Finally, we invite you to celebrate National Tequila Day with us by preparing, at home or at the bar, Don Javier’s legendary Batanga.

Let’s make a toast in his honor and thank him for his invaluable contribution to the cocktail industry! Salud Javier!

7 tips for preparing the original Batanga on National Tequila Day