Tequila, Tequila, Tequila, floor.

Everyone knows tequila. It’s that friend who taps you on the shoulder at the end of a long day drinking and say’s “uno mas!”. It’s that feeling you have when you wake up to 30 unanswered sent messages to your ex, each one more cringe worthy. Every bad drunken idea you’ve ever had bottled up with a dose of extra hangover.

Tequila is not your friend, mostly.

MEXICAN’T #1: YOU CAN’T ABUSE TEQUILA, IT CAN ABUSE YOU

Tequila, a spirit distilled from the fermented sap of the agave plant (formerly maguey plant), comes from a region primarily around the city of Tequila in Mexico. One of the oldest spirits in all of Central and South America, it was officially first produced at the turn of the 16th century by a bunch of Spanish dudes looking to get lit. In Mexico. By a dude named Don Pedro Sanchez de Tagle. The warning signs are clear.

Skip forward to modern day and tequila is synonymous with Mexico’s party culture. The old adage of licking the salt, slamming the shot and sucking the lime might be the most iconic form of rapid alcohol consumption known to man, although Mexican’s traditionally take it neat. And that speaks to tequila’s most attractive facet: it’s way too easy to drink. The subtle, sweet smokiness of agave lures one into over drinking.

When visiting Mexico, especially when a festivity takes place, such as Dia de Meurtos (day of the dead) or especially Cinqo de Mayo, tequila flows as freely as the Rio Bravo itself. It becomes too easy to lose ones inhibitions with each additional shot. When in Mexico, right?

Wrong. Dead wrong.

HOW TO MEXICAN #1: Double count your shots and get jiggy with the agua

Mexico can be a dangerous place for foreigners, and winding up heavily intoxicated after demasadio! (too much) tequila is far from ideal. To avoid this situation we need to treat tequila like the frenemy it is; double count each shot of tequila in your drink tally, and make sure to drink a glass of water for every 2 shots to stay hydrated in the Mexican heat.