It’s a familiar scene. You’re a few drinks deep celebrating in good festive cheer; during the last round, you may have even opted for a craft beer a few percentage points higher than you’re used to (it’s a special occasion, after all), and just as you’re settling into the buzz of your surrounds, one of your friends arrives at the table – a smug smirk already starting to spread across their face – brandishing a tray of tequila shots. What happened for the remainder of the evening, you can’t quite recall, but your hangover the morning after is a clear indication.

How exactly tequila – an innocuous-looking, usually clear, mezcal made purely from the spikey blue agave plant – earned itself a reputation as the headache-inducing party-hard drink of choice isn’t as clear. But Ms Bertha González Nieves, the first woman to be certified a “maestra tequilera” by the governing body in charge of tequila regulation and founder of small-batch producer Casa Dragones, is doing her level best to change all that.

For starters, the notion that tequila is strictly a spirit to be slammed or shaken doesn’t exist in Mexico, where the beverage originated in the 16th century and where production is limited and closely protected to this day. Like champagne to the French or whisky to the Scots, tequila is a serious and rather mythic affair in Mexico. Ms González Nieves can even remember the first time she tasted a sip of her homeland’s national drink: as a teenager while attending a standing family lunch with her grandmother. “In Mexico, we celebrate the most important occasions in our lives with tequila, so I grew up seeing family and friends celebrate with tequila at every birthday, every anniversary and every party,” she tells MR PORTER. “Tequila is truly ingrained in the cultural fabric of Mexican society.”

Even so, not just any tequila is refined enough to be sipped and savoured, hence why Ms González Nieves’ debut creation Casa Dragones Joven – one of just three tequilas available from the brand and an exceedingly rare variety – stands out on the crowded shelves. A specially developed blend of 100 per cent silver and extra añejo (or aged) tequilas, each batch – of which only 500 cases are crafted at any time – is rested in American oak barrels to lend it a singular complexity. In itself, combining two styles of tequilas is a bafflingly complex procedure, but the result is crystal clear and free of impurities, thanks to ultra-modern multi-distillation and filtration processes, developed at the brand’s state-of-the-art facility in Jalisco. Even the volcanic spring water used at every stage of the tequila’s manufacture is tested to ensure it contains just the right balance of minerals. Is it any wonder, then, that the finished product is satisfyingly, silky smooth?

As for the taste, it too is uncommonly intricate. Stripped of harsh alcoholic notes, Casa Dragones Joven is fresh, herbaceous and crisp with hints of pear and warming vanilla underscored with a subtle backbone of spice. It’s that latter element that means it goes hand in hand with food, the brand says. But not any old dish will do in lieu of a chaser: finer fare such as oysters, caviar and dark chocolate are more natural pairings, it recommends, as is serving the tequila at room temperature in a professional Riedel Ouverture tequila glass, which allows the full spectrum of flavours to be properly enjoyed.

Just like a bespoke suit or pair of bench-made shoes, this level of care throughout the distilling and bottling process (each one is painstakingly hand-signed and numbered) takes an extraordinary amount of time and passion. It’s precisely for this reason that Casa Dragones is sure its tequila will make a singularly thoughtful and original gift this Christmas; the sort of present that is really remembered and appreciated, rather than hastily imbibed and forgotten by Boxing Day. “More than ever, people are looking for quality over quantity,” Ms González Nieves says. “It’s our love of the craft and meticulous attention to detail that ensures an extraordinary experience every time you take a sip.” The fact each bottle comes in its very own signature blue ready-to-gift presentation box (and looks rather smart in a drinks cabinet) doesn’t hurt its case either. And with that, we implore you to put down that bottle of supermarket-standard fare you were intending to wrap up this holiday season and instead opt for something truly a cut above. 

You can purchase Casa Dragones Joven here in the UK; and here in the US