Mexican heritage, craftsmanship, and immersive interiors define the brand’s approach to luxury tequila.

Bertha González Nieves was relishing an exhibition on the history of Mexican glassmaking at the Museo de Arte Popular in Mexico City when she was moved by a display of old-school decanters. González Nieves and Robert Pittman, cofounder of American television channel MTV, were planning to introduce Casa Dragones, a small-batch sipping tequila to the market, and “I thought what if we made a modern version of the bottle in crystal, something that pointed to the tequila’s production process.”

In 2009, Casa Dragones launched with Joven, a blend of 100 percent blue agave silver and extra-aged tequila housed in those chic crystal vessels González Nieves imagined. Engraved by hand, employing the pepita technique by Mexican artisans, the bottles feature a splash of blue that nods to the Dragones cavalry of San Miguel de Allende, masterminds of the Mexican War of Independence in 1810.

For four months, González Nieves learned from a historian, unearthing details that were woven into the packaging. “In Mexico, we’re not afraid to use color,” she says. “We wanted a color that was Mexican, elegant, and could identify us.” So, drawing from the cavalry’s flag and uniforms, she opted for a bright blue and incorporated the number 16, a reference to both September 16th, the date the war started, and the address of the cavalry’s stables.

The Casa Dragones aesthetic is key to the brand’s narrative of craftsmanship. “When I was younger, I didn’t articulate it, but I was always interested in design and admired design. It’s another source of inspiration,” adds González Nieves.

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