Spirits of Mexico Festival 2012 - event info

The Spirits of Mexico Festival, North America’s largest and most prestigious tasting event for agave spirits, is returning to Old Town San Diego for its ninth year Sept. 9 – 16. It will be jam-packed with tasting receptions featuring more than 70 brands and over 200 varietals of rare and expensive tequilas, cocktail challenges, educational seminars led by master distillers, a comprehensive tasting competition and resultant awards ceremony, as well as plenty of authentic Mexican cuisine and entertainment including mariachis, live bands and stilt walkers.

Here's the rundown of the events:

Sept. 9 - Tequila Trail - Trailblazers will sample select tequilas, mezcals, sotols, bacanoras, raicillas and other Mexican spirits, as well as savor culinary specialties from 12 of Old Town's celebrated eateries from 3 to 6 p.m. Tickets are $35 and can be purchased on their website: http://www.thespiritsofmexico.com/home. Will-call will be at the corner of San Diego Ave and Twiggs St.

Sept. 10 and 11 - 2012 Spirits of Mexico Tasting Competition - A panel of internationally recognized industry experts will meet behind closed doors to select the spirit brands who will take home the coveted 'Best of' gold, silver and bronze medals. This event is private and the results will be announced at the Sept. 14 Awards Dinner.

Sept. 14 - Tasting Reception and Awards Dinner - Agave lovers will discover and savor a wide variety of agave spirits that pair well with a specially designed, agave-infused dinner created by Executive Chef Jose Pulido of Barra Barra Saloon. The awards ceremony, held in the Fiesta de Reyes courtyard, will reveal the winners of the 2012 Spirits of Mexico Tasting Competition and Windy City Live's Emmy award-winning comedic host Mark DeCarlo will host a live auction featuring rare and collectible bottles. The event is from 6 to 10 p.m. at Barra Barra Saloon in Old Town as well as Fiesta de Reyes courtyard. Tickets are $95 and can be purchased on their website: http://www.thespiritsofmexico.com/home

Sept. 15 - Main Tasting Event -- Master distillers, industry experts and brand ambassadors will meet from 7 to 9 p.m. in McCoy Garden Courtyard, 4016 Wallace St., for the festival's grand finale, which will center on educating agave aficionados through a more comprehensive tasting reception featuring more than 250 spirits, and seminars discussing the history and culture of their spirits, industry trends and appropriate tasting techniques. General admission tickets are $50. VIP tickets, which include early entrance at 6 p.m., agave-infused hors d'oeuvres, gift bags with spirit swag and free admittance to all seminars are $75. Link to purchase both tickets: http://thespiritsofmexico.com/main-tasting-event

If you're a fan of tequila, this is the event for you! Old Town is going to be the place to be in San Diego that week!

For more information, visit http://thespiritsofmexico.com/