San Diego Magazine's Happy Half Hour

In the spirit of spirit month, we’re starting out with a well-deserved bang. Let’s talk about the liquor that comes in hot, and leaves us even hotter – sizzling with a well-paletted spice on the tip of our tongue and a soothing warmth in our bellies. I’m talking about tequila, baby. The tip of the iceberg in the Mexican spirits world. Some of the best are distributed right from San Diego. In fact, Happy Half Hour brings on an old friend who’s expanded his company’s rotation since his last feature in 2020. CEO Gaston Martinez of IZO Spirits saw his one stop mezcal leave people craving more from his Durango-based distillery and heart grown message captured in every bottle. Following its launch, backed by seasoned marketing executive and co-founder Linda Belzberg three years ago, Gaston knew they were destined for greatness – expansion. After curating a mezcal that was consumed on a hypnotic level, yet still competed for space with larger moguls, IZO had to change the game in order to keep up. Here are a couple