Food & drink
Coquitas
A coquita is a small bottle of cola with cane alcohol added, drunk in one go. It is one of the lesser-known traditions of Los Altos de Jalisco, and San José de Gracia is one of its homes.
What a coquita is
A coquita starts with a small glass bottle of cola, the 255 ml size. The bottle is topped up with pure cane alcohol. The name comes from the soda, a little Coca, not from coconut.
It is strong, so pace yourself.
How to drink one
The local way: shake the bottle gently so the alcohol mixes through the soda, then drink it quickly, in one or two pulls. Coquitas come one at a time or six at once in a small wooden crate, called a jaula.
If you are driving back to Guadalajara or Tepatitlán, order a regular soda instead.
Where the tradition comes from
Coquitas took hold in Los Altos de Jalisco during the last century as a habit of the region's farmers, ranchers and day laborers, who drank one before starting the day's work. Today they are tied to a small circuit of Altos towns, sometimes called the ruta de las coquitas: Tepatitlán, Arandas, and San José de Gracia.
Where to try them in town
For coquitas the way people here drink them, go to Cantina La Soga in the centro. Bramido San José on Calle Hidalgo also serves them and presents them as the original coquitas of San José de Gracia and Los Altos, but it is geared more to visitors. Expect to pay around 50 pesos a bottle there, though prices change. Pair it with the rest of a Sunday in town: the tianguis in the morning, lunch, and a walk around the plaza. More ideas are on where to eat.