1.     Tequila & Mezcal 100% Agave. Visitors always face the difficulty to choose a brand of tequila or mezcal to take back home. Giving so many brands, they end buying the most appealing bottle.

There has been such increase on offer of agave distillates that it becomes impossible to recommend one in particular but there is a critical issue that you have to take into account when buying and consuming these spirits and similar ones like bacanora, comiteco or raicilla, all of them are basically the same: distillates of different types of agaves from different regions of Mexico. According to the national standards and the requirements of the appellation of origin they can only be produ

ced in certain parts of the country, like tequila at the Tequila region. 

There are two types of agave destillates: 100% agave and non-100% agave. The latter are complemented with a different type of alcohol (mostly from sugar cane).  The former must indicate it on the label (100% Agave, 100% puro de Agave). Rather only buy or drink 100% Agave.

There are also other types of these drinks according to the aging: joven (young), reposado (aged less than a year) and añejo (aged more than a year) but they can as well be 100% agave or not.

One mezcal producer give me an advise when drinking mezcal: for every three “caballitos” (the glass for tequila & mezcal), drink at least one whole glass of water. That it is the best way to avoid a hang over.

2.     Basic Spanish is easy to learn. Basic Spanish is not complicated, the pronunciation is simple: there are less phonems (sounds) than any other western language and it is pronounced as it is written, so with an on-line dictionary or phrase book you can basically communicate. Besides, everybody says that we Mexicans speak more clearly than the Spaniards and we sing, at least the extension of the last vowels is a characteristic of our accent which makes it easy to be understood.

Most Mexicans will be patient and helpful when you try to speak Spanish. Think that no matter how big it is, proportionally Mexico city is not as cosmopolitan as most cities in Europa, USA or Canada, and everybody will be as curious about you as you about them.

3.     Enjoy breakfast. Mexicans enjoy big meals and breakfast is one of them. In some countries it sounds strange to have business breakfasts but it is common in Mexico (a difference of a business lunch or dinner, it is less time consuming and cheaper because alcohol is not usually drunk, except mimosas). Breakfast time can also be a good opportunity to meet friends, even on weekdays. Most restaurants serve breakfast -brunch- up to noon (or even later on weekends) and you can enjoy very tasty Mexican dishes, fresh squeezed orange juice, pan dulce (sweet bread). A lot of places, specially hotels, offered buffets and it is a not expensive way to visit nice restaurants or tasty fondas, even in markets you can enjoy a nice breakfast.

4.     Visit the markets. Almost every part of the city has either a fixed market hall or a weekly market (mercado sobre ruedas: market on roads). You can be surprised of the different types of produce and ingredients. Most markets have juice stands and places to eat, a tortilleria is also a part of them, where you can taste freshly baked tortillas with salt or sauces they always have for their customers. Don’t be shy to talk to the people, as I mentioned before they will be as curious about you and your country as you are about them and their products.

5.     For transportation combine Eco-bici, Uber, Subway (metro) and Metrobus. Traffic can be awful in Mexico city so you have to find ways to avoid it. If you use subway and metrobus (you just have to buy a card and load it with money) in non rush hours it is quite convenient. You can use uber for longer distances just to reach a metro or bus station. If you get an Eco-bici access directly at the stations (the public bikes available in central Mexico), you can get out of the Uber once the traffic goes bad and continue on a bike. Some people are afraid of riding a bike in Mexico city but it is not that bad, specially if you use the network of “ciclovias”, just be aware that the drivers have stopped for you to cross (don’t totally trust the traffic lights).