Discovering the Heartbeat of Cabo: A Journey Through Local Gems

In the sun-kissed haven of Cabo San Lucas, where the turquoise waters embrace golden shores, a vibrant tapestry of businesses awaits the curious traveler. Introducing our Cabo San Lucas Directory. As we embark on this virtual journey through the bustling streets and hidden corners of this Baja California gem, you’ll find more than just businesses; you’ll discover the beating heart of Cabo.

Our adventure begins with the aroma of freshly brewed coffee wafting through the air, guiding us to the quaint cafés tucked away in charming alleys. Picture yourself sipping a velvety espresso at “Café del Sol,” a local favorite where the baristas know your name and the beans tell tales of Mexican sunsets.

As the sun rises higher in the sky, we wander towards the artisan markets, where vibrant stalls showcase the skilled craftsmanship of local artists. “Arte y Color” beckons with hand-painted treasures, each piece carrying the soul of its creator. From intricate pottery to vivid textiles, every purchase becomes a cherished memento of your Cabo escapade.

The midday sun invites us to explore the culinary wonders that Cabo has to offer. “Mariscos del Mar” whispers promises of the freshest seafood, served with a side of ocean breeze. The chef’s secret blend of spices transforms each dish into a symphony of flavors, leaving your taste buds dancing with delight.

In the heart of Cabo, we stumble upon “La Plaza de los Sueños,” a lively square where local musicians strum melodies that echo through the cobblestone streets. The souvenir shops here hold more than trinkets; they harbor stories of the land and its people. “Recuerdos del Sol” offers handmade souvenirs that encapsulate the spirit of Cabo, ensuring you carry a piece of this paradise home.

As the day gracefully transitions into evening, we find ourselves drawn to the vibrant nightlife. “Cielo Bar” perched on a rooftop offers panoramic views of the city lights below. Sipping a signature cocktail, you’ll witness the stars mirroring the sparkle of Cabo after dark.

Downtown Cabo San Lucas:

Downtown Cabo is a vibrant hub where the sun-soaked streets come alive with the rhythm of local life, is home to a myriad of merchants eager to share their treasures with curious wanderers. As we navigate through the heart of this Baja California gem, let’s shine a spotlight on some of the local businesses that add character to the enchanting tapestry of downtown Cabo.

1. Café del Sol: Nestled in a sunlit corner, Café del Sol welcomes you with the rich aroma of freshly brewed Mexican coffee. The friendly baristas here craft each cup with precision, turning your morning ritual into a sensory delight. Whether you prefer a robust espresso or a frothy cappuccino, this charming café is the perfect starting point for your day in Cabo.
2. Arte y Color: For those seeking a piece of Cabo to carry home, Arte y Color is a treasure trove of local craftsmanship. Wander through the vibrant stalls where skilled artisans showcase hand-painted ceramics, intricate textiles, and unique souvenirs. Each piece tells a story, making your visit to Arte y Color more than just a shopping spree—it’s a cultural experience.
3. Mariscos del Mar: Cabo’s culinary scene comes alive at Mariscos del Mar, a seafood haven where the catch of the day transforms into delectable dishes. From fresh ceviche to grilled fish tacos, the menu at Mariscos del Mar is a celebration of Baja’s coastal flavors. Pull up a chair, savor the ocean breeze, and let your taste buds embark on a journey of culinary delight.
4. La Plaza de los Sueños: At the heart of downtown Cabo lies La Plaza de los Sueños, a lively square that beckons with its vibrant energy. Local musicians strum melodies that become the soundtrack to your exploration. As you meander through the souvenir shops like Recuerdos del Sol, you’ll find handmade treasures that encapsulate the spirit of Cabo, transforming your visit into a lasting memory.
5. Cielo Bar: When the sun dips below the horizon, Cielo Bar atop a downtown rooftop becomes the perfect vantage point to witness Cabo’s transformation into a city of lights. Sip on signature cocktails while enjoying panoramic views of the twinkling skyline—a fitting end to a day filled with exploration.
6. Plaza del Amor: Our journey concludes at Plaza del Amor, where the iconic Arch of Cabo San Lucas stands proudly against the moonlit sea. Surrounding this romantic square, you’ll find local merchants offering everything from handmade jewelry to traditional Mexican clothing. Take a leisurely stroll, embrace the warm evening breeze, and let the magic of Plaza del Amor linger in your memories.

As you explore downtown Cabo, remember that these merchants are not just businesses; they are the heartbeat of this coastal paradise. Let their stories intertwine with your own as you immerse yourself in the rich tapestry of Cabo San Lucas.

As you explore downtown Cabo San Lucas, remember that these merchants are not just businesses; they are the heartbeat of this coastal paradise. Let their stories intertwine with your own as you immerse yourself in the rich tapestry of Cabo San Lucas.

Our journey concludes under the starlit sky at the “Plaza del Amor,” where the iconic Arch of Cabo San Lucas stands proudly against the backdrop of the moonlit sea. The businesses we’ve encountered are not merely dots on a map; they are the storytellers of Cabo, weaving narratives that echo through the ages.

In this Cabo San Lucas directory, you’ll find more than just places to visit; you’ll discover the essence of Cabo—a destination that embraces you like an old friend and invites you to become part of its narrative. So, fellow traveler, let this guide be your companion as you unlock the secrets of Cabo San Lucas, one enchanting business at a time.

Want your business included and featured in our directory?

CLICK HERE to get started!

 

Saludos from Co-Founder…

Michael L Mattos

The post Cabo San Lucas Directory appeared first on CaboViVO.

Clase Azul México, the Mexican luxury brand known for its exquisite artisanship and distillates, has announced a new hospitality arm, Clase Azul Destinations, which will offer unique spaces where the brand will come to life through extraordinary experiences inspired by an Exquisite México. 

As part of its ongoing 25th anniversary celebrations, Clase Azul México will open the doors of Clase Azul Los Cabos, an expansive luxury destination which will include a boutique, restaurant, bar, omakase experience and more. Located in San José del Cabo, Clase Azul Los Cabos will allow guests to partake in the most authentic expression of the brand starting in October 2022. 

The news comes on the heels of the organization’s new brand identity and transformation from Clase Azul Spirits into Clase Azul México, and is inspired by the company’s mission to diversify its offerings and increase global exposure to Mexican culture. 

“We exist to captivate the world through the magic of Mexican culture, and our distillates are just the beginning,” says Arturo Lomelí, founder of Clase Azul México. “We want to create spaces where our brand comes to life.” 

Inspired by the encounter between land and ocean, Clase Azul Los Cabos incorporates its natural surroundings to complement a fully sensorial, contemporary welcoming space, which will include: 

Clase Azul La Terraza

Curated by Clase Azul México’s in-house Creative Chef Iván Arias, La Terraza will feature dishes born from his culinary team’s gastronomical journey through the Baja California peninsula. All ingredients are sourced regionally, forming a network with local producers to promote practices like sustainable business and fair trade. 

Clase Azul El Bar

Enjoying tequila and mezcal neat is the preferred sipping ritual for the brand, but at El Bar, Clase Azul will now offer guests an adventure through mixology with Head Mixologist Sheila Zenteno, who for the first time, has created exquisite cocktails from a selection of their spirits.  Inspired by delicacies unique to the region of La Baja, these artful cocktails promise to be a delightful exploration of select Clase Azul icons. 

Beverage offerings other than tequila and mezcal will include a selection of artisanal beers and small-batch wines sourced from local winemakers with unique offerings. 

Clase Azul Omakase

Clase Azul Los Cabos will also feature Omakase, a six-person bar born out of love for the Asian cuisine which has long influenced the gastronomy of La Baja. Omakase – which can be translated as “I’ll leave it up to you”— is a fusion of traditions and cultures that resonate with care, reverence and love. Chef Arias has transformed these influences in order to achieve a custom selection of fourteen courses prepared at the hands of the chef,  with a Mexican touch. 

A Taste of Culture

Launched in 2021, A Taste of Culture takes guests on a multi-sensory tasting journey of Clase Azul’s tequilas and mezcals, allowing them to connect intimately with the flavors and culture of México. 

During the theatrically inspired experience, guests will taste five Clase Azul icons along with pairings specially prepared to enhance the tasting notes of each spirit. With only eight spots per seating, A Taste of Culture ensures an intimate and interactive experience. 

Clase Azul Boutique Los Cabos

The newly re-imagined Boutique at Clase Azul Los Cabos offers a rich and intimate experience where guests will have the opportunity to acquire the brand’s icons as well as rare, limited editions not available elsewhere. 

Clase Azul México was founded in 1997 in  Guadalajara, Jalisco by Arturo Lomelí, who was determined to create a product as exquisite as the land it comes from. Lomelí’s dedication to Mexican culture has made Clase Azul one of the leaders in the spirits and luxury categories, which is now sold worldwide in more than 50 countries – including Mexico, the United States, Canada, France, Spain, Greece, the UK, South Korea, and Australia.

 The company, which is deeply connected to craftsmanship, supports México’s artisanal community through Fundación Causa Azul, a non-profit organization dedicated to collaborating with artisan communities to improve their quality of life and preserving Mexican folk-art as part of the country’s cultural heritage and legacy. 

Clase Azul Los Cabos is located at The Shoppes at Palmilla, Carretera Transpeninsular, Km. 27.5, Palmilla, San José del Cabo, B.C.S., Mexico, 23406. 

Want your business featured in our directory and promoted by CaboViVO, please be sure to contact us here, thanks…

Saludos from Co-Founders…

Chris Sands and Michael Mattos

The post Clase Azul México Announces Clase Azul Los Cabos appeared first on CaboViVO.

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The origins of the margarita are shrouded in mystery, although it’s interesting to note that many of the claims put forth for its invention have a Baja California connection.

The writer of an article published in an Iowa newspaper in 1936 claims the drink was first discovered in Tijuana. Another popular theory traces the cocktail to a restaurant called Rancho La Gloria between Tijuana and Rosarito, where owner Carlos “Danny” Herrera is said to have made if for a former Ziegfeld dancer who was allergic to all spirits save tequila. Yet another story places the origin in 1941 at Hussong’s Cantina in Ensenada, where it is credited as the brainchild of bartender Don Carlos Orozco.

The true identity of the genius who invented this now famous cocktail will probably never be definitively known, but what has been established is that the first recipe was published in Esquire Magazine in 1953. What’s also known to a certainty is that in the 65 years since that recipe was first published, margaritas have become one of the world’s most commonly ordered cocktails, and a staple at parties and celebrations around the globe. In the U.S. there is even a day – February 22 – designated as Margarita Day.

There’s no need for such semi-official pronouncements in Los Cabos, where to all intents and purposes, every day is Margarita Day.

Every bar, restaurant and hotel in the cape cities has its own approach to the Rita, with subtle variations apparent in methodology (shaken or blended?), signature ingredients (well or top-shelf tequila? Triple sec, Controy, Damiana or Cadillac style Grand Marnier?) and garnishes (salt-rimmed glass or not? Orange and lime wedge or just one or the other?).

Some places, however – either through the quality of their ingredients or imagination – have taken the legendary cocktail to an entirely new level. Here are our picks for the top 5 places to enjoy margaritas in Cabo in 2018.

Los Tres Gallos

Visitors inevitably find it enchanting and entertaining, but don’t let the good time atmosphere fool you: no local restaurant takes authenticity and traditional Mexican values more seriously than Los Tres Gallos. Virtually every single item at this popular downtown eatery is made by hand, and not just the ones listed on the menu.

Naturally, each dish is prepared with fresh regional ingredients and a genuine love of craft – co-owner Michel Zermeño’s mother even makes occasional visits to the kitchen to ensure fidelity to traditional values – but the furnishings and fixtures here are also handmade, built from scratch using methods that have been passed down from generation to generation. Each table and chair, for example, is constructed by staff artisans.

About the only things that aren’t handmade are the colorful fruit trees scattered about the charming courtyard, and of course the wandering mariachis.

The margaritas receive the same level of care and attention as the décor and delicious regional specialty items. The house margarita showcases top-shelf ingredients like Clase Azul Reposado tequila, Damiana, Controy, Jarabe Natural and freshly squeezed lime and orange juices; and is served in a handmade pottery mug with tamarindo salted rim and colorful popote.

You haven’t had a margarita in Cabo until you try this one:

Monkey Business

The margarita shines in most any context, but it works a lot better as a star than a supporting player. Pair it with dinner or a snack, for example, and its flavors are muted. Surround it with flashing nightclub lights or pulsating music and its impact is subdued.

There’s no question that restaurants and resort based nightclubs produce many of the finest margaritas in Cabo, but to appreciate the cocktail in its best light, at center stage of the proceedings — so to speak — you need to visit a local bar; and not one that advertises 600 brands of tequila. A simple place, preferably outdoors with a palapa roof or a few palm fronds for atmosphere.  

Two bars stand out in downtown Cabo San Lucas: Monkey Business and Uno Más. Both are small, semi-circular in shape, with bar stools arrayed in such a way that the bartender and his or her activities are the focus of attention.

Not for passersby, mind you, only patrons. Any business at Monkey Business, for example, is mostly hidden from the main thoroughfare, Marina Blvd. as the palapa-topped bar faces in the opposite direction: away from the street and towards the arts and crafts vendors of the small Plaza Marlin.

But this is the kind of place where the making of a margarita is as compelling a spectacle as one could wish for on a lazy afternoon or moonlit evening. The colorful margarita glasses here are nearly large enough to swim in, but it’s the potent mixture within that excites the palate. Sauza’s branded 100 Años tequila is the base of choice, with a splash of Controy and orange juice, fresh lime and jarabe.

Sit back and watch as this collection of random ingredients are fused into a magical elixir.

That’s entertainment, Cabo style.

Cabo Wabo Cantina

Cabo Wabo Cantina is the most famous bar in Los Cabos, so it should come as no surprise that it also boasts one of the area’s signature margaritas. Founded in 1990 by Sammy Hagar and his then Van Halen bandmates, Cabo Wabo Cantina has for decades now been a must-visit nightlife destination for visitors to Cabo San Lucas. The Red Rocker’s birthday bashes continue to draw rock n’ roll and country music royalty for star-studded jam sessions each October, but just to be clear: the rollicking live music isn’t limited to a few occasions each year. Musical entertainment is served up on a daily and nightly basis.

So too are the potent “Waboritas.” In addition to the Cabo Wabo Cantinas – subsequent locations have opened in Las Vegas, Hollywood and Lake Tahoe – Hagar also originated a Cabo Wabo brand tequila. Yes, he later sold the majority of his stock to Campari in a blockbuster deal, but this particular brand of tequila remains one of several reasons the house Waborita differs from more traditional margarita mixtures. Another, perhaps equally important, is Damiana. This herb native to the Baja California peninsula has long been recognized as a powerful natural aphrodisiac, a reputation played up in bottles of Damiana infused liqueur, which are shaped like an ancient fertility goddess.

For those who’d like to rekindle the spark of their Waborita fueled vacation experience at a later date, here’s the standard recipe: pack a cocktail shaker with ice, then add Cabo Wabo tequila, orange liqueur, fresh lime juice, and Damiana. Shake the ingredients until ice cold, then strain into a salt-rimmed martini or margarita glass, with a final splash of Blue Curacao for color. Repeat as needed.

Esperanza

Signature ingredients and skillful bartenders are a big part of the equation for producing a memorable margarita, but service and setting also matter.

When it comes to the latter two elements, Esperanza is in a league of its own.

The Auberge branded resort has long been renowned for its luxurious appointments and spectacular seaside views (and, incidentally, for providing the backdrop for the infamous Kim Kardashian sex tape); but not even its pampering, award-winning spa – rated by Travel+Leisure as the best in Latin America – epitomizes Esperanza’s talent for delightfully decadent amenities quite like the onsite margarita butlers.

Yes, you heard us correctly: margarita butlers. Imagine Jeeves with a cocktail shaker, pouring out a little lime-flavored refreshment as you ponder the infinity pool views from your private cabana. Of course, if we might make a small suggestion….moving to one of the partially submerged chaise lounges in the infinity pool for more picturesque vantages of waves crashing against the offshore rocks adds a few more sensory layers to the experience.

The boutique cocktails are shaken up (or blended) by the glass or pitcher, and they’re as good as the service would lead you to expect. Why not, after all? Each butler is trained by the resort’s master tequilier (tequiliers are the sommeliers of the tequila world; trained in Jalisco, the ancestral home of the country’s signature spirit).

Lucky guests may of course customize their poolside concoctions, choosing tropical flavors additives like mango or hibiscus, or opting for tajin over the traditional salt to rim the glass.

About the only thing guests can’t do is take their margarita butler home with them.

Uno Más

It’s hard to say no to Uno Más: either to the bar or the phrase, which means “one more” in Spanish.

Oh, there’s nothing fancy about this airy outdoor watering hole, set amid the interior marketplace of arts and crafts at Plaza del Sol in downtown Cabo San Lucas. There are no margarita butlers or partially submerged chaise lounges or Sea of Cortés vistas. Just grizzled locals and savvy visitors, arrayed on a dozen or so bar stools facing one great bartender – with a bottle of Jose Cuervo Tradicional in one hand, and an old-fashioned heavy duty aluminum lime squeezer in the other.

What can you say about a margarita that’s made the same way as it was during the halcyon days of Danny Herrera and Don Carlos Orozco, with a damn fine tequila and some freshly cut limes?

What can you say? Uno más, por favor!

Want your business, activity or event featured and promoted by CaboViVO, please be sure to contact us here, thanks…

Saludos from Co-Founders…

Chris Sands – Writer  and Michael Mattos

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