If you follow me on Instagram or keep up with this Brooklyn style blog on the regular, you’ll see that many of my freelance writing pursuits go far beyond my passion for menswear — although, diving into the best men’s style essentials is where it all began, so to speak.

But some things just go hand in hand together quite nicely: The same craft that makes a denim jacket a top-notch style move can be found in everything from the best craft beer to pocket knives to tequila (and I’ve had the chance to cover a bit of all three, and then some!).

And so it goes that once again, I find myself headed south of the border to uncover the secrets of a buzzed-about (yet underrated) tequila company in Tequila Ocho. My last jaunt to tequila territory came with famed producer Patron in late January, and you can look for a dispatch on that experience this coming spring at CoolMaterial.com.

The wide world of spirits is also a large part of my main beat at Maxim (and I just covered the oldest Irish single malt ever released!), and it’s always a special treat to be able to get on the ground, out into the fields and behind the scenes at a distillery to find out what makes a particular company tick.

That extends to other press trips I’ve taken this year, including a trek into the Italian Dolomites with audio brand Sonos — craftsmanship and attention to detail truly make the difference, and I’m certain I’ll discover even more visiting the recently opened and revamped Tequila Los Alambiques facility (situated on land once owned by the grandfather of Tequila Ocho founder Carlos Camarena).

Especially alluring is the recent release of Tequila Ocho’s latest single-estate vintage, the tantalizing Tequila Ocho Añejo Barrel Select Old Fitzgerald, which debuted last month. It brings together a revered tequila company with a bourbon producer that’s seen a return to form as of late, with plenty of online hype to match.

Of course, the chance to taste great tequila is often accompanied by plenty of other perks, as well, including the opportunity to experience the finest dining Guadalajara has to offer (in this case, that’d be the excellent Restaurante Hueso), made all the better by the chance to try tequila right from the source.

And naturally, I’ve found that heading out into the agave fields requires the right gear, like the rugged denim shirt seen above. That means the best spring style essentials from one of my favorite retailers — Huckberry — are packed away in my travel-ready, trusty and highly useful Halfday Travel bag. You can get a closer look at its utility, in fact, below (tequila and menswear sold separately, of course).

What bag do you pack up when you hit the road? And what essentials are you bringing with you in that pursuit? As ever, you can expect a duo of style picks heading your way this weekend right here on this blog, and by the time Monday comes back around, I’ll be back in the swing of things in Brooklyn. Cheers to that, cheers to Tequila Ocho and cheers to the chance to live out your passions — thanks, as always, for reading!