Tequila is both a town and a drink, and it is rare for the two to be so closely bound. The town, with about thirty thousand people, lies at the foot of the volcano of the same name, and its centre is a tidy grid of low houses painted in strong colours around a main plaza and a parish church. Mexico gives such places the title Pueblo Mágico, and here it fits more honestly than usual, because the thing the town is famous for is still produced a few streets away. The air in places smells of cooked agave, sweet and a little smoky, and the big distillery names, Cuervo and Sauza among them, have their old facilities in town.
If you have never seen the process, there are tours that walk you through the baking ovens, the crushing, the fermentation and the stills, and end, naturally, with a tasting. As a rider, go on the tour and sip, but save the proper tasting for the end of the day. The local way to drink is the cantarito, a clay cup filled with tequila, citrus juice and soda, which you will see sold from stands around the plaza. It goes down easily in the heat, and that is the problem.
The riding to reach it is among the easiest on this route. The road from Amatitán passes through agave fields with long, open bends, and the surface is usually good. Arriving in the town means slow, cobbled or uneven streets, one-way systems, and a lot of pedestrians, and parking near the plaza is tight. If the town is crowded, as it is at weekends, leave the bike a few streets out and walk in. There is a small train that runs tourists out to the distilleries, which tells you how seriously the place takes its visitors.
Tequila is large enough for everything you need: several fuel stations on the main roads, banks, pharmacies and a good range of places to eat, from market stalls to proper restaurants with courtyards. The mornings are the best time, when the light is gentle and the fields glow, and the heat has not yet turned the day sluggish. Rain is likely in the summer afternoons, so plan around it.