As a Winter Texan, you know you can’t stay cooped up in your RV park all the time so when you want to venture out for a day it usually means passing Freddy Fender’s water tower with a trip to Brownsville or South Padre.
Haven’t you heard the expression, “Go West, Young Man, Go West”? So, if you have not followed the Valley to the west, here is a little help. Forget the bypass, there is little to see. Stay on Business 83 and go through Penitas and La Joya. Look for the small highway sign that points you to Los Ebanos, take that side trip for five minutes and you can see the rope drawn ferry across the Rio.
Get back on the highway and pass Sullivan City to head for Rio Grande City. You can look over the historic buildings, the civic courtyard and don’t miss the nationally listed hotel. Fort Ringgold is also an attraction. There is a tram tour, but it is not always available. Now it is time to push on to Roma. There is a lot more to tell you about if you are willing to do the one-hour drive from Mission (less than SPI). And don’t forget the mention of Tequila!
Roma is basically set up around a town square. You will find the museum, the Birding Center and some historic plaques. Have a quick look but check out the water tower a half block southwest. Time to get the camera.
Underneath the tower is a fabulous outlook deck. Roma is on the top of a cliff, and you can look down and across the Rio to Miguel Aleman. Upriver you can see fairly far too. Down river is the bridge and still standing parallel is the old bridge. You can just imagine how the paddle wheelers came up from Brownsville for their last stop at Roma as they were limited by the depth to the west.
Ok, back to the square. Our Lady of Refuge Catholic Church, originally built in 1853, is on the north side and in the northwest corner is a great mural of the Oblate Fathers on horseback who travelled the area in the 1850’s.
Now the fun stuff. Look to the southwest corner of the square and you will see an old yellow brick building, which we originally found only by accident, and which is where we are really going. There’s not much signage to tell you what is inside but this is the home of Blasfemus and makes the trip worthwhile.
Blasfemus is the name of the spirit being distilled here and the makers are a bit Blasphemous which means when spelled properly, disruptive! Disruptive, it starts with locating it in Roma rather than some more populous center, but this is where Leonardo’s family roots come from.
It is not a Tequila or a Mezcal because those are legal names attached to Mexican geographies, but the spirit’s origins are some of the same which is Agave. So, if you create a mash with sugarcane, you get rum, or with corn you get bourbon, or with wheat it would be whiskey, but this is an American spirit from Agave. One of the creators is a guy by the name of Leonardo Sanchez and he is the guy who will tell you what it is all about and offer you a taste of one of the best kept secrets in the Valley. He will also show you his own courtyard where Agave plants thrive.
There is more than one kind of Agave. Some mature in seven years, some in 11 and some in 17. It is the mix of those varieties that make his different tasting brands. Agave blends and hand-crafted copper pot distilling are not the only elements the experts manipulate to get a neat product. They also have their aging done in three different species of oak barrels – Portuguese, French and American. You can taste it for yourself, but others describe it as subtle, slightly smoky and sweet, but with quite a kick.
New this year, and hidden behind the walls of what was an 1800s grocery store, is a really cool bar. It is open early evenings on the weekends and light food is available. Distillery tours are almost all weekdays but call ahead to be sure. Leonardo’s number is (956) 844-3048. It is worth the trip.
Photos and story submitted by Bob Leslie.
