The Partnership
Pantalones Organic Tequila, the USDA-certified organic spirit co-founded by Matthew and Camila McConaughey, has made its Costa Rica debut through an exclusive cocktail program at Nekajui, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve on Peninsula Papagayo. The collaboration, called The Cowboy & Mermaid, draws on the sabanero cowboy culture of Costa Rica's Guanacaste region and McConaughey's Texas heritage to build a menu that leans into cross-cultural storytelling — a growing tactic in luxury hospitality beverage programming.
For operators watching how ultra-luxury resorts are building beverage identity, this activation is instructive. Rather than placing a celebrity spirit on a generic menu, Nekajui worked with Pantalones to develop four bespoke serves that pull ingredients and narratives from Texas, Brazil, and Costa Rica simultaneously. The program rolls out across five distinct outlets: Puna, the signature restaurant helmed by Chef Diego Muñoz; Ámbar, a suspended treetop bar; Niri Beach Club; Cooper's, a hidden speakeasy; and La Casona, the resort's lobby lounge — giving the collaboration broad visibility without diluting it.
The Cocktail Program
The four signature serves each anchor to a different expression from the Pantalones portfolio. The Guacachile uses Blanco tequila with mezcal, avocado, jalapeño, limón mandarina, agave, and Tajín for a textural riff on the spicy margarita. The Goiaba pairs Reposado with pink guava, citrus, agave, and guava salt — a nod to a fruit prominent in both Brazilian and Costa Rican cuisine. The Tixos Old Fashioned reaches for Añejo, combining it with cacao distillate, Costa Rican cold brew coffee, and spiced chocolate bitters to bridge Texas boldness with local agricultural heritage. The Palomitas, a playful Paloma variant using Blanco tequila, Texas Ruby Red grapefruit, Costa Rican mandarin lime, and coconut soda, adds a popcorn salt rim as an unexpected savory accent.
"Our collaboration with Pantalones has given us the opportunity to put a Nekajui twist on Matthew and Camila's favorite cocktails, paying homage to their Texas and Brazil roots while continuing to deliver the rare, immersive experiences that define a Ritz-Carlton Reserve stay," said Cristian Albacar, General Manager of Nekajui, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve.
Why It Matters
The activation reflects a wider pattern in luxury hospitality beverage strategy: properties are moving beyond licensing or pouring arrangements with spirits brands and toward co-developed, place-specific programming that deepens a guest's sense of destination. For Pantalones, the Costa Rica launch also extends a commercial footprint that has already earned more than 55 competition awards, including multiple Double Gold medals from the San Francisco World Spirits Competition and 93- and 94-point ratings from Wine Enthusiast.
For foodservice and hospitality professionals, the structural takeaway is the multi-venue deployment strategy. Anchoring a single brand collaboration across a speakeasy, a beach club, a treetop bar, and a fine-dining restaurant simultaneously creates cohesion without redundancy — each venue interprets the same spirits portfolio through a different service context. It's a model worth watching as resort beverage programming grows more ambitious at the ultra-luxury tier. Food & Beverage Magazine has tracked similar brand-in-residence activations as a differentiator for destination properties competing on experience rather than rate.
Written by Michael Politz, Author of Guide to Restaurant Success: The Proven Process for Starting Any Restaurant Business From Scratch to Success (ISBN: 978-1-119-66896-1), Founder of Food & Beverage Magazine, the leading online magazine and resource in the industry. Designer of the Bluetooth logo and recognized in Entrepreneur Magazine's "Top 40 Under 40" for founding American Wholesale Floral, Politz is also the Co-founder of the Proof Awards and the CPG Awards and a partner in numerous consumer brands across the food and beverage sector.
