Black LGBTQ+-owned tequila brand embodies the free ‘spirit’ of Pride, Juneteenth
The month of June is a celebration of freedom for marginalized communities. The LGBTQ+ community celebrates the freedoms won by activists since the Stonewall Riots. Juneteenth commemorates the day news of the emancipation of enslaved Black people reached Galveston, Texas, on June 19, 1865, two-and-a-half years after the Emancipation Proclamation.
With a name literally meaning “true freedom,” local Black- and LGBTQ+-owned tequila company Reyalibre embodies the spirit of June all year long.
Reyalibre is a premium sipping tequila, formulated to fulfill both E Jones and her wife Asiaa Karriem’s desires for the spirit: one likes to sip it neat, while the other likes it mixed in a cocktail.
“We were spending quite a bit of money on different types of tequila,” Jones told Georgia Voice. “So, we said, ‘Hey, we should just make our own.’”
When Jones and Karriem embarked on their “amazing journey” to create their own tequila formula in 2019, neither had any experience in alcohol formulation. After five years of traveling to and from Mexico, perfecting their formula, the couple said they had learned everything they needed to know to finally make the versatile tequila they wanted, one that was delicious neat, chilled, or mixed.
After a “whirlwind” year on shelves in Atlanta, the brand is thriving. They’ve won several awards, including the Latin World Spirits Award from Mexico and the Bartender Spirits Award, and have outgrown their distributor with the volume of orders.
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As a tequila meant for sipping instead of shooting, the couple said Reyalibre invites people to slow down and enjoy life on their own terms. By catering the brand specifically to BIPOC, LGBTQ+, and other marginalized Atlantans, Jones and Karriem hope to encourage their customer base to celebrate and relish in the pleasures and freedoms won by those who came before them.
“We’re a brand that embodies authenticity and freedom and we want to be in spaces where people live an elevated, liberated experience,” Karriem said. “…When our ancestors struck out to make a change, they didn’t want us to then walk around with our heads down in hiding. They wanted us to live at an authentic, elevated level. They wanted the good life for us, too, and that’s what our brand embodies.”
Reyalibre is currently available for purchase at liquor stores throughout Atlanta and online. To find a retailer near you, visit reyalibretequila.com/wheretobuy.
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