By Our Reporter
Don Julio, Uganda’s finest luxury tequila, hosted its debut virtual cocktail soirée dubbed Blanco & Chill last Thursday. The event that was streamed live on Instagram drew more than 100 cocktail lovers who turned their kitchens and living rooms into mini-bars, guided by the Don Julio Influencers, Sheilah Gashumba, DJ Dash and the UBL Advocacy team.
The evening opened with a masterclass about tequila’s rich heritage. Roy Tumwizere, the Head of Advocacy at Uganda Breweries Limited (UBL), joined newly unveiled brand ambassador Sheilah Gashumba to trace Don Julio’s journey back to its legendary founder, Don Julio González-FraustoEstradaz. At just 17, in 1942, González began distilling tequila in the fertile lands of Jalisco, Mexico, which later led to the start of the La Primavera Distillery.
They spoke of the painstaking cultivation of the blue agave, the heart of every Don Julio bottle, and unpacked the symbolism in each expression: Blanco as a blank canvas, Reposado as a toast to respect, Añejo as a tribute to time, and 1942 as the ultimate mark of celebration.
“Don Julio is more than a drink,” Tumwizere told viewers. “It is a story of patience, tradition, and craft that deserves to be savoured.”
After the introduction, the tempo shifted from storytelling to hands-on creativity. UBL Reserve Brand Ambassadors, Steve Baguma and Melanie Abwooli, alongside DJ Dash, the other Don Julio Influencer, led the audience in a mixing session of two classics: the Tangy Paloma, and the Timeless Margarita.
With shakers clattering, Kampala’s living rooms pulsed with the rhythm of a shared experience, as participants crafted cocktails from scratch.
Not everyone had professional tools, but that hardly mattered. When one viewer asked if a cocktail shaker was essential, DJ Dash quickly reassured them, “a bottle works just fine; it’s the spirit that matters, not the shaker.” A simple reminder that luxury can be playful, and sophistication doesn’t have to be stiff.
For Abwooli, the highlight was watching people experiment in real time; “I could feel the energy through the screen. People were shaking, tasting, and asking questions. This wasn’t just consumer education, it was a community coming together and mixing their favourite tequila.”
Threaded throughout the evening were reminders of responsible drinking, seamlessly woven between cocktail tips and cultural anecdotes. As Tumwizere noted; “It’s about enjoying the moment, not over indulging. Every bottle of Don Julio represents something deeper than just a drink.”
Before signing off, the hosts teased surprise gifts of Don Julio for selected viewers and promised more sessions ahead. “This is only the beginning,” Gashumba told the audience. “Some of you will be receiving gifts from us as these virtual soirees keep coming in. So keep logging on to these virtual soirées, we’ll be back with more recipes and more reasons to raise a glass.”
By the end of the session, participants had learned more than how to mix a Paloma or a Margarita. They had stepped into a story stretching from the agave fields of Mexico to Uganda, proof that even a midweek evening can be transformed into a celebration of life and flavour.