Texas hotel’s agave spirits collection is second to none

Gathered in a towering back bar at Ambar Restaurante inside the Plaza Hotel Pioneer Park in El Paso, Texas, are roughly 800 bottles of tequila, mezcal, bacanora and other agave spirits — possibly the largest such collection in North America. Curating the collection is hotel manager J.R. Rodriguez, who hunts for rare tequilas and limited-edition spirits, conducts tastings with the staff as part of their training and teaches customers about the varieties via informal flights and adventurous cocktails.