This Thursday, May 27th, marks the unofficial start of summer with a special weekend of events at Esperanza celebrating the culture of the Baja.

Transpeninsular is the Highway that runs the entire Baja from Tijuana to Cabo San Lucas and is more than just a highway. It is a connection of people, creatives, flavors, and traditions. This Memorial Day weekend, Esperanza will host several events celebrating flavors of the peninsula and artists and artisans who call Baja home, from North to South.

Start your Thursday with a Mexican breakfast and a selection of Baja Beans coffees. Baja Beans produces meticulously chosen, small, organic batch coffee beans from Veracruz, roasted in Pescadero, Baja California Sur. Your morning starts with a traditional ‘carajillo’ where espresso is combined with licor43, a sweet vanilla-citrus flavored liquor. Discover all about the roasting process from our baristas as they roast coffee at La Palapa, then take home the Baja flavors through your own freshly roasted coffee.

Then later in the day, Mix and mingle with new friends while learning to cook regional favorites and enhancing your mixology skills under the leadership of Esperanza’s Chef. Enjoy chilled Mexican wines, Baja beer, and a family-style lunch where you can enjoy the dishes you’ve prepared.

Later in the evening, an oceanfront family fiesta highlights regional recipes from Esperanza’s Chef.

Friday, you will be discovering Baja’s bounty with the tastes of the next generation of Mexican cuisine with chef Ibrahim Amaya. Using ingredients that pay homage to the Los Cabos landscape from the mountains to the sea and both time-honored and modern culinary techniques, revel in a feast for all senses.

Saturday, you will discover the Transpeninsular through a photograph exposition from local artist Guillermo Jauregui where he will present his collection of moments captured telling stories of La Baja. The evening will continue as Guillermo Jauregui takes a turn at the table in a DJ session and particular mixology program highlighting unique Baja Ingredients.

Of course, you can’t have a Baja event without a beer tasting & painting experience from Ensenada’s Transpeninsular beer and local artist Aurora Covarrubias as she showcases her painting skills live at the pool against the backdrop of the sparkling Sea of Cortez.

Esperanza will wrap up the Transpeninsular experience with an Agave journey on the multiple origins, methods, and chemistry profiles that make tequila, mezcal, and sotol distinct. A display of local fruit, spices, botanical elixirs, Mexican chocolate, and lite-bites offers the opportunity to make the pairing your own.