When most of us utter “Jalisco,” we’re likely thinking of Tequila, the eponymous distillate from a town just outside Guadalajara, a distillate that for over a century-and-half has put Mexico on the map of world-renowned beverages.

Or we’re thinking about the gorgeous beaches of Puerto Vallarta or the birthplace of Mariachi music or the beautiful colonial capital of Guadalajara, which wrestles with Monterrey for the position as Mexico’s second largest.

Unsurprisingly, when I think of Jalisco, it’s food that’s top of mind—tortas ahogadas, the bacon-infused carne en su jugo, the red chile-braised goat birria, the pipianes, the custardy jericalla. I reflect on the multiple waves of immigration from Jalisco to Los Angeles and how the cooks who landed there helped define our American understanding of Mexican food by tempting us with crispy-fried tacos, tostadas, bright salsas and the like.

And my mind wanders past the singularity of elegantly made artisanal Tequila to the raicillas of the western Jalsico, rustically crafted from a host of different agaves, or the super-interesting variety of agave distillates from the northern part of the state that are capturing the attention of aficionados.

Yes, Jalisco may be Tequila country, but it’s certainly a whole lot more.