Meet Valerie Alvarado | Agave Ambassador

We had the good fortune of connecting with Valerie Alvarado and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Valerie, what is the most important factor behind your success?
The most important factor behind my success is constantly challenging myself with creativity. I love coming up with creative solutions to everything in life and challenging myself to look at situations with a fresh lens can be difficult, but I often find those are the most rewarding and exciting results. For instance, working as an Agave Ambassador during quarantine, trapped at home when I’d usually be out visiting other cities to share spirited times with others was quite the change. I think we all had to pivot in countless ways, and finding solutions to shift my day to day work was a monumental task. Creating ways to engage and interact virtually was (and still is) an exciting challenge and I’m in awe of how many innovative solutions came from it!

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
Working as an Agave Ambassador is a strange title to say the least. It’s a career I’d never known possible and the description for it can change day by day. It can move from educating 150 people on our spirits, making social media content about creative cocktails, to filling out expense reports- and I love it! It allows me to be as creative as I want while connecting with people from all over the world. Getting here was years of studying spirits, listening to countless mentors, and striving to learn everything I could. I’m so looking forward to connect with people again once things shift in the world to be a bit more in-person. There’s nothing like discussing memories, aromas, and favorite flavors with people in person. It’s definitely my favorite part of the job and hopefully I’ll get to experience that with you soon!

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
So many great places to go! I’d say it would definitely be a tour centered around eating and drinking the best with the best! I’d probably start with breakfast at Onefold with some Vietnamese coffee to get the day started. We’d walk around RiNo, stopping by American Bonded and Death & Co with some Hop Alley if there’s time. Then mosey towards the Highlands for Williams & Graham (my old stomping grounds), Senor Bear, Uncle, then a nightcap at Occidental. Obviously saying hello to all of the wonderful friends at each place along the way and preparing for another round of new just as incredible places the next day.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
There’s so many people I’d love to give a shout out to, but I’m definitely in awe of the amazing work those in the hospitality industry have done. Working in bars and restaurants made up much of my work history, and it took me around the world to experiences I couldn’t be more grateful for. But what was truly the best part of it was the people. Although I’m not working behind the stick with them anymore, my coworkers became family. To see what the pandemic has changed about our hospitality industry is recognizable even from a guests’ standpoint, but as someone working in bars or restaurants, that has become a monumental shift. The resiliency of hospitality professionals is astounding and the community has become profoundly strengthened. I’ve watched some with renewed excitement and energy for what our new normal will be in serving others, and others have moved on to new horizons or creating their own businesses. And no matter what their choice was, the community has passionately supported one another and been each others’ biggest cheerleaders. It’s a camaraderie that overflows with love and it’s such a huge inspiration.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/your.spiritual.advisor/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/valerie-alvarado-/

Other: TikTok: @Your.Spiritual.Advisor

Image Credits
Chad Larson Samantha Inman