In this series, TCU Magazine visits with alumni in the food and beverage industry. Send recommendations to tcumagazine@tcu.edu 

A decade ago, when Andrew de la Torre ’01 was running La Perla, a cocktail bar and restaurant in downtown Fort Worth, he fielded visits from tequila brand ambassadors selling underwhelming examples of the Mexican spirit. In 2023, together with Sarah Castillo and Stephen Slaughter, de la Torre launched La Pulga Spirits, a line of additive-free tequila, mezcal and sotol with ingredients sourced directly from Mexico. La Pulga translates to “the flea,” a nod to another de la Torre project — Pequeño Mexico flea market, of which he is the longtime managing partner, on Fort Worth’s Northside. La Pulga Spirits is centered on two core missions: bringing people together and representing Mexican culture. Now expanding across the U.S., the brand has released two special-edition Horned Frog-themed tequila bottles.

La Pulga Spirits released its second limited-edition TCU tequila bottle in 2025. Courtesy of La Pulga Spirits

You studied advertising and public relations at TCU. Which lessons did you take into professional life?

What my college experience there taught me is that I could do anything if I set my mind to it — no matter what it is, just put my head down, work hard. Also just being exposed to people from different parts of the world that have wide-ranging talents.

In addition to La Perla, you owned and operated Embargo, a Cuban-themed nightclub. What inspired you to get into the food and drink industry?

My grandfather, he’s from Torreon, Mexico, and he put my dad and siblings through college flipping burgers. I’d grown up going to his restaurant, called Charlie Burgers after him. I am comfortable in those environments because it’s about service and hospitality and interacting with people. What truly inspired me to do my own thing — my mom had brought a coffee table book from Cuba, and I was just looking through this book and I was like, man, Fort Worth could use like a place like this, just drenched in color, full of heart and soul. 

What did you learn about tequila during that time?

La Perla specialized in tequila and ceviche. All these reps and salespeople and even owners of these brands were coming through and trying to sell us on spirits that they had no idea about. They didn’t know what region of Mexico, they didn’t know what the NOM [Norma Oficial Mexicana, a number that indicates the distillery] was. Sarah Castillo and I realized that there was a gap of people doing really high-quality, additive-free, celebrity-free tequila. She and I both are of Mexican descent, so we wanted to do something that was representative of what tequila and Mexican spirits are. We knew if we put that quality and heart and soul in the bottle, everything else would kind of take care of itself.

The biggest part is doing a traditional style tequila that’s just got agave, yeast and water — nothing else. It’s very clean. All of our spirits are winning awards. Hats off to our distiller — 1068 is our distilling partner. They have a very high standard for quality and they do not cut corners and that really shows. When you drink La Pulga, it is smooth; the flavors of the actual agave, they sing.

Pequeño Mexico, the Fort Worth Northside flea market de la Torre manages, inspired La Pulga’s name. Courtesy of La Pulga Spirits

What are some of your favorite moments from running La Pulga?

I waited tables at Joe T’s to help put myself through TCU. Giving Lanny Paul Lancarte, one of the owners there, one of the first bottles because it has his initials on the top, LP — that was a good moment for us. Also, when people send pictures from other parts of the world, especially on a military base, in a random bar in Rhode Island or Connecticut or Tennessee or Oklahoma, those are all really cool moments.

In addition to running La Pulga and Pequeño Mexico, you also work in sales and development for Empire Roofing. How do you recharge?

I’m a workaholic. Traveling with my family is my sweet spot. And watching Judge Judy. I also love people-watching. My wife is my backbone; she’s tremendously supportive of everything I do. She definitely is the biggest reason I can work this much. Spending time with her and my three kids, traveling anywhere, is how I relax and decompress.

Editor’s Note: The questions and answers have been edited for length and clarity.