La Pulga
In Fort Worth, football season isn’t just a sport — it’s a tradition, a spectacle, and for many, a ritual that runs deeper than purple and white. On blackout nights at Amon G. Carter Stadium, when the Horned Frogs storm the field in jet-black uniforms with 45,000 fans cheering them on, the air is charged with something close to magic. This fall, that electricity — that school pride — comes bottled.
La Pulga Tequila, the hometown tequila brand founded by restaurateur Sarah Castillo (Taco Heads, Tinies Mexican Cuisine, Sidesaddle Saloon), local businessman Andrew De La Torre (operator of the Pulga market), and local entrepreneur Stephen Slaughter, is releasing its second Horned Frogs edition — a striking black-label Blanco tequila designed in tribute to TCU’s blackout tradition.
De La Torre, a proud TCU alum, remembers the chaos of last year’s inaugural Horned Frogs bottle launch well. “People were attempting to buy it by the case an hour before it was even on sale,” he says. “We were getting calls from liquor stores being like, ‘We’ve got to put a limit on people — it’s going to be gone in three hours.’ For me, I’m like, it’s a great problem to have.”
That response cemented the idea: this wasn’t a one-off. “We knew we had to do another one,” he says.
This year’s edition ups the ante. The bottle itself is black, capped with a matte medallion instead of La Pulga’s usual metallic keepsake. Front and center, the alebrije-inspired Horned Frog glares out in purple and blood red, its eyes sharp and unblinking. “It’s striking, it’s collectible — something you grab one of for your shelf and another to drink with friends,” De La Torre says.
The tequila inside hasn’t changed — La Pulga Blanco is still clean and crisp, distilled from 100 percent Blue Weber agave with no additives.
For De La Torre — whose family roots trace to Mexico — the work has become a way of honoring heritage. “This work, these bottles — it’s in my blood. It feels right. We’re proud of our heritage, proud of our hometown, and we want every bottle to reflect that.”
That pride carries into the design process. The blackout bottle wasn’t an idea handed down from an agency. “We come up with the designs ourselves,” De La Torre says. “We’ll pitch ideas, argue about them, and then the company will help refine them. Honestly, I wasn’t sure about the metallic look of last year’s bottle until I saw it. Same with this one. But when I saw it in person? I thought, ‘Okay, this is amazing.’”
La Pulga
La Pulga — Spanish for “flea” — takes its name from the historic outdoor market on University Drive, one of the country’s oldest open-air flea markets and a gateway to Fort Worth’s Northside. That blend of local pride and global heritage defines the brand. Today, La Pulga’s lineup includes Blanco, Reposado, Añejo, high-proof expressions, mezcal, and sotol. Distribution has stretched into eight states, but Fort Worth remains home base.
“We’re not trying to explode globally and make promises we can’t keep,” De La Torre says. “We’re just trying to be good partners and do good business. That’s Fort Worth, right there.”
Back at Amon G. Carter Stadium, bottles of La Pulga sit behind the bars of suites and clubs. To most fans, it’s a novelty — a toast to football season. To De La Torre and his partners, it’s something more. “Every bottle we make is a tribute to our hometown, our culture, and the people we represent,” he says. “We want Fort Worth to be proud. We want anyone who opens a bottle to feel that connection.”
The 2025 Horned Frogs bottle hits select Dallas–Fort Worth retailers this week. If last year’s run was any indication, expect them to vanish faster than a TCU wideout on third and long.
La Pulga Tequilas (Blanco, 110 High Proof Blanco, Reposado, 110 High Proof Reposado, and Añejo) and La Pulga Mezcal and La Pulga Sotol are available through Republic National Distributing Company (RNDC) at bars, restaurants, and fine spirits retailers throughout Texas.
