Always one for interesting thoughts, that Matthew McConaughey.

(Image credit: Mike Coppola/Getty Images)
It’s a well-known fact that Camila Alves and Matthew McConaughey have been together 17 years, after meeting back in 2006. By 2008, they’d welcomed their son Levi. By 2012, they’d tied the knot in a super secret wedding ceremony, and added two more kids to the brood. But it was only recently that the actor shared how his first date with his future wife actually revolved around… tequila.

Camila and I met over tequila 17 years ago. And I made her a margarita, and that night that language of love was happening, right? And I spoke better Spanish than I’ve ever spoken since. … and we got together. I got her to go out with me again. That’s the only person I’ve ever dated for 17 years. Our favorite drink is tequila; we have it very consistently in our life.

Who knew Matthew McConaughey was such a solid bartender? He crushed the task so much he convinced the Brazilian model to go on a second date with him. (Although I’d be willing to bet his charming personality also helped.)

He told Jimmy Fallon the night long ago eventually led them to think about making their own tequila brand, some “juice” the wanted to become their “own favorite tequila.” It took 47 tasting tests and a couple of years to land where they wanted, but McConaughey also explained why their tequila is so playful and personal.

Tequila in the last five years has gotten kind of serious. I mean, some people are tequila snobs. We were like, no, no, no, no, no. Keep that for the wine. With tequila we’ve had some fun. So, pantalones – it’s the best thing we made with our pants on.

Not only are the two having fun, the actor also told Southern Living the venture gives people a chance to see how he and his wife work together in real life. They live out of the public eye in Texas these days, but she’s often working behind-the-scenes to help the McConaughey brand. This time she gets to be front facing, too, said McConaughey.

No one’s ever seen how she works with me. It’s never been out there. It’s always been in the house behind closed doors. So this is the first time we’re doing it out front.

Matthew McConaughey has joined a growing faction of celebrities touting their own alcohol brands. It’s a club that’s not to be sniffed at, no matter how much “fun” McConaughey says he was having. George Clooney sold his own tequila Casamigos for a billion dollars. Ryan Reynolds sold his Aviation gin for hundreds of millions. In recent months, to gain a competitive edge celebrities like Jason Momoa and Kylie Jenner have toured with their alcohol brands to land new fans.

It’s too soon to tell if Matthew McConaughey and Camila Alves’ joint venture will yield the same sort of momentum, but there’s one thing that’s for certain: they’ve absolutely woven it into their personal story very well.