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Mexpert's Blog

“Travel news and information on Mexico from Mexico.”

Category Archives: Tequila

November 7, 2011 Tequila Maker Presents Glass Menagerie

Award-winning tequila maker Maestro Tequilero has teamed up with Oaxacan artisans for the second year in a row to create Atelier del Maestro, a line of extra-premium tequila packaged in one-of-a-kind bottles. The 2011 limited edition features 2,000 bottles, each numbered and hand-painted with a wild animal motif, such as a tiger, elephant, monkey or macaw, using the same technique Oaxaca’s artisans use in making alebrijes, the traditional wood sculptures of fantastical figures. What’s on the inside? Ultra-aged (36 months) super-smooth Maestro Tequilero Extra Añejo. www.maestrotequilero.com

 

 

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July 6, 2011 Eve’s Answer Wins 2011 Margarita Contest

Chicago’s Charles Joly won the second-annual international Margarita Contest, held Friday at Mexico City’s tequila museum. Joly, who bartends at The Drawing Room – ranked as one of the year’s Best Bars in America by Esquire’s annual survey of top restaurants and bars – beat 14 other expert mixologists from nine countries, including England, Russia, Mexico and South Africa.

Joly described his winning cocktail, called Eve’s Answer, as “a combination of Chicago and Mexico” with its blend of Chicago-brewed apple cider, spiced raisin syrup, lime juice, Mexican cinnamon and Tequila Olmeca Altos reposado, smartly served in a cored apple. The panel of judges included Henry Besant, coauthor of “Margarita Rocks” and cofounder of The Tahona Society, which sponsors the contest. The five judges had to select from a slew of creative concoctions inspired by the classic margarita, the best-selling cocktail in the U.S.

Before the competition, the finalists spent a week touring Jalisco, Mexico’s tequila country. The winner gets to return for a closer weeklong look at the art of tequila making. The runner up gets an automatic pass to next year’s competition, and third place received a special extra-aged bottle of Olmeca. The Tahona Society, with the backing of Tequila Olmeca, promotes and develops tequila culture around the globe through training programs that culminate in the annual showdown. Will Eve’s Answer be appearing on cocktail menus around Mexico? Maybe if she changes her name to Manzarita.

 

 

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January 31, 2011 Toasting To (And At) The Tequila Museum

Though it has its share of artifacts under glass, Mexico City’s new Museum of Tequila and Mezcal also takes a proactive approach to its subjects. The price of admission includes a sampling of spirits and weekly taste tests complement the history of tequila with its latest developments. Last Wednesday night, tequila makers and enthusiasts gathered at the museum’s open-air rooftop terrace, which has a bar and lounge area, to sample a few of the newest premium brands on the scene, including all-natural Ekeco, certified organic by the USDA; Tequilador, featuring a line of flavored tequilas like Belgian chocolate, coconut and pomegranate; and Altisima, whose smooth, sophisticated taste is supposedly due to a steady dose of Mozart during the production process. Inaugurated in December of 2010, the museum hopes to expand its range of activities to include guided excursions of the neighborhood, talks by experts, and other events. A mezcal tasting is scheduled for this Wednesday, February 3.

  • Museo del Tequila y el Mezcal
  • Plaza Garibali, Historic Center, Mexico City
  • T. 5529 1238
  • http://www.mutemgaribaldi.mx (coming soon)
  • Hours: Thursday to Monday, 11 am to 7 pm; Wednesdays, 11 am to midnight; closed Tuesdays
  • General admission: 50 pesos; Wednesday taste tests, about 200

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December 9, 2010 This Year, Give the Gift of Mexico

Stumped about what to get friends and family this year? Here are some of the hottest Mexican-made items available now.

The Legends of Xico: You and the kids can’t make it to Mexico this holiday season? Let it come to you bound in this beautifully illustrated storybook inspired by legends and traditions from throughout the land. Xico is the creation of dynamic design duo Javier Pineda and Alejandra Covalin, better known for clothing and accessories featuring iconic images of Mexico, including one of the season’s must-haves: a fringed silk wrap stamped with monarch butterflies, which (like many travelers) flee North America’s winter chill each year and take refuge in the fir forests of central Mexico. The book is available in both Spanish and English (a French version will be published in 2011 as part of events and celebrations marking The Year of Mexico in France) at Porrua bookstores or via http://www.pinedacovalin.com.


Rococo: The brainchild of young entrepreneurs Eduardo Dubost and Agustin Otegui, Rococo takes 100-year-old antiques and propels them into the 21st century. How? By reupholstering them with cutting edge designs, many with Mexican motifs, or inviting emerging artists to hand paint them. The two scour the world’s antique shops in search of the ideal “canvas” for their one-of-a-kind creations. The result is sofas or settees that double as works of art. Not ready to give your armchair the mother of all makeovers? You can add a touch of Rococo to your home with a lamp or throw cushion. Throughout December, they’ll have discounts of up to 20%. http://www.rococo.mx

Tequila: If you’re thinking “nothing new about that,” think again. The makers of Patron, the top-selling premium tequila in the US, have combined two of Mexico’s favorite beverages into one spectacular experience. Patron XO Café blends select coffee beans from the southern state of Chiapas with one of the world’s most painstakingly made tequilas. Sticky and sweet? Try smooth and sophisticated. Drink it straight or add it to just about everything.

Enter the Dragones: Need to impress the boss? Look no further. The latest ultra-premium tequila to burst on the scene, Casa Dragones will set you back some 350 dollars, but is guaranteed to get you noticed with its innovative blend of young and extra-aged tequila, and award-winning bottle. Remember to drink to those who gave the tequila its name, Los Dragones de San Miguel, a group of rebels led by Ignacio Allende that spearheaded Mexico’s independence movement.

Vino: Can’t tell your Mogor Badan from your Monte Xanic? You need the Mexican Wine Guide. According to political columnist and wine aficionado Sergio Sarmiento, the country’s wine industry has matured, progressed and expanded to the point where it needs someone to document it all. Enter Arturo Bodenstedt. A Mexican of German descent, Bodenstedt has put his love of wine to use and the nation’s wines to the taste test, inviting sommeliers to tastings and publishing the results in a compact and easy-to-consult guide. Now in its third edition, the guide includes descriptions of Mexico’s 80+ wineries, from the heavyweights to the small family-run operations, plus rankings of more than 350 Mexican wines in different price ranges. http://www.mexicanwineguide.com

 

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