The Don

On my first trip to Mexico for a wedding last spring, I stayed at an all-inclusive mega resort in Playa Del Carmen, the kind of place that cynical people like me tend to mock outwardly but deep inside long to indulge in the seductive credit card tickling excess of it all. Relaxing in a womb of manufactured full-service decadence that uses an army of cheap labour to turn a swamp into a paradise every single day does have its allure, so when duty called in the form of a paid photo gig, I took full advantage of this rare opportunity to indulge my guilty pleasure and do nothing but eat, drink and lay poolside for a solid week away from my wife and kids.  It is here, where I first encountered The Don.

Just before this trip, I was properly turned on to tequila by the opening staff at Voya (Simon, Jay, Brian, I am looking at you guys) while working on signature cocktails for the 2009 UD Awards. Their enthusiasm for North America’s first distilled drink was sincere and infectious and got me intrigued.

When I arrived in Mexico the following week I decided to focus most of my drinking gravitas on the one and only spirit.  While I did take a few short diversions into beer and wine with dinner, I pretty much consumed my weight in blue agave tequila, averaging about 6-10 drinks a day. Usually, I had it straight up on ice with a lime wedge or with a little tonic water to sweeten it up a little and for the desired bubbles.As anyone who has taken on the enviable task of a week long vacation inebriation will likely tell you, working your way to the top shelf booze takes a bit of know-how, but is surely worth the effort, particularly in Mexico where the prize is high-quality tequila. Sure the resort is “all-inclusive”, but if you want the “good stuff”, you gotta know what you are looking for and be able to secure consistent access to it. The easiest way to do this is with some well-placed tips to the staff.

Upon my arrival I was largely unaware of the top shelf booze game, more thrilled than anything to have escaped the cold grey wetness of Canada if only for a short time, so when I ordered my first tequila drink I was served a  throat burning, face contorting, sickly sour margarita made with a powdered mix and the shake, squeeze and shoot variety of low grade tequila. Probably a mix of different types of agave and processed cheaply.

The offending liquid was being poured from a large non-descriptive bottle and was used for every tequila drink nonchalantly ordered by a hotel guest, whom I wrongly assumed were like me, expecting the drink to be made from the nice tall blue bottle of 100% blue agave on the back shelf. I was determined to not make the same mistake twice.Fast forward through a gaussian blur of sun, surf, glistening skin, an endless maze of buffets, Mayan ruins, all the way to day 4, the wedding day.  I think I had it all figured out. I was then only drinking Corralejo Reposado, the aforementioned tall blue bottle on the back shelf which turned out to be a fairly nice, smooth and complex French and American oaked tequila with notes of orange citrus, pepper and creamy vanilla on the finish. I liked it. I drank lots of it. And I tipped my regular poolside barkeeps well to keep it flowing. Gracias amigos!

For those new to tequila, here is a quick primer on how the spirit is classified:

Blanco “white” or Plata “silver”– white spirit, un-aged and immediately bottled or stored after distillation, aged less than two months in stainless steel or neutral oak barrels.
Joven (“young”) or Oro (“gold”) is a blend of silver tequila with reposado and/or añejo and/or extra añejo tequila.
Reposado (“rested”) is aged a minimum of two months, but less than a year in oak barrels.
Añejo (“aged” or “vintage”) is aged a minimum of one year, but less than 3 years in oak barrels.
Extra Añejo (“extra aged” or “ultra aged”) aged a minimum of three years in oak barrels. This category was established in March 2006.

My next tequila revelation, discovering that the bar game goes to another higher and hidden level, was pure happenstance. After the formal wedding dinner party ajourned, I had rolled up to the main pool side bar (not to be confused with the previously mentioned more diminutive poolside bar) just as three drunken gal pals on vacation together from somewhere in Southern Ontario demanded tequila shots from the smiling cabana barman.

I watched in wonder as he winked at the young women, completely ignored me, and then reached deep underneath his bar into some hidden compartment and pulled out a squat amber bottle of Don Julio’s Reposado tequila and carefully poured the ladies their shots in real glasses (I had been drinking out of plastic cups for days). One of the gals squealed while slapping her knee and refused to drink her shot as she watched her friends guzzle theirs.

I don’t think I pushed her aside, but I did get a hold of that neglected little glass rather quick. While the other two girls winced and complained about the strong taste, I was having a booze revelation savouring each sip of the remarkably soft amber liquid and its lovely lemon citrus notes, hints of chocolate, spice and honey with a subtle baked apple and vanilla finish. This was my first encounter with The Don and I was in sincerely in awe of how smooth, complex and balanced this drink was.  Needless to say, once it was time to return home, a bottle of Don Julio Reposado came with me.

Recently, when world-renowned bartender and master mixologist Brian Van Flandern, the international brand ambassador of Don Julio, rolled into Vancouver to host a lively tequila cocktail party and exclusive private room tasting at Yaletown’s Goldfish Pacific Kitchen, I was quite eager to spend some more quality time getting to know The Don. When it comes to tequila, Don Julio truly is a legend in the business. Being the first high quality ultra-premium tequila brand has its perks, and one of them is wide-spread respect. And why not? When you almost single-handedly refine and elevate the Mexican peoples’ drink to a level of status and price on par with other premier international spirits, such as a single malt whiskey and perhaps even cognac, the Mexican people are right to be proud. Luckily for us, the journey of discovering quality tequila and its many possibilities has only just begun. Let’s hope the LDB doesn’t make it too painful on the wallet. ~ PK

DON JULIO HEIGHT OF CRAFTSMANSHIP EVENT AT PACIFIC GOLDFISH – VANCOUVER (Nov 2009)

FEATURED COCKTAILS

ALLSPICE GINGERITA
1 ½ oz. Don Julio BLANCO
¼ oz. Grand Marnier
½ oz. Simple Syrup
½ oz. Fresh Squeezed Lime Juice
Either fresh Ginger Juice or Fresh Ginger Syrup (if syrup, eliminate the simple syrup)

Garnish:            Dash of Allspice
Glassware:        Rocks Glass

CIDER HOUSE RULES
1 ½ oz. Don Julio REPOSADO
2 oz. Fresh Squeezed Apple CIDER (not juice)
¼ oz. Fresh Squeezed Lemon Juice
¼ oz. Agave Nectar
Cinnamon Powder

Glassware:  Rocks Glass
Garnish:  Cinnamon Sticks 4 to 6 inches in length

JALISCO SIDECAR
1 ¼ oz. Don Julio ANEJO
¼ oz. Bulleit Bourbon
¼ oz. Grand Marnier
¼ oz. Fresh Squeezed Lemon Juice
¼ oz. Simple Syrup

Glassware:  Martini
Garnish:  Flamed Lemon Peel

LUXURY DROP – SIGNATURE SERVES

SIGNATURE SERVE: BLANCO
AGAVE DROP CREATED BY BRIAN VAN FLANDERN (U.S.)
1oz / 30ml     Don Julio Blanco Tequila
0.5oz / 15ml     Agave Nectar
0.5oz / 15ml     Fresh Squeezed Lime Juice
Garnish:    Angled Lime Wedge

Place all ingredients into a Boston Shaker and shake vigorously.  Strain into shot glass and garnish with lime wedge

SIGNATURE SERVE: REPOSADO
SLAP, CRACKER & DROP BY SALVATORE CALABRESE  (U.K.)
1.8oz / 50ml         Don Julio Reposado tequila
7-8 drops         Angostura Bitters
4-5 twists         Black pepper
1            Lime wedge

On a saucer, mix 7-8 dashes of Angostura bitters and 4-5 twists of freshly ground cracked black pepper, stir until it becomes paste like in texture. Take a wedge of lime and coat one side with the paste, serve on the side of a 50ml shot of Don Julio Reposado tequila.  Bite the lime before taking a sip of the Don Julio tequila.

SIGNATURE SERVE: ANEJO
SPANISH RAINDROP BY BRIAN VAN FLANDERN (U.S.)
1 oz. Don Julio Anejo
1 oz. DRY Oloroso Sherry
¼ oz. Fresh Lime Juice
½ oz. Simple Syrup

Flame the zest after it has been dipped in agave nectar, and sugar in the raw, releasing the oils of the orange.