TALK DRINKS

Talking Mexican Food and Tequila (Part 1)

I celebrated this past Cinco de Mayo in Chicago. While I was there, Chef Freddy from Adobo Grill and I visited our good friends at The Roe Conn Show to talk a bit about quality Mexican Food and premium Tequila. It was great to see my old friends again and to be in the Windy City. I broke down our conversation into 4 parts and will be posting them in the coming days.

Part 1 is about Partida's Elegante Extra AnejoTequila If you are a Tequila lover, you must try this.

Until next post,
Cheers!!! - Jacques

 

Click here to listen (1.5 mb)

Bar Milano NYC

I have been eagerly awaiting the opportunity to check out the new Bar Milano in New York. Last week I finally got that chance. My good friend Tony Abou-Ganim is a part owner of this Bar and Restaurant so I knew that there would be some very tasty, hand-crafted libations. I was not disappointed. Every detail has been covered here from the cold draft ice, chilled garnish trays to the specially made glassware. Tony, as do I, love the bitter aperitif spirit from Italy called Campari and it shows on the cocktail list. There is a wonderful assortment of aperitif style cocktails which is fitting for Bar Milano, as well as some forgotten classics like the Rattlesnake. The barmen are all on top of their game here and make the guests feel like they are at home. The bar is a great place to grab a bite, have a aperitif, glass of wine and enjoy a spirit from a hand picked first class back bar. Bar Milano offers the total experience and I can't wait to get back there soon. Cheers to Tony! - Jacques

The Florida Room - Miami Beach

We just came back from Miami Beach where we hosted an intensive Mezcal/Tequila seminar for the staff at the Florida Room in the Delano Hotel. The Florida Room is the new hot spot in South Beach mixing up all hand crafted cocktails, using fresh ingredients while taking into consideration the spirit of the time. The program's architect is John Lermayer, a seasoned veteran behind the stick. John presented this program to the Morgans Hotel Group and they gave us a blank canvas to work with. Now three months open, The Florida Room and John Lermayer’s program is getting National & International attention. Check them out the next time you are in sunny Miami. Cheers - Willy & Aisha (Contemporary Cocktails)

Cocktails in The Big Apple

I am very proud of the Cocktail Scene that we have in San Francisco, but I am always excited to head to New York and catch up with everything that's going on in the city.

I got to visit some of my old favorites like Employees Only and Pegu Club. Stopped in at Bemelmans at the Carlyle Hotel to enjoy one of Brian Van Flandern's lovely Winter Cocktails. What a beautiful setting that screams New York.

Jacques "Talks Tequila" Interview

I was back in Chicago in December and visited my good friends at The Roe Conn Show (WLS 890AM). We talked with Chef Dudley from Zocola Restaurant about delicious Mexican food and tasty tequila cocktails. Cheers - Jacques

Click here to listen (3554.7k)

The Tequila Tour

You might have noticed Aisha blogged about a recent trip to Mexico to visit 5 different Tequila distilleries. I was also on that same journey along with some of the best bartenders from around the world. It was an incredible learning experience to say the least. Julio Bermejo from Tommy's Mexican Restaurant in San Francisco was the leader and host of our “Tequila Tour”. We visited Partida, El Tesoro, Cazadores, 4 Copas and Herradura. There was a lot of Tequila sampling involved and many long days spent at the various distilleries learning from master distillers but we all left with a newfound knowledge of the inner workings of a Tequila distillery.

Julio's Tequila Distillery Trip

I just got back from Julio Bermejo's Tequila Distillery Trip. There were 35 of some of the most influential people in the spirits industry and journalists on this tour. We visited five distilleries, each very different from the next: 4 Copas, Partida, Cazadores, El Tesoro, and Herradura.
At Partida, we went out to the agave fields, had a tour of the distillery, and then a delicious lunch to the beautiful music of a Mariachi band. We were also fortunate enough to open a barrel of Partida Tequila which had been aged for 27 months and got to bottle our very own, one of a kind Partida Tequila. Jacques and Santiago made sure their wonderful cocktails never stopped flowing.
To quote Francesco La Franconi, "We didn't drink, we learned"...a lot. A big thanks everyone at Partida and the other distilleries for opening up your homes for us and giving us all one the best experiences of our lives.
Salud - Aisha Sharpe (Contemporary Cocktails, Inc)

On the Tequila Trail: Rocks, No Salt (Video #2)

Jennifer and Chef Mark meet Jacques in Tommy's, San Francisco and talk about the Perfect Margarita & Luscious Tequila Cocktails.

South African Adventures

It's been 2 years since I've had a chance to visit my home, South Africa. It will be interesting to see how the cocktail culture has changed since I've been away. I will have some great stories to tell when I get back. Cheers for now - Jacques

A Photo Essay about Tequila ......

At the Partida Fabrica "Tequila Heaven"

At the Partida Tequila Distillery

Growing the Blue Agave, 7 - 10 yrs

The Legend Himself, Don Partida

Harvesting a 120lb pina. Boy, that's hard work!!!