Tag Archives: Tequila Patron

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EH Gift Guide #3: The Pseudo-Connoisseur

We all have that someone we know who seemingly knows everything about wine and spirits, which makes it that much harder to chose a gift. In the following compilation composed of the finest luxury bottles, as well as a few necessary accessories, you’ll find all the products a true alcohol connoisseur will appreciate this season. Hopefully, you can enjoy them just as much. Cheers!

 

1. AMQ Collection

Alexander McQueen Eau De Parfum

Best at just about everything, Alexander McQueen undoubtedly offers an array of subtly elegant fragrances. It took a build-up of two years to release this compilation and they will satisfy even the pickiest person.

Eau de Parfum, $245 each, ALEXANDER MCQUEEN. Available online on AlexanderMcQueen.com.

 

2. Gran patron Smoky

Gran Patrón Smoky Tequila

At an intriguing 101 proof, you won’t even feel it because Patrón successfully made a super smooth and gentle high-alcohol content liquid. This one’s for those who really know their tequila.

Gran Patrón Smoky, $199, PATRÓN. Available at certain retailers.

 

3. Poglia corkscrew

Cooper & Thief x Max Poglia Signature Wood & Bone Corkscrew

Every connoisseur deserves a picture-worthy bar and an artisan corkscrew.

Wood & bone corkscrew, $135, COOPER & THIEF x MAX POGLIA. Available online on Poglia.co.

 

4. The Dalmore

The Dalmore Port Wood Reserve

You can’t really go wrong with a Scottish single-malt.

Port Wood Reserve, $99, THE DALMORE. Available at certain retailers.

 

5. Grey Goose Tin

Grey Goose Holiday Tin

From France with love — don’t forget to leave a magnet love note on the metal tin the bottle comes in.

Holiday Tin, $45, GREY GOOSE. Available at Duty-Free Airport Shopping Destinations and Grey Goose Winter Marché Pop-Up at JFK’s Terminal 4.

 

6. 1950s Milo Bar Cart

Milo Baughman 1950’s Bar Cart

Simple, chic, and moveable, this bar cart is a Mad Men-approved essential.

1950’s Bar Cart, $671, MILO BAUGHMAN. Available at RH, Restoration Hardware, and RestorationHardware.com. 

 

7. Bacarrat

Baccarat Harmonie on the Rocks

A solid glassware set is always a solid gift for the one who likes to enjoy their booze like a gentleman.

Harmonie on the Rocks, $990, BACCARAT. Available at Baccarat.com.

 

8. dooney and burke

Dooney & Bourke Alto Wine Bottle Picnic Tote

For when one needs to transport their cherry-picked wine, here’s a chic, leather tote/backpack to carry it with ease.

Alto Wine Bottle Picnic Tote, $295, DOONEY & BOURKE. Available online on Dooney.com. 

 

9. Bedell

Bedell Musée 2013

If it’s good enough for Obama, it’s good enough for us especially with Bedell’s special edition Musee bottles that only pop-up once in a while when the harvest calls for it.

MUSÉE 2013, $125, BEDELL CELLARS. Avaibale at certain retail locations and BedellCellars.com.

 

10. Coravin

Coravin Model Two Wine System

Fulfill your true wine mom inhibitions with this practical wine dispenser.

Two wine system, $299.95, CORAVIN. Available at Coravin.com.

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Lost In Tequilaland – Part I

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Photos: Courtesy of Angelika Pokovba

Essential Homme was invited as a guest of Patrón, renowned for their ultra-premium tequila, to their distillery and guesthouse in Mexico. The ultimate tequila experience includes a stay at the guesthouse, a crash-course in tequila distillation, and an agave field visit. A two-part series, Lost in Tequilaland explores the little intricacies of tequila-making.

The hosts live in Atotonilco el Alto. In the Jalisco region of Mexico, on copper-colored soil and amidst weber blue agave fields in tequila-heaven, Patrón has an exclusive guesthouse called La Casona that certainly lives up of the status of the drink itself.

“Our business is not tourism,” says Peter Leger, director of hospitality. “It’s tequila-making.”

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La Casona is not a hotel, but a highly exclusive establishment with an invite-only guestlist, no exceptions. Patrón founded the space as an innovative marketing plan in which they invite connaisseurs, opinion-makers, and journalists, among others, to personally introduce them to the roots of their famed tequila-making process. Past guests have included Mexican director Guillermo del Toro and celebrity chef Thomas Keller.

However, the big show is at the Hacienda Patrón. Built in 2002, the estate is a colonial-style peach colored building surrounded by palm trees, agave plants, and a water fountain in its center. This kind of structure would traditionally belong to a one patron, ironically and intentionally: Patrón itself. Here it is Francisco Alcarez, the Master Distiller of the house whose presence is quite literally everywherein statue form. The backdrop is as cinematic as a telenovela.

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The mariachi, however, is at La Casona. They are called Mariachi Moya and can transform any pop classic into a traditional Mexican tune. Here, simplistic construction is juxtaposed with agave plants and Mexican artisanal decor Joaquin Homs Studio oversaw the interior design. The spacious construction allows for carefully picked bulky decoration including a gigantic Cirque Du Soleil chandelier. Even the beds are larger than king-sized.

“This is one of those stories where the American dream comes in,” says Leger. “There were two guys who were out of a job, homeless and lived in a car.” Spoiler alert, these two guys, Martin Crawley and Francisco Alcaraz, ended up creating the most international tequila. Crawley met Alcaraz on the streets of Guadalajara by chance and the rest is history. The two became friends, began distributing a local tequila, before deciding to make 1000 cases of their own tequila. If the startup plan wouldn’t work, they would drink the tequila themselves.

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Patrón was an instant hit due to the tequila’s smooth taste. From 38 people in 28, the so-called tequila startup grew to 1620 people in 2018. Francisco became a legend and the crew became a true family. Their plan at La Casona is as experimental as it equally effective for the modern experience-focused audiences.

It helps that Patrón knows that their tequila is good, but values transparency in the process. Each bottle goes through at least 60 pairs of hands instead of an automated system, and each worker gets a bottle a month to keep. Even the unemployment rate in Jalisco has rapidly decreased in the past years below that of the United States.

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At La Casona, Patrón starts a conversation about tequila, but it’s really also about the mondialisation of their region, which can be seen firsthand at the hacienda. It opens a faux-pas topic. “They [the media] don’t have space,” says Leger. “They prefer to talk about drugs, but not stuff like this.” Patrón has the space and time, and so they talk about it at La Casona. Unlimited quantities of tequila help, too.