Los Angeles Times Collaborator Kristin Braswell published an interesting article titled “How smooth is the sipping tequila from Casa Dragones in San Miguel de Allende? So smooth that Oprah called it dangerous”. Let’s check it out…
Inside a bar that sparkled like a delicate jewel box, New York mixologist Rael Petit whisked together a charcoal-colored cocktail that practically glowed against the backdrop of the 4,000 obsidian tiles that cover the walls.
I was in Casa Dragones’ reservations-only tasting room, a six-seat space in an unassuming corner of a hybrid retail/dining spot in this city northwest of Mexico City, at a celebration of the fall opening of the independent, small-batch tequila distiller’s newest venture.
If the thought of tequila makes you scrunch up your face at the thought of sugary mixes and limes, time to unscrunch. This spirit experience rivals the finest single-malt Scotch or the smoothest whiskey.
Casa Dragones’ commitment to innovation and craftsmanship — from the details etched into each bottle to the intricate mosaics of the tasting room — is what co-founder and Chief Executive Bertha González Nieves hopes consumers will remember.
“We want to elevate the experience of tequila wherever we go,” González Nieves said.
Bringing Mexico’s terroir into the tasting room is one way Casa Dragones does just that. Mexican designer Gloria Cortina sourced obsidian from the rich agave fields of Tequila, Jalisco, then carefully sized 4,000 tiles for the tasting room’s walls.
“Aztecs used obsidian for good energy and for health benefits. It is a rock that is a big part of Mexican culture,” González Nieves said.
Only a few thousand bottles of Casa Dragones are created each year.
“We are in the business of taste, not volume,” González Nieves said.
Her reverence for tequila has strong roots. She spent a decade at Jose Cuervo in various jobs, including marketing, and she was certified as a maestra tequilera — a tequila master, by the Academia Mexicana de Catadores de Tequila, a title usually held by men and recognized by the Tequila Regulatory Council.
González Nieves co-founded Casa Dragones with Bob Pittman, MTV creator and chief executive of iHeartMedia Inc.
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Source: http://www.latimes.com/
