Tequila Herradura and Tamalex: Homemade Master Class!
Ola amigo’s! I want you to do something for me. Imagine you are watching the sunrise just outside of Jalisco, Mexico. You’re breaking down whole agave plants, more specifically, blue Weber agave. It’s a hot day and the sweat is pouring off you. You’re hungry. You and your team partake in a homemade lunch, with Herradura Anejo tequila as your reward. It’s light, refreshing, smoky, spicy, and aged just the way you like it. And most importantly, you’re sipping this neat. Our experience wasn’t quite like this, but it was close enough!
Fortunately for us, we didn’t have to sweat in order to have a spectacular tequila tasting and master class with Herradura tequila at a wonderful and truly authentic Mexican restaurant in Olde City. Far from the hills of Jalisco, Mexico is Tamalex, a family-owned and operated restaurant on 122 Lombard Street. Alejandro and Kassandra own the restaurant, and Alejandro’s uncles and cousins help out in the kitchen, and are amazing chefs. The restaurant graciously supplied wonderful tacos to wet our appetite. It worked. We stayed for happy hour and dinner. Before I go on, I have to give a special thanks to Will Brooks and Nathan Weigert, along with everyone at Tequila Herradura, the Tamalex staff, and USBG for organizing the event. Everyone there had a great time.
Tequila Herradura was started long before the Spaniards started refining and distilling tequila. Casa Herradura is a tequila producer in Amatitán, Jalisco, Mexico, that has been producing tequila since 1870. The company's history can be traced back to the early 1800s, when Roman Catholic priest Padre Romo established a ranch and distillery on the property. In 1870, Félix López took control of the property, renamed it Hacienda San José del Refugio, and registered it as an official distillery. Aurelio López formally founded the business in 1870, and the family owned it for over 125 years. In 2007, US beverage maker Brown-Forman acquired Casa Herradura, but the tequila is still made in the same facilities under a Mexican subsidiary.
Casa Herradura is known for its craftsmanship and hand harvesting, production, and estate bottling of fine tequilas. The company's tequila products are 100% agave and include Herradura Bianco, Herradura Reposado, Herradura Silver, and Herradura Añejo. Casa Herradura is also known for its sustainable manufacturing practices, which include using a custom-engineered boiler to convert agave bagasse into process steam and compost. The compost can then be used in the agave fields and neighboring nurseries.
The company's name, Herradura, means "horseshoe" in Spanish, and the horseshoe is featured in the company's logo. Some say the name refers to the many horses kept at Hacienda San José del Refugio, while others say the horseshoe's curved top is meant to represent good luck because it faces upward when pouring from the bottle.
Now onto happy hour and dinner. Happy Hour was a lovely selection of all the cocktails that Alejandro and Kassandra had made during the USBG demonstration. One thing that Eric and I learned was to fill your shaker with ice only halfway from the bottom. Also, chill your tequila fashioned glassware and mixing glass before making your drink. And most importantly, remember to have fun.
If there is a specific ingredient missing from a cocktail, remember that experimenting with other ingredients is perfectly acceptable. Prior to happy hour and dinner, the staff were kind enough to feed us some amazing tacos with all the chips, salsa, and guacamole that you wanted. Because of this, we tried several things during our early dinner. First, we had the avocado tostada. Let me tell you, it was amazing! It was a wonderful, crispy homemade tostada shell, with a perfect balance of creamy avocado, pickled and crispy shallots, roasted pumpkin seeds, cilantro, serrano peppers, and lime. It made my mouth water, and made me want to eat more.
For our entree’s, we were in for a treat. Eric ordered the pescado a la veracruzana. It was a spectacular dish comprising of fish topped with a veracruzana sauce, grilled veggies, and cilantro rice. I ordered the el garanon. This was by far the best cooked steak and octopus that I’ve had in a long while. The New York strip was cooked perfectly medium-rare, accompanied by tender octopus, served on a bed of guajillo sauce, grilled asparagus, and the fluffiest mashed potatoes. Not only was the presentation stunning, but from the first slice to the last bite, my steak held its temperature. The octopus, perfectly tender, and it had a lovely crispy exterior. I’m salivating at the mouth just remembering my entree, and this dish was had a few short weeks ago!
For dessert, we had Mexican flan. Texturally, it’s far firmer than a traditional Puerto Rican flan, but still delicious. I recommend pairing this with Amaro Averna, or an espresso martini. If you have a hankering for authentic, homemade Mexican cuisine, go to Tamalex. Everyone there is super friendly, the food and cocktails are great, and you just might see me there! Cheers!
