This was the latest Ordre Mondial event, a part of the Vancouver chapter of La Chaîne des Rotisseurs, the long-standing international gourmand group that I am an active member of.
On this occasion we gathered at one of the esteemed member’s lavish home in North Vancouver, to explore the iconic flavours of Mexico through tequila. A tasting and seminar led by our host and resident agave experts. The goal was to have members walking away with new found appreciation of tequila and discover that it pairs beautifully with much more than simply Mexican cuisine. Our pairing would including sushi, tacos, cheese, and chocolate.
As guests gathered we took in the view from the back yard, admiring the mountains in the distance and the glisten of the pool on this clear sunny day. Although taking respite under the shade of beach umbrellas.
To set the mood guests helped themselves to tequila punch and chips and salsa. And when everyone had arrived we took a seated on their upper deck, claiming the first round of shots.
But first we were given a crash course in tequila and its origin story. A history I was familiar with, thanks to one of the more recent Sips Opinion Flavour Camps I attended recently, on tequila.
My biggest take away still is that all tequila is mezcal, but not all mezcal is tequila; that tequila is Mexico specific and only requires the specific blue agave. The use of these succulent actually dates back to the Aztecs.
We were advised that the best way to appreciate tequila is to take a small sip and swirl it in your mouth for 5 seconds, while inhaling through your mouth and breathing out through your nose.
The following is the order of our tasting and pairings, with notes that I took for each course.
Tequila Blanco Plata + sushi
This is the purest form of tequila, there are no alterations to the blue agave. No wood used to add char to the spirit, instead it is aged in stainless steel. As such there is no way to mask its purities or defects. The result is a clean and pure taste that matches well with the simplicity of sushi, not overpowering the nuance of the fish. However, the chosen sushi was a modern fusion variety coated in sauce and with the addition of other sweet or deep fried elements. A better, simple and fresh pairing for the Blanco would have been sashimi without the rice.
Cristalino + shrimp ceviche
Cristalino is a newer spirit in the industry, inspired by white rum. It is a charcoal filtered añejo, called Diamante by this producer. They have refined all the characteristic of an añejo, without the woody colour. This was easy to drink with more body and flavour, thanks to hints of oak from the barrels. Its short finish helps to accent the herbs of the ceviche, balancing one another out.
Reposado + jerk chicken sliders
Reposado was the same versatile tequila that was used in our welcome punch at the reception. It is great for cocktail mixing. Its bolder flavour profile and spicy notes make it a great pairing with heavier red meats, or in this case, a bold seasoning for chicken.
Mezcal + aged cheddar cheese & mandarin orange
Mezcal is more similar to wine where the various microclimates affect the uniqueness of each bottle. There are 20-40 varieties of mezcal legally. The agave used is smoked in pits, and is pulled out after the fires die. At this point the burnt agave is chopped off to remove any acrid flavour that may linger. And what they keep is the caramelized honey agave. During fermentation animal hides, leather, and even plastic can be used to flavour to mezcal. Thus making each family of agave and the place it is made in, different. Although it all needs to be distilled in clay pots. Here, the resulting smokiness of the mezcal was the perfect bedmate to the smokiness of the sharp cheddar, with the sweet citrus as a palate refresher.
Raicilla + fish tacos.
Raicilla was describe to us as Mexican moonshine, where there are no regulating rules behind it. You don’t know where it come from and how it is made. It is most commonly made by the indigenous and not commercially sold. Our host spoke of mom and pop distilling operations where you brought your own bottle, they filled it up and off you go. This was surprisingly very smooth for moonshine. Its light texture matched well with the lightness of the fish tacos.
In closing, this was a fun interactive seminar, where we ate and drank, and walked away with new found knowledge on tequila. And I myself, paintings done by our talent host, that she signed and gifted to us. Truly memorable.
