This Basic Mezcalier (Level 1) course contains in-depth information about mezcal production, certification, law, agaves, Domination of Origin etc- complete coverage of what mezcal really is. The course is participatory, limited to 30 participants and will include several mezcal tasting flights. Upon successful completion of the course (including an exam), attendees will be certified Level 1 Mezcaliers.

The course is sanctioned by CONOCER (Consejo Nacional de Normalizacion y Certificacion de Competencia Laborales), COMERCAM (Consejo Mexicano Regulador de la Calidad del Mezcal), the Conservancy of Mexican Gastronomy,  and the Pro Mezcal Culture Association.

The entire program consists of four ascending levels which need to be completed to attain the final title of Master Mezcalier.  This certification program is open to anyone interested in furthering their professional education about mezcal – the oldest distlled spirit of the Americas.

Seattle – Sunday Feb. 19 11am-3pm

Coa Tequilería (7919 Roosevelt Way NE)

$200 (includes lunch)

Email Barbara Sweetman to register.

Friday February 10, 2012 at Trébol Mexican Restaurant (4835 N. Albina, Portland, OR)

Warm your heart, fill your belly and impress your sweetie with a great dinner and paired tequila cocktails. Chef Kenny Hill invites you to a specially prepared three-course meal featuring Trébol‘s (4835 N. Albina) acclaimed Northwest-influenced Mexican cuisine paired with Tony Pepe’s Tequila Corazón (“heart,” get it?) cocktails, hosted by Tequila Ambassador Clayton Szczech of Experience Tequila.

The dinner will be available all night for $30, with paired Corazón cocktails $6 each or a tasting flight of the blanco, reposado and añejo for $10. Trébol’s Tequila Ambassador Clayton Szczech will host from 6-10pm. Clayton can walk you through the basics of tequila tasting and appreciation, and answer your questions about tequila, its production, culture and history.

Reservations are recommended. Please call Trébol at 503-517-9347.

1st Course: 2 Blue Pool Oysters w/ Jalapeño Cucumber Granita
OR Grilled Mexican Spot Prawn w/ Chipotle Orange Salsa
Pairing $6 Corazon Blanco Clear Manhattan

2nd Course: Pork Shank w/ Red Bean Bacon Ragout, Smokey Peanut Mole & Braised Greens
OR Braised Chicken Leg & Thigh w/ Red Chili Masa and Garlic Mashers & Braised Greens
Pairing $6 Corazon Reposado Pomegranate Margarita

3rd Course: Red Velvet Cake w/ Vanilla Ice Cream
OR Chocolate Mouse w/ Chantilly
Pairing $5 Corazon Anejo, Frangelico $ Rumchata served hot

$10 Corazon Vertical Flight – blanco, reposado, añejo

Please join us for a deluxe tasting flight of 6 premium tequilas at “Calle: tacos tequila” in Mt. Vernon (WA) on Thursday February 16, at 7:00pm. (This event was rescheduled from January 18 due to severe winter weather.)

Tequila specialist Clayton Szczech will lead an in-depth presentation on the history, culture, production methods and tasting of tequila. Enjoy six different gourmet tequilas as well as delicious Mexican fare from Calle, all for only $45/person. We anticipate a sell-out of this first ever tequila tasting at Calle. Get your tickets now!

1 person $45.00 USD 2 people $90.00 USD 3 people $135.00 USD 4 people $180.00 USD

This event was re-scheduled from January due to severe winter weather. 

Please join Experience Tequila’s Clayton Szczech and Aha Toro Tequila’s Kent Johnson for a vertical flight (blanco, reposado and añejo) of Aha Toro tequila delicious small plates from Coa Tequileria on Wednesday February 15 at 7:00pm. Clayton will discuss Aha Toro’s role and significance in the world Highlands tequilas, and Kent will fill us in on recent changes with the brand.

This informative tasting costs only $35/person, and seating is limited. Get your seats today!

1 person $35.00 USD 2 people $70.00 USD 3 people $105.00 USD 4 people $140.00 USD

Please join us for our first ever event with El Cazador Restaurant in Oak Harbor, Whidbey Island, Washington. Experience Tequila will host a special Valentine’s-themed tequila dinner and presentation on Sunday February 12 at 7:00pm.

Experience Tequila’s Clayton Szczech will lead a vertical tasting flight of 3 gourmet tequilas, including an entertaining and informative tequila presentation. You’ll leave knowing and appreciating tequila more than you ever thought possible. Attendance is limited to 20, and we fully expect this event to sell out.  $40/person.

1 person $40.00 USD 2 people $80.00 USD 3 people $120.00 USD 4 people $160.00 USD

Today we spoke directly with both Kent Johnson (Vice President at William Ryan Select, AT’s importer) and Roxana Lopez Garibay (part owner and Director of Project Development and Design at 1079). The gist: Aha Toro is now being produced at Grupo Tequilero de Los Altos (NOM 1548), and 1079 is still in business with their flagship brand Oro Azul. 1079 is owned jointly by the Garibay family, and family members Hector and Maria Lopez own the Aha Toro brand.

Johnson told us that Aha Toro and 1079 amicably parted ways for financial and business reasons. He says that the new juice, which is already available in Washington state, has the same flavor profile, pointing out that Grupo Tequilero is only 15 kilometers from 1079 and that the agave source is unchanged. They have plans to build their own distillery in the next two years.

Ms. Lopez Garibay confirmed that the separation was friendly, saying (in Spanish) “Aha Toro has left for another factory after a mutual decision that in this case it was best to separate business from family relationships. But we all love each other and we wish them all the best and more. 1079 has changed for strategic, financial and tax reasons, but we continue making Oro Azul the same as ever. Nothing bad has happened, quite simply businesses change, evolve and make their own decisions. The quality and prestige of our distillery speaks for itself.”

We wish all best and continued success for the entire Garibay family: to Aha Toro in their new home and 1079 as the continue with Oro Azul.

We plan on conducting a blind tasting of old and new Aha Toro later this month, to see how they’ve done. Do you have expectations, hopes or fears for the new juice? Please share in the comments below.

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Join us for a flight of 6 excellent premium tequilas (2 paired vertical flights), curated by Experience Tequila’s Clayton Szczech at Issaquah’s Agave Cocina and Tequilas.

This will be Clayton’s last appearance in Seattle for a while, as Experience Tequila’s Mexico tour season begins in October. Seating is limited, so RSVP today by calling Agave directly: (425-369-8900).

4835 N. Albina, Portland 97212 (503-517-9347)

BUY ADVANCE TICKETS NOW!

The craft cocktail movement meets a legendary, rustic tequila made with 19^th-century techniques this September 26 at Trébol Restaurant. Cutting-edge mixologists and leading craft bartenders will create their best original cocktails with the world’s most traditionally-made tequila, and the public will have an opportunity to vote for their favorite at “Coctél de la Muerte.” The event is sponsored by Tequila Fortaleza, Experience Tequila, Trébol Mexican Restaurant and the Oregon Bartenders Guild.

Six regional finalists will make their original concoction live before a panel of local judges and a crowd of more than 100. Judging will conform to official US Bartenders’ Guild rules. The winner will claim a regional title and win a free trip to Tequila, Mexico to celebrate Day of the Dead in traditional Mexican fashion, and compete in the aging caves on the Sauza family estate against finalists from Southern California, the Bay Area and Las Vegas.

Trébol will offer unprecedented specials on Fortaleza (neat and in cocktails) and a special food menu. A $5 admission fee includes a raffle ticket and voting rights in the “People’s Choice” component of the competition.

Tequila Fortaleza is an extremely small-batch, artisan tequila made by Guillermo Erickson Sauza, direct descendent of the first man to export tequila to the US. When Guillermo’s grandfather sold Tequila Sauza in 1979, all family ties to the brand name were severed. Guillermo later re-opened one of the original family distilleries (dating from the 1890s), and began making Tequila Fortaleza almost exactly as his great-great grandfather had made tequila in the nineteenth century. The result is a legendarily flavorful and smooth premium sipping tequila. Very little of the spirit makes it into Oregon, and this event is a unique opportunity to sample it at recession-friendly prices.

Experience Tequila is a Portland-based company specializing in tequila education, events, tastings and tours. ET founder Clayton Szczech has been recognized by the Tequila Regulatory Council and the Mexican Tequila Academy for his contributions to the dissemination of tequila appreciation and culture.

Trébol Mexican Restaurant specializes in Oaxacan cuisine, using only local organic produce, and offers the widest selection of rare and unique tequilas in the state of Oregon.

The Oregon Bartenders Guild was formed in 2007 to help bring together like-minded bar professionals and amateur mixologists, and to help raise awareness of Oregon bartending within the state and around the world.