Casa Dragones
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Type | Tequila |
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Country of origin |
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Introduced | 2009 in United States |
Called “Todays Tastemakers’ Top Tequila” by Forbes,[1] Casa Dragones is a handcrafted, small batch, luxury tequila producer made in Tequila, Jalisco, Mexico.[2]
Casa Dragones was founded in 2008 by MTV creator and Clear Channel CEO Robert W. Pittman and tequila industry expert Bertha González Nieves,[3] the first woman to be certified as ‘Maestra Tequilera’ by the Academia Mexicana de Catadores de Tequila, the organization recognized by The Tequila Regulatory Council.[4]
Tequilas
Introduced in 2009, Tequila Casa Dragones Joven is a small-batch, handcrafted 100% Blue Agave Joven Tequila, a blend of silver tequila with extra aged tequila rested in new American oak barrels for five years, for a complex, smooth taste that is perfect for sipping and pairing with food. Each bottle is handcrafted from pure, lead-free crystal and individually engraved, signed, numbered, and dated by hand.[5]
Released in 2014, Tequila Casa Dragones Blanco is a small batch, 100% pure Blue Agave silver tequila, handcrafted to deliver the true essence of agave through an innovative process that focuses on purity, for a crisp, smooth taste that is perfect for high-end cocktails or to enjoy on the rocks. Each bottle is crafted from perfumer’s glass and is individually signed, numbered, and dated by hand.[6]
Taste
Academia Mexicana de Catadores de Tequila (Mexican Academy of Tequila Tasters) wrote in their 2009 tasting notes that Casa Dragones Joven is “soft and smooth with hints of vanilla and spiced undertones, balanced with delicate notes of pear.” [7]
Serious Eats writer Paul Clarke described Casa Dragones Joven as having a "delicate nose of lemon peel and honeysuckle, a smooth, silky body and a flavor with the crispness of black pepper but the light richness of vanilla and hazelnuts." [8]
Departures (magazine)'s Emily Arden Wells calls Tequila Casa Dragones Blanco, “nothing less than transcendent—a luminescent, crystal-clear tequila with an aroma of green apple, grapefruit, honeydew and fresh herbs. It is creamy on the palate, with pronounced flavors of citrus, melon, pepper and salt and a clean finish of mint and cucumber.” [9]
Robb Report calls Casa Dragones Joven "A tequila like no other." [10]
Terroir
Casa Dragones harvests its agaves in The Valley of Tequila in the rich agricultural lands of the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt, which is a chain of active and inactive volcanoes across Mexico. The soil is semi arid and semi-humid ideal for Agave Azul Tequilana Weber.[11]
The soil is abundant with minerals such as copper, iron, potassium and silica, which produces sweet Blue Agaves, the ideal agaves for Casa Dragones.[12]
Recognition
In May 2013, Wine Enthusiast rated Tequila Casa Dragones Joven a 96/100 – the magazine’s highest tequila rating, saying, “The end result is extraordinarily smooth, with a very sweet, fruity, almost wine-like nose but a bold, pure peppery flavor that finishes cleanly” [13]
In November 2010, Casa Dragones won the Grand Prix Stratégies du Luxe, a product and packaging design award for luxury brands. This was the first time a Mexican brand and a tequila had won this award.[14] Casa Dragones has also received high praise from Oprah Winfrey when she named Tequila Casa Dragones her favorite tequila in an interview with Facebook Live,[15] and again on an “Oprah’s Favorite Things holiday television special [16] In 2011 and 2012, Casa Dragones Joven was named as one of Oprah's Favorite Things.[17]
Casa Dragones Joven has also received high praise from Chef Scott Conant [18] Chef Eric Ripert,[19] Chef Bobby Flay,[20] Chef Enrique Olvera,[21] Musician Dr. Dre,[22] Actor Jonah Hill,[23] Artist Spencer Tunick,[24] and more.
Casa Dragones Joven was chosen as one of Martha’s Finds by Martha Stewart, on December 17, 2009.[25]
Collaborations
In 2012, Casa Dragones announced a special edition collaboration with Artist Gabriel Orozco in honor of his mid life retrospective.[26]
Casa Dragones Tequila accompanied Orozco on his retrospective tour held in four leading museums throughout 2011, from MoMA in New York City, Kunstmuseum in Basel, Switzerland, Tate Modern in London, to Centre Pompidou in Paris.[27]
Each crystal bottle is engraved with Gabriel Orozco’s Black Kites motif, based on one of the artist’s most iconic works of art, and includes Orozco’s signature.[28]
Black Kites, 1997 is a human skull covered in an intricate graphic checkerboard, representing the two sides of life that are constantly at odds; the grid represents rationality and the skull represents uncertainty.
Handcrafted with meticulous attention to detail, only 400 limited edition bottles will be produced, each bottle signed numbered and dated by hand.[29]
References
- ↑ http://www.forbes.com/sites/lisamogensen/2011/05/04/cult-hit-casa-dragones-todays-tastemakers-top-tequila/
- ↑ http://casadragones.com/
- ↑ "Entrepreneurs In The News". Inc.com. 2009-12-01. Retrieved 2011-09-09.
- ↑ http://nbclatino.com/2012/05/04/introducing-bertha-gonzalez-the-first-lady-of-tequila/
- ↑ http://casadragones.com/sipping-tequila/
- ↑ http://casadragones.com/new-casa-dragones-blanco-silver-tequila/
- ↑ http://casadragones.com/sipping-tequila/tasting-notes/
- ↑ http://drinks.seriouseats.com/2010/03/blanco-joven-unaged-good-tequilas.html
- ↑ http://www.departures.com/blogs/luxury/2014/4/22/spirits-update-a-tequila-for-mixing-by-casa-dragones
- ↑ http://robbreport.com/Wine-Spirits-Cigars/A-Tequila-Like-No-Other
- ↑ http://casadragones.com/harvest/volcanic-soil/
- ↑ http://casadragones.com/harvest/
- ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2014-07-29. Retrieved 2014-06-13.
- ↑ http://casadragones.com/winning-luxury-design-award/
- ↑ http://casadragones.com/videos-events/?vid=Oprahs-Favorite-Tequila
- ↑ http://casadragones.com/videos-events/?vid=Oprahs-Favorite-Things-2012
- ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2013-09-29. Retrieved 2013-09-11.
- ↑ http://m.younghollywood.com/videos/lifestyle/hot-spots/cooking-up-greatness-with-chef-scott-conant.html
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NmjzUQSZWfI
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JmTLxs_eKZc
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OdWTt2vTJ5c)
- ↑ http://www.esquire.com/blogs/food-for-men/bartender-wisdom-skybar-mondrian-030812
- ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2014-06-26. Retrieved 2014-06-13.
- ↑ (http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/03/opinion/sunday/catching-up-with-spencer-tunick.html?_r=3&
- ↑ http://www.marthastewart.com/251273/sipping-tequila
- ↑ "Inspiration in a Bottle - Wall Street Journal". www.online.wsj.com. 2013-05-04. Retrieved 2013-08-16.
- ↑ "The Art of Tequila: Casa Dragones Introduces Gabriel Orozco-Designed Bottles- Time Style". www.style.time.com. 2013-05-04. Retrieved 2013-08-16.
- ↑ "An artful appreciation of tequila - How to Spend It". www.howtospendit.ft.com. 2013-05-04. Retrieved 2013-08-16.
- ↑ "Gabriel Orozco Special Edition Bottles- Casa Dragones". www.casadragones.com. 2013-05-04. Retrieved 2013-08-16.
External links
- Casa Dragones - official site
- Bob Pittman, Founder of MTV, Launches a New Premium Tequila, Departures
- Casa Dragones Sipping Tequila, Desire This
- Oprah's Favorite Things 2012, O Magazine
- Cult Hit Casa Dragones - Today's Tastemaker's Top Tequila, Forbes
- Men's Journal, A Tequila Smooth Enough for Sipping
- Casa Dragones Tequila, Uncrate
- Casa Dragones Sipping Tequila, Luxist
- Casa Dragones as one of Martha Stewart's Finds
- What's New: Pure Agave, Men's Journal
- What to Drink with Your Tacos, Esquire.com
- The First Lady of Tequila, LA Times Magazine
- Casa Dragones a smooth sipping Tequila, San Francisco Chronicle
- June 2011 Tequila of the Month: Casa Dragones Joven, Rated 95 Points, Tequila Spectator
- Tequila For All, Saveur
- How to Throw a Cinco de Mayo Party, Lifestyle Mirror
- What Does $275 Tequila Taste Like?, Fox News
- A Tequila Like No Other, Robb Report
- Cinco de Mayo Goes Upscale, Robb Report
- The Best Tequilas for Summer, Maxim
- Sipping Tequila for Cinco de Mayo, The Today Show
- How to Celebrate Cinco de Mayo, GQ
- Meet the 'First Lady of Tequila' Bertha Gonzale Nieves, NBC News
- An Excuse to Drink Margaritas in the Dead of Winter, Town & Country
- Weekend Escape San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, is a vibrant weekend getaway, LA Times
- The Most Innovative Women do Food & Drink, Fortune
- Top Shelf Tequila, Giada Weekly
- Tequila, Pure and Simple, Private Clubs
- Bobbi Brown talks personal style, How to Spend It
- A Tequila so Sought After it's Become an Artwork, Amuse
- Casa Dragones Tequila, Travel & Leisure
- The best bottles to give away this December, The Happening
- Gourmet gifts for Christmas 2015, Animal Gourmet
- John Varvatos helps you shop for the rock star in your life, New York Post
- Gift in the holiday spirit with special bottles and bubbly, USA Today
- This Mexican crafts in the special edition of Casa Dragones, Robb Report
- Ten Gifts for the Men in Your Life, Tomboy KC
- Little Luxuries: 28 Perfect Holiday Gifts, Departures Magazine
- The Well-Spirited Gift Guide, Esquire
- 8 Gifts for Guys That Aren't Basic, Gotham
- 12 Fashion Insiders on the One Item They Keep at Home for Parties, NYmag.com
- The Most Innovative Women in Food & Drink, Food & Wine
- A Game of Thrones Cocktail Fit for Khaleesi, Vanity Fair
- Doubled Art, Excelsior
- The Tequila Brand That's Art-World Approved, Elle Magazine
- Top Rated Tequila, Wine Enthusiast
- Tastemakers’ Top Tequila, Forbes
- Inspiration in a Bottle, Wall Street Journal
- Oprah's Favorite Things 2014, Oprah.com
- The Art of Tequila, Financial Times
- New Artisanal Tequilas, Travel & Leisure
- Gift Guide, Paper City
- The Best Tequilas of 2014, Epicurious
- Mexico's First Lady of Tequila, Du Jour
- Tequila Casa Dragones Blanco, O Magazine
- The Best Tequilas in the World, Men's Journal
- Bottle Rocket, Nowness
- The Queen of Agave, El Universal
- Bob Pittman Wants His Tequila, Departures
- Drink Her Tequila, History Demands It, GQ
- The Margarita-Rosé Cocktail Mashup Your Summer Needs, Epicurious
- La Biennale di Venezia Tastes Like Tequila, Forbes
- The Q Bag, Quien
- Casa Dragones innovative tequilas take over Florida, El Nuevo Herald
- Power Women 2014, Moves
- Tales of the Cocktail on Tour Mexico City, Estilo Mexico
- 7 Fancy Sipping Tequilas, Du Jour
- 5 Tequilas for Cinco de Mayo, Forbes Life
- Casa Dragones on Top Chef Season Finale 2015, Top Chef
- The Beauty and the Brains Behind Casa Dragones Tequila, Gastronomista
- A Tequila for Mixing by Casa Dragones, Departures Dispatch
- Distilling the Spirit of Modern Mexico, The Gentlewoman
- Talking Tequila with Casa Dragones CEO Bertha González Nieves, WWD
- Rare Woman Tequila Master, Bloomberg
- An Artful Appreciation of Tequila, Time Style
- The Return of Blanco Tequila, Epicurious
- Catching Up With Mexico’s Top Tequilera, Miami Herald
- Hold The Lime, Black Book
- How To Drink Like a Grown-Up, SELF
- Jonah Hill's Favorite Tequila, Bon Apetit
- Tequila’s Ultra-Luxury Tier, Shanken News Daily
- Restocking The Bar for Summer, Cigar World
- Epic $250,000 Dinner, Eater
- Bobbi Brown's Favourite, Vogue
- Crazy for Tequila in San Miguel de Allende, Martha Stewart
- The Best Tequilas, Maxim
- Bottles for Ballers, Food Republic
- Oprah's Favorite Things 2011, O Magazine
- A Smooth Sipping Tequila, A Smooth Sipping Tequila, San Francisco Chronicle
- A Taste of Greatness, Neiman Marcus
- Tequila for All, Saveur
- What to Drink on Cinco de Mayo, The Wall Street Journal
- The World's Smoothest Tequila, Haute Living
- Vamos a beber (y comer)!, GQ