Sophisticated Tequila: Agave Sage Tomas Estes Stops by Sureño for Special Tequila Pairings Dinner, Mar 17
You might have sworn off it, convinced that shots of it are like kryptonite, and blamed it for all your biggest mistakes and worst hangovers, but Tomas Estes is here to help you think of tequila beyond your college dorm days.
In fact such dismissive thinking about tequila is something Estes – as one of two official tequila ambassadors for the Mexican Government, and as the founder of the high-end Tequila Ocho brand – has worked hard over his four-decade career to disprove.
“The largest misconception is that all tequila is of low quality, that it is for shooting, to be drunk along with many other alcoholic drinks in an evening and that the experience ends in a disastrous hangover the next day,” Estes tells the Beijinger, ahead of his March 17 appearance at The Opposite House's Sureño restaurant for a special evening of tequila and food pairings. “There certainly are tequilas which fit this description, however there are many, many more that are carefully made spirits that are perfect for sipping and savoring and leave the drinker feeling healthy and well the next day.”
All week long this agave sage has been on a five city China tour. His March 17 stop in the capital sees him visiting The Opposite House's Mesh bar for a tequila masterclass (open only to local bartenders and F&B types), while the aforementioned Sureño dinner starts at 7pm and is open to the public.
“It is an honor to be working with [Sureño chef] Talib Hudda on this cross cultural event of food conceived in China and tequila which represents so proudly the drink of Mexico,” Estes tells TBJ. “I consider Talib to be a true artist and the pairings of his food with Tequila Ocho will be an amazing first for me, one that I am looking very much forward to. I believe our guests will discover new, unique taste combinations to awake the senses.”
The dinner's highlights will include scallop ceviche an aptly titled Mexican cocktail (made with Estes' Tequila Ocho Bianco Loma Alta 2015, spiced syrups, cucumber, and lime); lamb and squid with the Batanga #2 cocktail (featuring Tequila Ocho Reposado La Latilla 2015, Averna Lemon and a simple syrup); and a beef cheek taco paired with Tequila Refashioned (also made with Tequila Ocho Bianco Loma Alta 2015, peach bitters, and a simple syrup).
Based on that, it sounds like the Sureño event is sure to make for an elegant evening. And while such happenings are now routine for Estes as he moves in some of the world's most elite F&B circles, his beginnings were far humbler.
Estes was raised in east Los Angeles, which was also home to a thriving Mexican community, leading him to tell The Drinks Report that he had "loved Mexico for as long as I can remember, and I have loved tequila since 1960 when, clandestinely at the age of 15, I had my first illicit tequila experience.” For Tequila Lovers biography of Estes describes how he spent his early days as a dishwasher and busboy at a restaurant, saving up enough money to pay for tuition at teacher's college. "Tomas however, couldn't stay away from the service industry," it says, adding: "He has opened 17 restaurants and/or bars in Holland, England, France, Germany, Italy, and Australia (still owning his four flagship properties)."
Before that breakout success, Estes became enthralled with Mexican culture. He partied hard in Tijuana and even ended up in the drunk tank a few times, before his free spirited ways lead him to travel Europe. But Mexico remained close to his heart and he wound up opening a Mexican restaurant, of all places, in Amsterdam's red light district in 1976 called Café Pacifico. He recalls: “It was a great success right away. Nobody had ever seen tequila or experienced that kind of atmosphere before – Mexican restaurants have a special kind of buzz and ambiance, and it was then that I came to appreciate how central tequila was to my business and I began to delve into it seriously.”
That lead to pilgrimages to agave growing regions in Mexico, the opening of more restaurants and bars, writing about tequila in various magazines, and earning the respect of the Mexican national tequila chamber, which has since given him many awards and accolades.
It's been a colorful life, as Estes describes in his own words: "I have been drinking tequila for over 50 years, serving it for 40 years, and my bars have served over 8 million margaritas in this time across six countries.” Among that slew of patrons, however, one person especially stood out. “One of the most memorable experiences I had was serving a margarita to Hunter S. Thompson at my Cafe Pacifico. He was in my London bar in 1982 the day before we officially opened to give an interview to a magazine.”
Seeing as it was Thompson, the incident was unsurprisingly strange. Estes reacalls: "Hunter was there the day before we opened our doors for business. David Bailey of Interview Magazine was doing an interview with him. Hunter was agitated and kept running in and out of the restaurant. I later learned that he expected to be paid with cocaine and was arguing with the magazine about it."
Estes will be making rounds during the March 17 dinner, no doubt regaling guests with more fun anecdotes about his history of tequila swilling, along with his son Jesse Estes, an Ocho brand ambassador and London bartender in his own right.
Unlike your last tequila-fueled evening, you'll not only be able to remember this occasion, but probably also look back on it fondly.
Sureño's Tequila State of Mind with Tomas Estes takes place this Friday, March 17 at 6pm. RSVP by calling 6410 5240. The dinner costs RMB 600 per person.
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Email: kylemullin@truerun.com
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