Announces Unprecedented Partnerships with Top Tequilas!
For Immediate Release!
August 26, 2015, San Antonio, TX: Beginning October 14-28, 2015, Tequila Aficionado Media takes to the open road accompanied by top tier tequilas destined for the Windy City of Chicago to celebrate the popular Día de los Muertos remembrance holiday.
What began as a whimsical idea during a family RV vacation early in the spring of 2015, has turned into a monster tequila tour packed with stops at specially selected points-of-interest along the way, photo opportunities, and out-of-the-box social media marketing and promotion for tequila brands on a budget.
Initially scheduled for late August 2015, Lisa Pietsch, Tequila Aficionado Media’s COO, admits that, “…the response from agave spirits brands was so overwhelmingly positive that we were compelled to move the tour dates to October to accommodate brands that wanted to come aboard.”
The change in tour dates notes M.A. “Mike” Morales, CEO of Tequila Aficionado Media, was fortunate for the participating tequila partners since, “…the end-of-year push for the spirits industry traditionally begins in October and lasts throughout the holiday season.”
Adds Pietsch, “Now, Día de los Muertos is an integral part of that celebration to Latinos and tequila aficionados alike.”
At press time, participating tequila brand partners are…
Currently, these tequila partners are scheduled to be featured on the following days of Tequila Aficionado’s Día de los Muertos Tequila Tour—
14-Oct
Embajador Blanco
15-Oct
Embajador Reposado
16-Oct
Embajador Anejo
17-Oct
Lunazul Blanco
18-Oct
Lunazul XA
19-Oct
Malinalli Blanco
20-Oct
Malinalli Extra Anejo
21-Oct
Titanium Blanco
22-Oct
Dulce Vida 5yr Extra Anejo
23-Oct
Route 66 Reposado
24-Oct
1921 La Crema
25-Oct
Diva Blanco
26-Oct
Mexican Moonshine Blanco
27-Oct
Mexican Moonshine Reposado
28-Oct
Mexican Moonshine Anejo
As other interested agave spirits climb aboard Tequila Aficionado’s Día de los Muertos Tequila Tour, this list and the calendar of open slots will be updated.
Click on map to see full route in Google Maps
For all the details on the Día de los Muertos Tequila Tour and how your agave spirit will benefit with Tequila Aficionado Media’s powerful, exclusive, out-of-the-box (and affordable!) social media brand exposure, click here .
***
[Tweet “Add your agave spirit brand now by contacting Chicago@tequilaaficionado.com”]
~~~~~~~~~~
Learn all about tequila from field to glass and then get paid to share your love of agave spirits with others! Buy Them Both Now!
If you follow our social networks, you know we’ve been traveling by RV and had the opportunity to create some fun social content for a few tequilas that hitched a ride with us.
Now we’re planning another trip in mid-to-late October 2015, and offering a similar opportunity to a limited number of brands who choose to come along.
But, before we tell you where we’re going, we’d like to point out an important lesson we learned on the road:
Tequila Social Media: Who Got Time Fo’ Dat?
One of the biggest challenges facing agave spirits brands today is keeping up with the demands of social networks and being able to create engaging content that gets shared by those networks.
Everyone knows native Facebook video is the way to get on fans’ news feeds but who has time to create and upload video?
Vines and filtered, finessed Instagram photos are hot properties too, but again, nobody has time for that. We have the solution.
The Tequila Aficionado Social Content Solution
Instagram photo(s) of your brand– These would be tagged with your Instagram handle, hashtagged, and posted on Tequila Aficionado’s Instagram account and shared to the Tequila Aficionado Facebook, Twitter and Tumblr as well as Lisa Pietsch’s and Mike Morales’ Facebook and Twitter accounts. A total reach of over 34,000 impressions.
[Tweet “Brand Engagement Rates Highest on Instagram, let Tequila Aficionado engage for you”]
Vine Video(s)
These would be tagged with your Twitter handle, hashtagged, and shared on the Tequila Aficionado Vine account and re-Vined on Lisa Pietsch’s account. A reach of over 300 impressions.
[Tweet “100 Million people watch vine videos each month”]
Native Facebook Video(s)
These would be tagged with your Facebook account, hashtagged, and posted on the Tequila Aficionado Facebook account, then shared on the Tequila Aficionado Twitter, and Lisa Pietsch’s and Mike Morales’ Facebook and Twitter profiles. A reach of over 33,000 impressions.
[Tweet “Native Facebook videos reach 148% more fans than photos”]
YouTube Video(s)
These would be posted to the Tequila Aficionado YouTube account, hashtagged, provided with a complete and SEO’d description, and shared on the Tequila Aficionado Google+, Facebook and Twitter accounts. A reach of over 10,000 impressions.
[Tweet “1 Billion people use YouTube. Is your brand one of them?”]
Blog features on TequilaAficionado.com
We would create an initial article about our upcoming adventure with you listed as a partner and a second article on (or about) your sponsored day featuring your brand, any articles or reviews we’ve done of your brand, and links to all your social networks. These would be SEO’d, tagged, and alt tagged, posted to the Tequila Aficionado website, shared on the Tequila Aficionado Facebook, Twitter, and Google+ accounts, and shared on Lisa Pietsch’s and Mike Morales’ Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and LinkedIn accounts. A reach of over 43,000 impressions.
[Tweet “Is your brand targeting Tequila Aficionados? We receive over 7k views per month.”]
Altogether, just one of each piece of social content would provide your brand with well over 120,000 impressions before ever being shared on YOUR networks or by your fans and followers on all of these combined networks.
How much do you spend on bromos? Compare the ROI.
The cost
Just $200 per expression you’d like featured, and two bottles of your tequila, mezcal, bacanora, sotol, or other agave-based spirit brand.
Additional bottles are welcome for sharing with new friends at campgrounds along the way. Branded items such as tee-shirts, glasses, etc., are also welcome and will be used in photos and as giveaways, as available.
The Fine Print
A minimum of one of each piece of content mentioned above will be created for each expression sponsor. Additional content will be created at our discretion. We will do our best to shine the best light on your product and content will not be changed or replaced after posting. In order to provide the highest quality, maximum coverage, and authentic content, we can accept no more than two (2) sponsored expressions per day.
Please note:
If you would like to sponsor an entire day, purchase one sponsorship slot for each expression or brand you represent, or would like to sponsor an entire trip, we will happily accommodate you and your brand.
We reserve the right to move your sponsored day on the trip to accommodate delays in travel or other unforeseen circumstances.
We reserve the right to refuse/refund sponsors for any reason.
We reserve the right to change the dates of this current trip to fit the scheduling of exciting additional events and tastings along the way.
All sponsorship monies must be paid prior to Tequila Aficionado’s departure.
So, where are we going?
The Tequila Aficionado Road Show
Chicago—Or Bust!
We’ll be traveling from San Antonio, Texas, to Chicago, Illinois, by RV. We may even stop and make a few friends along the way! Visiting two of America’s best tequila bars, Depot Nuevo and Masa Azul, while we’re there is an absolute requirement. Are your brands in these accounts yet? Our route is currently open but we’ve provided the fastest route below as a general guideline. At press time, this trip is scheduled from 14-28th of October, 2015.
If you have accounts along the way and would like to sponsor part (or all) of the trip (see above), we’ll be happy to stop by and give your accounts some social media love on your behalf. Just let us know where they are and we’ll plan accordingly. See the map below for our current route.
Our tentative window for this trip to Chicago is October 14-28, 2015. We’ll provide all of our sponsors exact dates and itinerary no later than September 15, 2015.
Please email Chicago@TequilaAficionado.com before Tuesday, September 15th, to secure your slot. We’d love to have you come along for the ride!
Join Us for The Next Tequila Aficionado Road Show!
Unlike some tequilas, most of my moves have never been smooth–or without incident.
For the better part of 18 years, I lived in New Mexico. After a year long stay in my home state of California, I moved my personal residence and headquarters to San Antonio, TX to helm the newly revamped Tequila Aficionado Media almost two years ago. In all that time, I’ve spent hundreds of dollars in storage fees.
The plan was to rent a Cruise America RV and to take her two home schooled boys with us, along with the two cats, the dog, and turtle, on a 7-day trek through parts of west Texas and southern New Mexico.
Since Lisa would be doing all the driving, she would break up the trip to no more than 5 or 6 hours before stopping at a reputable and clean RV park for a day or two. We would simply retrace our route on the return trip, as well.
I’m not going to lie. Visions of the ill fated Donner Party crossed my mind.
Apart from the usual concerns about cost and current gas prices (which Lisa will tackle in blog posts of her own), my more pressing questions were–
Could the cats get along with the dog? Would the boys freak out without wifi? Would we even survive the first night together in the close quarters of the RV? Could we all just get along?
Añejo the Cat doesn’t travel well.
Luckily, the good folks at Del Bravo tequila supplied us with bottles of their Peñsaco, Diva and Route 66 tequila to calm my nerves. Brand Of Promise(TM) winner, JLP Craft Margaritas also came along for the ride.
#TheDreamIsReal
Undaunted (and armed with a hashtag), Lisa pursued her dream of taking the kids and experiencing part of the Desert Southwest on the open road.
After a couple of hours outside of San Antonio, we stopped for lunch and took stock of our surroundings inside the RV. So far, the ride was quite comfy.
Dinner in the RV and generous pours of Route 66 reposado tequila were on the menu after a long drive. Later that evening, the campground’s flawless wifi kept us on top of our personal and Tequila Aficionado duties.
It wasn’t until the next morning, though, that we were able to appreciate the stark beauty of this historic west Texas location.
Tequila Road Show
A short two hours or so later, we entered the El Paso, TX city limits. Here, Lisa Pietsch and I reveal our desires for the Tequila Aficionado Roadshow that we were planning for late summer/early fall 2015.
Old Stomping Grounds
Fun with the selfie stick.
We made great time into the Duke City area and settled into the spacious Albuquerque North KOA campground in Bernalillo, NM.
Later that evening, accompanied by a full moon rising above the Sandia Mountains and some JLP Craft Margaritas, along with a celebratory cigar for me, we hopped onto the park’s wifi for a little social media fun.
How to Shop for Your RV
With the idea of shopping for a bigger RV still fermenting, we weren’t too keen on dealing with pesky and persistent salesmen. Lisa and I decided to take a walk around the KOA park to see what Americans were RVing in.
That’s when we ran into this beauty–
Meanwhile, Back in Van Horn…
After a couple of days in New Mexico, we mounted into the Cruise America RV and made our way back to Van Horn, TX to spend a restful two days recuperating from driving and moving some of my possessions.
Family time.
The outpouring of well wishes and the sharing of family vacation memories from our friends and followers on social media, made us pause and reflect on our own individual family outings.
The pros of being location independent far outweighed the cons of what the open road had in store (besides rush hour traffic).
And, had we not returned to the campground in Van Horn, we would’ve missed the opportunities to bond over these gems…
Living The Dream
Stay tuned to Tequila Aficionado later this month for a special announcement about our first ever Tequila Road Show to the Windy City of Chicago and how you can come along!
~~~~~~~~~~
Learn all about tequila from field to glass and then get paid to share your love of agave spirits with others! Buy Them Both Now!
[The second annual Sabor Latino Food Show took place on May 12-13, 2015 at the Pasadena Convention Center. Tequila Aficionado Media was asked to tag along with Embajador tequila as its importer/brand owner attempts to break into the competitive Southern California spirits market.]
Show Prep
It’s no secret that trying to jockey for position into the competitive California spirits market is as tough as winning the Triple Crown in horseracing. This is doubly true if you’re a fledging tequila brand trying to distinguish yourself from the rest of the field.
That’s where trade shows like Sabor Latino can help.
[Tweet “Jockeying for position in the California spirits market is as tough as winning the Triple Crown”]
Opening Ceremonies
Lilly Rocha, founder of Sabor Latino Food Show.
Created and organized by CEO, Lilly Rocha, a well connected and solidly certified event planner with 17 years of experience and with both national and international clients.
The Sabor Latino Food show recognizes the growing power of the Latino consumer in the US by helping to “Define the Tastes of the New Majority,” which also happened to be this year’s show theme.
After graciously introducing her team, and acknowledging troops of culinary students whom she affords the opportunity for internships with companies that prepare them for college or careers, Lilly cuts the ribbon and unleashes the mariachis.
[Tweet “Sabor Latino Food show recognizes the growing power of the Latino consumer”]
Workin’ It
As with most trade shows, an intense 5 or 6 hours is usually spent educating potential customers on the virtues of your product.
Here, Andres Garcia, regional sales manager and family member of Embajador, samples his tequila to approving Spanish speaking attendees.
In this cut, Andres explains the differences of Embajador reposado and añejo to an employee of the LA Times.
[Tweet “Sabor Latino Food Show – Connecting great Latino products, companies, distributors, and consumers”]
What’s New
At the Sabor Latino Food Show, Tequila Aficionado got to try new products, old favorites, and get surprising scoops, for instance…
Brand Manager, Daniel Del Razo carries the only canned pulque in the US, Hacienda 1881.
[Tweet “Canned pulque? Sabor Latino Food Show had it!”]
For tequila aficionados interested in exploring the roots of tequila and mezcal, you certainly need to try it.
Guest Stars
Several importers and brand owners stopped by to tell Tequila Aficionado about their upcoming offerings for Summer 2015.
Ernesto Aguirre of Aguirre Imports discusses his brands and his strategic alliance with Alvaro Molina’s Dos Artes tequila, a 2014 Brand Of Promise(TM) winner.
[Tweet “Sabor Latino Food Show – an all-star show!”]
Another 2014 Brand Of Promise(TM) winner in the ready-to-drink category (RTD), Jean-Paul Rojo of JLP Craft Margaritas visited with us and gave us a rundown of its new packaging and project for Costco.
[Tweet “JLP Tequila takes their award winning RTD margaritas to Costco!”]
Not everyone who came by was exhibiting at the Sabor Latino Food Show. Some, like Miguel De Los Rios and Tatiana Vallejo, owners of Aguila Real tequila, just came to size up the field of newcomers.
Look for Aguila Real, one of the hottest brands to hit the tequila market in a long time, all over SoCal.
[Tweet “Alexander Perez, Founder of Tequila Aficionado comes out of hiding for Sabor Latino Show”]
Even our founder, Alex Perez, stopped in to say hello.
Alexander Perez, Founder of Tequila Aficionado Media
What’s New, Day 2
On day two, we met Daniel Villaneda of Global Spirits Imports who sampled a full array of Pochteca Liqueurs along with an upcoming tequila from Chef Martín San Román whose own restaurant, La Terrasse, is in the heart of Baja California’s burgeoning wine country, the Valle de Guadalupe.
[Tweet “Tequila encroaches on wine country – California loves it all!”]
Speaking of the Valle de Guadalupe, Volubilis Imports displayed a series of wines from that emerging region. Vice President of Sales, Marcus Salvemini, gives us some background on his company.
[Tweet “Wines from Baja Mexico make a splash at Sabor Latino Food show”]
Hugo D’Acosta, the Mondavi of Baja CA.
Marcus explained that vintner, Hugo D’Acosta, is considered the Mexican Robert Mondavi and primarily responsible for the region’s current wine boom.
In this snippet, he imparts the area’s history and the varietals that are carried by Volubilis Imports.
Dessert Pairing with Embajador Tequila
Mama Cheesecake story.
One of the more exciting vendors at the Sabor Latino Food Show, was Marian Lopez, owner of Mama Cheesecake in Pasadena, CA.
A one time single mom, Marian began baking her original cheesecake recipes about twenty-five years ago as a way to raise money for her children’s extra-curricular school activities.
Marian explains more about her background and baking methods.
[Tweet “Bake sales to big business – Mama Cheesecake is loaded with great taste!”]
After discovering what her baking methods had in common with some tequila producers, Marian approached the Embajador tequila booth to try all three expressions and to select the ones she wanted to pair with her latest creation, the Spicy Mama chocolate cheesecake.
[Tweet “Sabor Latino Food Show – where cheesecake & tequila meet”]
[Tweet “Sabor Latino: Family roots run deep in Latino hearts and businesses”]
Marian reveals what her inspiration was for her Spicy Mama chocolate cheesecake recipe.
Marian and her business partner, Acacia, pair their Spicy Mama chocolate cheesecake with Embajador Premium Reposado and Supreme Añejo.
These, and many other exciting Latino based food and beverage products premiered at the second annual Sabor Latino Food Show.
Embajador Body Slams Latino Taste Buds!
An estimated 900-1000 attendees passed through the doors of the Pasadena Convention Center and several hundred were floored by Embajador tequila’s aromas and flavors.
A few days after the show, Embajador was notified that it had won the Sabor Latino Tequila Take Down competition held among the tequila brands participating in the event, as the crowd favorite.
The Southern California Latino community has taken serious notice of Embajador tequila as a promising brand worthy of their attention.
With the tortilla chip–and arguably, Mexican wine and spirits–among other Latin influenced foods becoming a staple of the American culinary experience, there’s no reason to believe that Lilly Rocha and the Sabor Latino Food Show won’t become a major player to look up to for all Latino food and beverage products eager to debut in the challenging Southern California market.
Watch for The Sabor Latino Food Show coming to Chicago, June 8-11, 2015.
[Tweet “Latin flavors are for everyone – Sabor Latino Food Show proves it! Salud!”]
~~~~~~~~~~
Learn all about tequila from field to glass and then get paid to share your love of agave spirits with others! Buy Them Both Now!
All across the country, in carefully selected cities where the beautiful people roam like Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, Miami, and San Francisco, the Patrón PR machine (which spent a reported $34.1 million in measured media in 2013), is rolling out its new Roca Patrón line of tequilas.
Here in Tejas, on August 11, 2014, at the famed Brazos Hall in Austin, Tequila Aficionado Media was invited to the head of the line and behind the braided rope to be one of the first to try this new offering from Planet Patrón.
Once Inside…
The Brazos Hall was entirely furnished with wooden Roca Patrón branded furniture, fixtures, barrels and props, along with its own stage where a dynamic digital screen replayed a two minute silent video that was programmed to pulsating club music at deafening decibels.
[Tweet “Patron Tequila wrote the book on marketing tequila in the 90s. Are they changing with the times? Find out.”]
Besides coming with its own publicity campaign that includes a stylized knockoff of their familiar bottle, projecting the Patrón name and iconic bee symbol onto the walls and some snappy slogans on ads and cushy sofa pillows, the entire experience is designed to embed a feeling of Old World rustic tequila-making with a modern twist.
[Tweet “Roca Patron Road Show: designed to feel like Old World rustic tequila-making with a modern twist.”]
The Process
El Tesoro’s tahona, still in use.
What makes this new addition to the Patrón portfolio any different from its usual ho-hum juice?
Roca Patrón (a Spanish corruption of the English word rock) is made exclusively using a tahona or volcanic stone wheel to macerate agave piñas to extract its juice. Until the invention and adoption of more efficient and less labor intensive shredding machines, this was once how all tequilas were produced.
[Tweet “Tahona: this was once how all #tequilas were produced”]
In this clip, Patrón Quality Director, Mario Chavez, explains why they settled on a 90 proof blanco and reveals some of the details in the pre-planning of the Roca line.
Mario explained that the tahona has always been part of the tequila making process for regular Patrón which they blend after distillation with juice that has been shredded. This method was made famous by Tequila Siete Leguas, Patrón’s original producer, and eventually pilfered by Patrón. For Roca, however, no blending occurs.
[Tweet “Did you know: Tequila Siete Leguas was Patrón’s original #tequila producer?”]
L-R: Mike Morales, John Rivers of Julio Cesar Chavez Tequila, Mario Chavez. Patrón Quality Director, Mario Chavez, was so animated and excited about sharing Roca Patron that we couldn’t capture a still photo of him! Special thanks to Greg Cohen for inviting us to a great party!
Francisco Alcaraz, Patron Master Distiller
In his passion, Mario was sure that there were no other tequilas produced exclusively using a tahona. I reminded him of the sought-after Fortaleza brand which he acknowledged, and Suerte, which he had never heard of. But, why would he? He is so engrossed in his own line that it figures that he would be oblivious to any other ones. An honest, and forgivable, mistake.
The Roca Patrón website has plenty of signature cocktails, but for each of the other 40 odd launch cities including Austin, original recipes were created by hired hot mixologists.
As previously pointed out in our reviews of Cabeza, Tapatío 110, and the entire Dulce Vida line, overproof tequilas shine in cocktails and Roca Patrón is no different.
Both myself and Mario agreed, however, that for a purist, a tequila the caliber of Roca
Lutfy Flores, David Alan, Carolyn Gil, Brian Dressel, Joyce Garrison, Patrón’s guest mixologists.
Patrón would be much better served either neat, or simply on the rocks.
The Break Down
For the sake of transparency, we were served Roca Patrón on tap at room temperature in branded champagne glasses. (Don’t be fooled by the lit-from-behind liquid lines viewed through false tequila barrel tops. Patrón invented the art of visual illusion for these events.)
Patrón reps that evening admitted that it was not the best way to taste test tequila, but considering the amount of guests invited to the launch, it proved more cost effective.
Due to the darkness of the Brazos Hall, observing Roca’s color was next to impossible.
Roca Patrón Silver–90 proof
The new Roca Patrón line.
At first sniff, instant piedra (tahona, rock) with barely any hint of alcohol. The nose gives no warning for what’s to come, however. Extreme agave on the entry, so brace yourselves. Light to medium finish that lingers on the palate, not down your throat. On the second intake, more sweetness is evident.
Roca Patrón Reposado–84 proof
Instant butter on the nose to go along with the wood notes, vanilla and caramel. Mario confessed that his wife is even able to pull some pineapple and pear on the entry. Both were slightly noticeable, again with very little to no alcohol. Aged in American oak barrels and guaranteed to coat your palate.
Roca Patrón Añejo–88 proof
Aged 14 months, mas o menos, there is evidence of dried fruit, nuts and some citrus. Again, very little if any alcohol was present in the nose. Very easy finish, but not as memorable as the reposado even though it, too, will coat the palate.
The Verdict
Both at the event and in digital print, Patrón reps and officials have admitted that there has been a gradual decline in demand for its tequila in the United States. Consumers and industry professionals alike have dismissed it as a brand that rests on its colorful past and deft marketing.
Whether this trend has been due to the rise of mixologists and their demands for better and more artisanal ingredients for their cocktail creations, a more sophisticated and educated consumer, or focusing on its ravenous rise to dominance in the overseas Duty Free market, Roca Patrón is their bold statement to these allegations.
Despite Patrón’s attempt to backpedal into the current craft tequila craze with Roca, it is still a mass produced tequila targeted to their own particular customer base–
Those willing to spend anywhere from $69, $79, and $89 for silver, reposado, and añejo expressions.
Don’t expect to see these prices drop, either. Patrón was one of the only tequila producers that refused to roll back prices during the recession even though consumers were trading down to cheaper brands.
In the end, those faithful Patrón followers who enjoy the Gran Patrón line (Platinum, Piedra, or Burdeos), but not the heady price tags, will appreciate Roca Patrón’s assertive flavor profile and less aggressive cost.
As for the Patrón Road Show…
It was an elegant, eventful, and enlightening affair. Like watching Cirque du Soleil but without the embarrassing costumes.
***
Watch for a future Sipping Off The Cuff(TM) featuring Roca Patrón, coming soon!
[vasaioqrcode]
~~~~~~~~~~
Learn all about tequila from field to glass and then get paid to share your love of agave spirits with others! Buy Them Both Now!
Media’s COO, admits that, “…the response from agave spirits brands was so overwhelmingly positive that we were compelled to move the tour dates to October to accommodate brands that wanted to come aboard.”
Tequila Aficionado Hits the Open Road
