DeLeón

DesMaDre Tequila at Sol Cocina

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DesMaDre Tequila Makes Magic at Sol Cocina

 California Cool

On a sunny Saturday afternoon, Southern Californians love to eat out and grab a few cocktails.  And there’s no place trendier than the famed Sol Mexican Cocina.

DesMaDre Tequila at Sol Cocina https://wp.me/p3u1xi-5f3It was the Newport Beach location where we were set to meet Marcos Higareda, owner and leader of the DesMaDre Tequila family during this leg of the Wild Wild West Tour.

Waterfront Views

Nestled right up against the Balboa Marina with delightful waterfront views, Sol Cocina is renowned for offering Orange County’s finest weekend brunch with its own creative take on coastal Mexican cuisine.

Agave Spirits Galore

Offering more than 70 artisan, premium, and ultra premium tequilas and mezcals during Sol Cocina’s daily happy hour, their cocktail game is also on point.

DesMaDre Tequila at Sol Cocina https://wp.me/p3u1xi-5f3

Watch Sol Cocina’s Beverage Director, Colin Pflugradt, as he constructs an Old Fashioned using DesMaDre anejo.

Baja Vibes

The idea behind Sol Cocina was inspired by the best of coastal Baja California and several memorable surf trips to the spectacular peninsula.

DesMaDre Tequila at Sol Cocina https://wp.me/p3u1xi-5f3

Offering a California cool and inviting setting, Sol Cocina serves upscale Mexican dining that celebrates authentic flavors and traditions concentrating on the ever-changing array of fresh seafood and crisp, seasonal ingredients.

DesMaDre Tequila at Sol Cocina https://wp.me/p3u1xi-5f3

In the following clip, Sol Cocina’s Chef describes the churro he made to pair deliciously with DesMaDre Tequila.

This was amazing and unlike any other churro we’d ever seen or tasted before. (And we’re big fans of churros!)

Meet the Leader

[*FTC Disclosure: Brands appearing on the Tequila Aficionado Wild Wild West 2017 Tour were vetted as Brand of Promise(c) Nominees and paid a nominal fee to be included.]

Marcos Higareda, is the brand owner of one of the hottest and fashionable tequilas on the US market, DesMaDre.

[Tweet “@DesMaDreTequila is one of the hottest and fashionable tequilas on the US market.”]

The name in Spanish roughly translates to chaos.  It is Marcos’ opinion that everyone has some desmadre going on in their lives, but that a great tasting tequila makes our daily chaos easier to handle.

As a young Southern California nightclub deejay, Marcos was inspired by former Los Angeles Lakers’ forward, Dennis Rodman, to learn the family business of tequila from the ground up.

The DesMaDre Evolution

Initially involved in the DeLeon tequila label that was eventually acquired by Diageo in 2014, DesMaDre evolved into the new family brand.

Listen to Marcos tell his DesMaDre story:

Future Plans

Marcos surrounds himself and DesMaDre with a well-oiled crew of professionals that he considers family.

Having learned some hard lessons from the DeLeon days, Higareda knows full well the allure of star power from the nightclub world.

With a definite focus, he has the dubious distinction of refusing celebrity endorsements for DesMaDre, preferring instead to grow the brand’s ardent following organically.

¡Dale!

Inspired Tours

Ever wonder what drives Tequila Aficionado to tour every year?

For the inspiration, of course!

 

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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!

Diddy Disses Tequila’s Jimadores….

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What’s Wrong With This Picture?

Diddy looking conspicuously out of his element.
Diddy looking conspicuously out of his element.

By now, many of you may have already seen both of these distasteful photos on Diddy’s Instagram account for his new venture with Diageo and DeLeón tequila that began in early 2014.

Dressed in his trademark dark suit, Diddy attempts to sacrifice a blue agave piña while at the same time asking for a moment of silence for “Mr. Pat Ron,” a thinly veiled dig against beverage behemoth, Patrón.

[Tweet “#TAKETHATTAKETHAT says @iamdiddy as he flips the bird to Mexico & jimadores. @DeLeonTequila“]

Those in the Tequila Community who make their living day after day selling,

Note the look of disdain on the jimador's face.
Note the look of disdain on the jimador’s face.

serving and producing tequila, as well as growing and harvesting agave, have been outraged at the clownish way in which Diddy and Diageo have disrespected and belittled the value of one of the last major pillars left in Tequila Culture–the jimador (agave harvester).

[Tweet “Diddy @iamdiddy & @DeLeonTequila have disrespected the value of the jimador”]

The Plight of the Jimador

In an age where modern technology and cost saving methods like the diffuser have been introduced in the Tequila Industry to replace everything from donkeys to bottlers to label applicators, the one skill that it has not yet been able to replace entirely is the hard labor of the jimador.

[Tweet “Hey, @iamdiddy! The hard labor & knowledge of the jimador cannot be replaced. @DeLeonTequila“]

Jimador, courtesy of Tequila G4.
Jimador, courtesy of Tequila G4.

Those who have seen these men in action, and those of us who have tried to hack off the pencas (leaves) from a blue agave piña using a razor sharp coa, know that it’s not as easy as it looks.

The following video is courtesy of the Tequila Interchange Project, a non-profit organization and consumer advocacy group for agave distilled spirits made up of key influencers such as bartenders, consultants, teachers, researchers, consumers and tequila aficionados.  It illustrates just how arduous this work is, and the dangers these men face each day for minimal pay.

[Tweet “The Tequila Interchange Project needs to take @iamdiddy to school! @DeLeonTequila @ThinkTequila“]

[Tweet “Unconscionable for @iamdiddy to attempt a jima wearing a suit. @DeLeonTequila“]

For Diddy to be allowed to be photographed attempting a jima wearing a suit and spotless shoes was unconscionable.  It makes light of the skill and experience of these journeymen laborers, as well their hardships, in a deplorable and condescending way.

[Tweet “Diddy makes light of the skill & experience of jimadores, as well as their hardships. @iamdiddy“]

Diddy Commits Commercial Suicide with DeLeón Tequila

If it’s true that Diddy knows what liquor Millennials want to drink as he states in this November 2014 article in Fortune, and wants to “disrupt how [liquor advertising] has been done,” he has already failed miserably.

[Tweet “Diddy @iamdiddy disrupts how liquor advertising has been done with an epic diss! @DeLeonTequila“]

Claiming that his image won’t be used for DeLeón like it has been attached to his

Jimador lifting piñas. Courtesy of Tequila G4.
Jimador lifting piñas. Courtesy of Tequila G4.

Ciroc vodka ads (his first successful partnership with Diageo), then he should stick to his word.

The Distilled Spirits Council of the United States (DISCUS), the national trade association for America’s top distillers, and of which Diageo is a long time member, has strict guidelines when it comes to responsible digital marketing communications.

[Tweet “Diddy @iamdiddy lies & pimps his image for @DeLeonTequila!”]

It is obvious that Sean Combs believes he is above adhering to these regulations, and in the process, managed to insult an entire country.

[Tweet “DISCUS @DistilledSpirit needs to take @iamdiddy to task for epic diss of Mexico & jimadores”]

How Diddy Should’ve Done It

Jimador at work. Courtesy of the Consejo Regulador del Tequila.
Jimador at work. Courtesy of the Consejo Regulador del Tequila.

The self-proclaimed tastemaker has proven to be very successful in everything he touches.  From music and clothing, to spirits and even reality TV, Diddy has left his indelible mark with sophistication and style.  So, when he hooked up with Diageo once more for DeLeón tequila, we expected more from him.

[Tweet “Cheap shot! We expected more from @iamdiddy & @DeLeonTequila.”]

We expected this $700 million dollar mogul to immerse himself in Tequila Culture.  To get to know the process and the people of the new spirit he was embracing, and to bring a fresh look to an otherwise unremarkable brand like DeLeón.

We expected he would slap on some Sean John boots and venture out into the

Sean John Kingswood Moc boot.
Sean John Kingswood Moc boot.

agave fields to absorb its magic.  Who knows?  Maybe he would become inspired to design a whole new line of menswear made from agave fibers that would appeal to all ethnicities, just as he desires to do with DeLeón’s advertising.

How’s that for doubling your ROI and gaining street cred?

[Tweet “Inclusive changed to exclusive with a cheap shot & photo op from @DeLeonTequila & @iamdiddy“]

We’re NOT Laughing With You

Instead, we get this…

"So, if I wanna be number one, there has to be a number two."
“So, if I wanna be number one, there has to be a number two.”

Perhaps, we expected too much?

[In 2010 there were 6 other brands besides Ciroc that the San Francisco World Spirits Competition bestowed double gold medals to in the vodka category.]

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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!