The Arizona Taco Festival

No Days Off

When we discovered that on one of our rare free days during the Wild Wild West 2017 Tour would coincide with the famed Arizona Taco Festival, we knew that was a party we needed to crash and cover.

The Arizona Taco Festival https://wp.me/p3u1xi-5lL

Armed with press passes courtesy of the Founder of the Taco Fest, David Tyda, we arrived at the Salt River Fields in Scottsdale along with what seemed to be the entire city.

Bring Water!

Even though the event took place on the weekend of October 14th and 15th, 2017, the desert heat was unrelenting.

Planned Events

The Arizona Taco Festival https://wp.me/p3u1xi-5lL

The 8th Annual Arizona Taco Festival is famous for its wild and crazy contests during the two day affair.

[Tweet “@AZTACOFESTIVAL Billed as one of the country’s most exciting food shows.”]

Billed by USA Today as one of the country’s most exciting food shows, besides endless amounts of tacos from established eateries, the festival also features a chihuahua beauty pageant, hilarious eating competitions, lucha libre wrestling, and–the real reason for our interest–a tequila expo.

Surprises Under the Tequila Tent

Having heard all kinds of stories over the years from people who attended the Arizona Taco Festival, we felt we needed to investigate their claims for ourselves.

What we didn’t anticipate were the following pop-up surprises by brands we’ve followed with great enthusiasm and even some that came along with us on our Wild Wild West 2017 Tour.

Azunia Makes a Splash!

[*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.]

Tequila Terralta Makes an Appearance

Enrique Ramos of Creo Spirits was hard at work in his space serving Terralta Tequila to the masses.  Note the cleverly placed chairs to welcome attendees to sit and sip awhile.

Terralta Tequila and the Arizona Tequila Mafia

And who should be sitting at the Terralta booth but some of the members of the Arizona Tequila Mafia.

These affable gents formed their own Facebook group and get together to sip and savor their favorite brands once or twice per year.

Chili Terralta Cocktail 

And, this was dubbed the official cocktail of the Arizona Tequila Mafia that everyone was raving about made with Terralta Tequila 110 proof–

Cuestion Everything

The Arizona Taco Festival https://wp.me/p3u1xi-5lL

Making an unexpected entrance into the Arizona Taco Festival to celebrate the resurgence of Cuestion Tequila was none other than the brand’s front man, Jason Fandrich.

Casa Mexico in The Mix

Eric Buccio, founder of Casa Mexico Tequila also exhibited at the Arizona Taco Festival.  Here, he gives us a sneak peek into the man and the brand.

The Fun Never Ends

The Arizona Taco Festival https://wp.me/p3u1xi-5lL

Magic like this happens whenever we get out into the public and take tequila to the streets.

Want to reach more tequila and agave spirits enthusiasts?

You should.

Drop us a line at:  mike@tequilapr.com .

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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!

Terralta Tequila and Creo Spirits: Behind the Scenes

[*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.]

The Lay of the Land

The need for small-to-medium sized distributors in every state will become even more important in 2018 to ensure that worthy agave spirit Brands of Promise are not lost in the conglomerate shuffle.

Sensing this demand long before the current trend of mega-mergers, Enrique Ramos, established Creo Commercium Inc (Creo Spirits) in Phoenix, Arizona in 2008.

His current portfolio is stocked with an array of agave spirits, as well Mexican wines and craft beers that are not readily available except at select establishments such as Elvira’s Tequila Cocina & Vino in Tucson.

[Tweet “The need for small-to-medium sized distributors in every state will be more important in 2018.”]

Hedging Bets

It’s a good bet that that was one of the main reasons Ingeniero Felipe Camarena Curiel, innovator of such remarkably acclaimed and diverse tequilas as Pasote, G4 and Terralta, chose Creo Spirits as his importer and distributor of Terralta in the highly competitive state of Arizona.

Spending countless hours with the man known as “The Mad Genius” of tequila at his state-of-art El Pandillo distillery, Enrique possesses a unique perspective on Felipe Camarena that few folks get the chance to experience.

We caught up with Enrique during the Wild Wild West 2017 Tour at his base of operations in Phoenix.

Here, Ramos divulges the “little things” that Felipe does to add to Terralta’s flavorful profile.

It All Happened by Mistake

Enrique reveals how Felipe Camarena and he established their relationship, and where Terralta is currently available.  He also expresses his views on who chooses to sip Terralta and how these individuals re-calibrate their taste buds through successive tastings.

Personal History

Enrique Ramos, who shares a direct lineage to Pancho Villa, reveals how he got into the business of spirits importation, and what it takes to succeed.

Customer-centric 

Enrique Ramos admits that his greatest allies in the importation/distribution business are his own customers.  And, in the process of taking care of them to best of his abilities, they in turn take care of him.

It’s this kind of customer-centric attitude and attention to detail that will ensure Creo Spirits’–and Terralta’s–success in the long running battle for shelf space.

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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!

Terralta Tequila Dinner at Elvira’s in Tucson

[*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.]

Welcome to Tucson

One of our first stops on the Wild Wild West 2017 Tour was to Elvira’s Tequila Cocina & Vino at its newest location on Congress Street in Tucson, Arizona.

The original Elvira’s restaurant was founded in 1927 in Nogales, Sonora, Mexico.  The family’s first foray into the United States was in the Southern Arizona town of Tubac.

This Tucson location is a Latin American fusion concept that uses some of the best flavors and modern culinary techniques from around the world.

On this evening, we were invited by Creospirits importer, Enrique Ramos, to direct a tasting and pairing dinner featuring Master Distiller Felipe Camarena’s fabulous Terralta Tequila expressions.

[Tweet “Unparalleled genius of #FelipeCamarena and @TequilaTerralta.”]

Unparalleled Genius

Discussing the unparalleled genius of Felipe Camarena.

Unparalleled Cuisine

https://www.instagram.com/p/BaFKw3qDHZV/?taken-by=tequilaaficionado

Elvira’s newest chef, Travis Bowden, wowed guests with his diverse menu featuring Terralta as the key ingredient.

Here’s what Chef Travis had to say about raising the bar at Elvira’s with Terralta Tequila.

Since 1927

Billed as having over 250 wine options and three certified sommeliers on staff, not to mention a fine array of tequilas, Elvira’s Tequila Cocina & Vino is destined to be a Tucson destination location for fine dining for years to come.

 

If you are planning a trip to Arizona, we heartily recommend Elvira’s.  For more to do in Arizoona, check out this article on the 100 Best Things to Do in Arizona.

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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!