By Rick Riozza
Hey—there’s never a problem clearing off the wine bar when some flavorsome suds or a notable potent potable comes our way.
And so it was the other night, when Las Casuelas Terraza, the famed Mexican Palm Springs eatery, played host to the most “friendliest & honest” Tequila in town: Casamigos Blanco & Reposado.
Just out-of-the-gate—bottling began late last year—this spirit has already garnered “Celebrity Status” due to its star-studded cast which includes actor and humanitarian George Clooney along with his friend, restaurant mogul Rande Gerber (Cindy Crawford’s hubby), and Discovery Land Co. CEO and founder Mike Meldman.
When asked about how Casamigos came to be, Clooney and Gerber said, “We were on a never-ending search for the perfect Tequila. Our idea was to make the best tasting, smoothest Tequila whose taste didn’t have to be covered up with salt or lime.”
Clooney continued, “We worked on [its] creation with our master distiller in Jalisco Mexico for years and held many blind tastings until we got it right. That’s why Casamigos (roughly translated to “house of friends”) is made from only the finest, hand-selected, 100% Blue Weber agaves.
“The agaves are harvested after maturing for a minimum of seven years and are hand-chosen for size and quality. An 80-hour fermentation process (double the industry standard, mind you) results in a deep, rich flavor and produces Tequila that is smooth with no burn.
“Casamigos was always intended as our house Tequila for our homes in Mexico these past five years and only recently, at the urging of people who enjoyed it with us, we decided to make it available to the public.”
This celebrated Casamigos marketing push came to Las Casuelas Terraza at the perfect time to fête Mexican Independence Week. And as you would expect, neo-Rat-Packer George Clooney and company focused their loyalty to this locale in having their lovely brand representative, Leah Kouba, to join in with a Casamigos Tequila Dinner Pairing in Terraza’s beautiful night-fiesta setting.
Tequila pairing dinner? One could question the ability to accompany a four course meal with continual Tequila consumption—but no one was complaining! Actually, things where kept simple. As mentioned, Casamigos currently comes in two expressions: Blanco and Reposado (“rested” seven months in premium-aged in whiskey barrels).
The eager patrons were lead into a lovely picturesque dining room where a mural of a quaint Mexican village covered an entire wall. Was that a yelp of “Viva! Pancho! we heard?
Terraza’s culinary line-up began with the Quesitos plate, Cotija, Guayaba, Spiced Jicama, Candied Almonds, and a fresh-baked Bolillo Roll paired with the delicious Pilsner-style Mexicali Clara Beer served with the house Sangrita Verde in a shot-glass. This Sangrita—usually red in color, was a fruitful concoction especially designed by the staff for the evening. And whether one drank the shot alongside the beer, poured into the beer, or simply shot—no one cared!—we were already having a good time
Next came the fresh multi-citrus flavored and vibrant-hued Tropical Salad course delivered around the same time as the Casamigos Blanco—which was itself presented in a snifter glass. One would think that all attention would have been on the celebrity liquor served like a cognac, and yes, we were delighted to be sipping on this new Tequila, but the salad—which is always available here, was to everyone’s delight and did its calling to highlight and match the flavors and nuances of Clooney’s Tequila.
Everyone loved the Blanco with its aroma hints of citrus, mint, and green agave along with light tastes of vanilla, cinnamon, licorice, and grapefruit. Because of its subtleness & lightness, this Tequila lasted through the entire meal—in other words, we had several refills!
Paired with the Casamigos Reposado was the fantastic half-chicken with Roasted Tomatillo Salsa. The acidity and freshness of the salsa cradling the chicken was absolutely on-point. And although the Casuelas’ “Mazatlan-style” cuisine (happily!) shuns any real use of cumino spice, for this evening, just a wonderful touch of the seasoning gave complexity to the dish and additional appreciation in tasting the spirit.
The Reposado carries wonderful whiffs of caramel and cocoa on the nose, a silky medium texture & body with a finish of dry fruits. For as tasty as this was, most of the diners went back to the Blanco to accompany their dish and kept the “heavier” Reposado for sipping after dinner.
Indeed, the Blanco lasted literally into the dessert of the Tequila Lime Sorbet. Icy, limey, light & refreshing, most of us kept pouring the white Tequila into the Martini-shaped sorbet glass and sipping up the slushy potion.
Dinner party or Tequila party, call it what you will but that was some tasty evening! And of course rumors abounded as to the appearance of, well—you know who. Later while sitting at a table full of very happy ladies, I overheard a loud whisper, “Hey—was that him?—did you see George over there at the bar? Her friend smiled back and after another sip of Tequila she said, “I see George every night—in my dreams.”
Okay—check please!
Las Casuelas Terraza has a really cool circular bar to shimmy up to with over 70 premium Tequilas available that now welcomes Casamigros to its stable. I recommend stopping by soon to enjoy not only the tastes, but the sights & sounds of a fiesta.
Rick is the desert’s sommelier-about-town who conducts and entertains at various wine events and tastings (which apparently includes Tequila). Contact winespectrum@aol.com
