If you love something set it free. If it doesn’t come back drink some tequila.
But really, have you ever tried pairing food with agave? It can be a nice replacement for wine….except you don’t or should not want to polish off the whole bottle.
For all you foodies who also enjoy a little tequila now and again (I’m talking the smooth stuff) here is a listing of some fun events taking place in Vancouver this month.
It’s all part of the 2016 Vancouver International Tequila Expo:
Maybe even something to consider for a Mothers Day gift?
Location:Start and Finish at Taco Bar Gastown, 15 W. Cordova Street, Vancouver, BC
Featuring 100% agave tequilas and mezcals to be announced! Date: Tuesday, May 24, 2015 Time: 7:00pm – 10:30pm Cost (including Tickets Tonight fees): $85
Join us once again for the Third Annual East Van Taco Safari! We’ll pickup from Taco Bar Gastown and then we’ll transport you to points east to enjoy tacos with tequila and mezcal pairings at Los Cuervos Taqueria, La MezcaleriaTacofino Commissary, and Juniper (new this year!), before returning to Taco Bar Gastown to end the night with…you guessed it – more tacos and mezcal! And you can stick around for some leisurely craft cocktails to cap off your evening if you like…
Location: Pacific Institute of Culinary Arts, 101-1505 West 2nd Avenue, Vancouver, BC
Date: Wednesday, May 25, 2016 Time: 7:00pm – 10:00pm
Details: 2 persons per workstation, maximum of 24 persons total Cost (including Tickets Tonight fees): $125.00 For information: Contact Manuel
Join us and enjoy this hands-on cooking class and pairing dinner – a culinary cooking experience at the Pacific Institute of Culinary Arts. You’ll be guided through the process of cooking (and eating!) a delicious gourmet regional Mexican cuisine menu paired with tequila and mezcal and other gastronomic delights from Mexico.
Location: Start at Joe Fortes Seafood and Chophouse, 777 Thurlow Street, Vancouver, BC
At Joe Fortes (media event) Photo: d. king
Finish at Black and Blue, 1032 Alberni St, Vancouver, BC
Featuring 100% agave tequilas and mezcals to be announced!
Date: Thursday, May 26, 2016 Time: 7:00pm – 10:30pm Cost (including Tickets Tonight fees): $95
Join us for the Second Annual Downtown Food & Agave Safari! We’ll be experiencing delicious food and drink pairings as we visit some of Vancouver’s top restaurants and watering holes. We start at Joe Fortes Seafood & Chophouse, and then we’ll board a trolley to culinary nirvana – exploring gastronomic delights at every stop – all exquisitely paired with tequila and mezcal to sip alongside the chefs’ creations!
Tequila, the national spirit of Mexico, is in the midst of a renaissance. This artisanal spirit is moving beyond its reputation as a party drink associated with lost memories and lingering hangovers. Learn the difference between adulterated tequilas and 100% blue agave tequilas and enjoy sipping them like a fine Scotch or Cognac.
Join Eric Lorenz, Expo Co-Founder and Canada’s only Master Catador for a journey to the beautiful yet enigmatic blue agave landscape in the highlands, lowlands, and valleys of the tequila regions in the Mexican states of Jalisco, Nayarit, Guanajuato, Tamaulipas, & Michoacán. In so doing, you will connect with the culture and history of both ancient and modern Mexico. This session will provide a base of knowledge in history, culture, geography, production methods and more. A flight of seven 100% agave tequilas will be tasted.
Mezcal 101:
History, geography, culture, process & tasting
Join Eric Lorenz, Expo Co-Founder and Canada’s first certified Mezcalier, for an entertaining and educational seminar and tasting featuring a selection of artisan-crafted *mezcals from Oaxaca – Mexico’s most culturally rich and biologically diverse state – and beyond. You’ll learn about the history, culture, and production processes surrounding mezcal, plus the botany, lifecycle, & agriculture surrounding the agaves used for mezcal. Plus you’ll taste a flight of seven 100% agave mezcals!
To Purchase:
Tickets Tonight
200 Burrard Street, Plaza level
inside the Tourism Vancouver Visitor Centre
North entrance off Canada Place Way
open 9:00am-5:00pm daily
What I learned from attending the expo for the first time last year is that there is tequila….and then there is tequila! You can sip the good ones like you do a fine scotch or cognac. I never liked the taste of hard liquor (just wine and sometimes a cold beer on a hot day) but I surprisingly enjoyed several, especially for a little night cap (do people do nightcaps anymore?). What I noticed was that the expo did not attract those just looking to get drunk. It was somewhat of an education and the food was great.
*I visited Oaxaca last year and had the pleasure naturally of sampling a variety of mexcals from a place that produces them. I didn’t realize they came in so many flavours like coconut and passion fruit. I brought some back and they’re nice to pour over ice cream for a light dessert to enjoy with company.
To help celebrate cinco de mayo and in conjunction with the Vancouver International Tequila Expo here are three exciting FOOD & DRINK events planned for this month – Vancouver Agave Week:
EAST VAN TACO SAFARI - Tuesday May 26th – 7pm
Have you been wanting to try a bunch of the up and coming Taco restaurants but haven’t had the time to do it right? This is the event for you!You will start the evening at Taco Bar Gastownand then we’ll transport you to points east to enjoy tacos with tequila and mezcal pairings at Los Cuervos Taqueria, Sal y Limon (new this year!), La Mezcaleria, Tacofino Commissary, before returning to Taco Bar Gastown to end the night with…you guessed it - more tacos and mezcal! A unique way to spend the ULTIMATE Taco Tuesday! Tickets: $79.95
COOKING & PAIRING WITH AGAVE - Wednesday May 27th – 7 pm
Are you interested in a complete culinary experience? We’ve paired with the Pacific Institute of Culinary Arts to create a unique evening of Cooking and Pairing with Agave. You will spend the evening in the school’s kitchen with PICA’s chef instructors learning to cook a Mexican inspired meal and unique food and agave pairings. It’s hands on - from the preparation to the tasting. We have just 24 spots in this unique full participation event. Tickets: $120
DOWNTOWN FOOD& AGAVE SAFARI - Thursday May 28th – 7pm
Join us for the first ever Downtown Food & Agave Safari! We’ll be experiencing delicious food and drink pairings as we visit some of Vancouver’s top restaurants and watering holes. We start at Joe Fortes Seafood & Chophouse, and then we’ll board a trolley to culinary nirvana – exploring gastronomic delights at every stop - all exquisitely paired with tequila and mezcal to sip alongside the chefs’ creations! Stops at: Joe Fortes Seafood & Chophouse, Coast, Lift Bar & Grill, and Left Bank, before heading to Uva Wine and Cocktail Bar to end the night with…more culinary goodness paired with agave spirits! Tickets: $95
Take life with a grain of salt, a slice of lime and a shot of tequila!
But with the finest of them you may omit the salt and the lime, and it will be completely genuine! Let these spirits lift yours!
If the upcoming Fourth Annual Vancouver International Tequila Expo (VITE)
taking place on Saturday, May 30, 2015 at the Hyatt Regency Hotel is anything like the one my friends raved about last year, it will be a raging success.
Joe Fortes sponsored a recent VITE media event which I was lucky enough to attend. While I’m no connoisseur, I can attest to sampling several exceptionally smooth & outstanding varieties from a host of participating dealers. Last October I spent some time in Oaxaca, Mexico so I became more familiar with Mexcal and was delighted to find some here too.
¡Viva tequila!
It’s a celebration of all things agave – without the blue agave plant there would be no tequila.
The Hyatt Regency event will run from 7 to 10 pm and is presented by First Majestic and sponsored by Legacy Liquor Store, the BMW Store, Joe Fortes, Sysco Vancouver, Tourism Mexico and La Mezcaleria. This year will feature 100% agave mezcals alongside the wide range of 100% agave tequilas, including exclusive offerings not yet available in BC.
The evening will feature unique samples of Mexican food pairings by restaurants including Joe Fortes, Sysco Vancouver, La Mezcaleria and Mosaic Bar & Grille.
The Peloton de La Muerte Cocktail Competition will be a returning feature of the show, where a selection of Vancouver’s expert bartenders will have the opportunity to showcase their own agave-based creations, in a friendly competition meant to show off their versatility of agave-based spirits.
Mexcal Selection
Legacy Liquor Store (purveyors of premium spirits) will be hosting an onsite-liquor store for the first time that will feature products available at the show.
Tickets are on sale until they run out through Tickets Tonight. Single tickets are $69, with a group rate of 6 people+ available for a reduced price of $59.
Not just another pretty bottle. Much more depth!
INTERESTING FACTS you may not know about Tequila:
It’s one of the most misunderstood drinks, surrounded by years of myths and legends – just another reason to love it.
To Be Called Tequila, It Must Be Produced In Mexico. Just as true champagne must hail from France, tequila has Denomination of Origin, meaning that it has to be produced in Mexico, mainly in the western Mexican state of Jalisco. The states of Guanajuato, Michoacan, Nayarit, and Tamaulipas are also acceptable.
Tequila Is Technically A Mezcal.
But mezcal is not tequila. Got that? The main difference between the two is the plant. All tequila must be produced using blue agave, whereas a variety of agave plants can be used to make a single mexcal batch.
If you’re scared of the worm, don’t be! They’re found in mezcal, not tequila. The worm, or gusano, actually originated largely as a marketing ploy. It is the larvae of a type of moth that lives on the agave plant.
The Machete Used To Chop Agave Leaves Is Called A “Coa”…and it has circular blades. The Men Who Use The Coa Are Called Jimadors.
Have a heart! Only The Agave Heart Is Used To Make Tequila.
Tequila Does NOT Contain Psychedelic Properties. Then how do you explain…nevermind! In the mid-20th century, tequila sales spiked after California residents thought it was a psychadelic. Nope. They were just confusing mezcal with mescaline (the psychoactive alkaloid of peyote).
You Can Turn Tequila Into Diamonds. You don’t say! Physicists at the National Autonomous University of Mexico figured out a way to make artificial diamonds out of tequila. Sadly, the synthetic diamonds are too small to be turned into jewelry, but they can be used for an array of electronic and industrial purposes.
Serious Tequila Aficionados Generally Don’t Do Shots. Instead, they sip tequila from a special tequila glassor brandy snifter. That way, the agave flavours and aromas can be properly enjoyed.
A Bottle Of Tequila Can Last Unopened For Years. But really, does yours stay unopened for that long??
However, once you open a bottle, you have about one to two months before oxidation and evaporation lower the quality of the tequila and destroys the agave profile. So, you want to drink up within 3 to 6 months, at which point it becomes more like a bourbon.
HEALTH FACTS (YES, that’s right).
Studies have shown that if consumed in moderation, tequila can cut the risk of dementia by 37%.
It also has a component that can help lower LDL levels, aka bad cholesterol.
Unlike other forms of alcohol, tequila is not a depressant.
As with most alcohol, tequila can reduce the risk of developing diabetes by 30-40%.
The blue agave plant has components that can help stimulate the immune system and fight obesity.
History, culture, production and tasting
Girl Who Would be KING on Life, Style and INSPIRATION. 
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