Tequila Night
PARTY
PLANNER
How to Throw a Cazadores® Tequila
Tasting & Margarita Party
It’s time to rethink tequila. And – lucky for all of us – learning to rethink tequila is incredibly
fun and can be quite gratifying. This distilled spirit, derived from the Blue Agave plant
native to Mexico, has every bit of nuance as a fine wine or single-malt scotch. And throwing a
tequila tasting party is a great way to acquaint yourself and guests with a variety of premium
tequilas. A bottle of tequila Cazadores® goes far, making it an affordable way to entertain,
especially when you consider the natural accompaniments like chips, salsa, guacamole and
ceviché. You’ll be surprised by all the characteristics of tequila there are to talk about –
appearance, aroma, color, taste and finish – and you’ll come away from the event with a
deeper appreciation for an alcohol that deserves to be savored. Once guests have spent
some time tasting tequilas, offer to mix up margaritas. You might find, though, that more
than one guest opts to sip their spirits – straight up.
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Setting Up
Cut all of your fruit and garnishes in advance, store in
covered containers and group together with the other
ingredients in each margarita at your bar station. Dipping
fruits that brown in a mild solution of lemon juice and
water will keep them looking fresh.
White Wine Glasses – The traditional glass for tasting
tequila is called a “caballito,” but, a good quality white
wine glass, like our Schott Zwiesel White Wine Glasses,
may actually be better for savoring the nuanced character
of good tequila.
Put pouring spouts on all liquor and mixer bottles.
Designate one cocktail shaker for each drink recipe that
requires one. It’s helpful not to mix jiggers or stirring
spoons as well. Always have a quality bar- or kitchentowel on hand for quick clean up.
Pitchers – Used to accommodate large batches of
margaritas. It is recommended that there be one pitcher
for each type of margarita being served.
Print drink recipes on 4 x 6˝ cardstock and display in
frames at your bar station. That way, guests can mix their
own margaritas once the party is in full swing.
Set up several water or non-alcoholic Agua Fresca stations
using our Glass Drink Dispenser with goblets nearby for
easy self-service. It’s helpful to elevate the dispenser so
glasses fit easily under the spout.
Create a music playlist ahead of time that will help set the
mood during the party – or, use ours!
Serve casual fare like salsa, pico de gallo, guacamole and
ceviché. Pair with several types of chips, warm tortillas
or taquitos.
Bar Essentials
Margarita Glasses – These large-bowled, stemmed glasses
are essential for enjoying the true margarita experience.
In Mexico, margaritas are served in glasses similar
to double old-fashioned glasses. Pottery Barn’s Casa
Barware, which is modeled after authentic Mexican-style
margarita glassware, is a great alternative to traditional
margarita glasses.
Cocktail Shaker – An essential tool for the classic
margarita, used to blend and chill ingredients before
pouring into a margarita glass.
Jigger – Used for accurately measuring liquor
for beverages.
Ice Bucket – Keep plenty of ice at hand for margaritas on
the rocks.
Salt Dipper – Salt the rims of the glasses before pouring
the margaritas. Run a lime wedge or two around the rims,
then dip the moistened rims into kosher salt. You can also
dip only half the rim in salt to allow guests to taste with
and without salt. Pour to just under the salt rim so that
the salt doesn’t get into the drink prior to drinking.
Garnish Bowls – Add the final touch of a fresh Persian
lime wedge, strawberry or other garnish to your beverage
after salting the rim. Have bowls stocked with enough
garnishes to go around. Bowls from our Agave Collection
are ideal to hold garnishes and their authentic character
adds to the Mexican theme of the party.
Hand Juicer – Used to extract fresh juice from citrus
fruits, like Persian limes.
Plates and Napkins – Have stacks of cocktail plates and
napkins available for appetizers and tapas.
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Tequila Tips
Tequila is a unique liquor that is derived from
the Blue Agave plant of Mexico. Available in two
categories: tequila and 100% tequila agave. The two
categories are defined by the percentage of juices
coming from the blue agave. Each group is further
broken down into the following varieties:
Blanco – Also referred to as “white tequila,”
blanco tequila is the original, traditional tequila.
It is strong and features the true flavor of the blue
agave. Look for hints of citrus, mint, spearmint,
anise, apple or pear.
Reposado – This silver variety of tequila has been
aged in white oak casks from two months to one
year. Featuring a pale color, pleasing bouquet and
mellow taste, it is popular and pricey. Look for
hints of vanilla, almond, oak, honey, stone fruit,
butterscotch or brown sugar.
Añejo – Same as Reposado tequila but aged over one
year to attain an amber color and woody flavor. This
variety is particularly tasty but quite expensive. Look
for hints of toffee, chocolate, caramel, butterscotch,
burnt honey, vanilla or tobacco.
Using premium brands of Tequila, like Cazadores®,
familiarize yourself with the fine nuances of tequila
by conducting a tasting. Serve an ounce at a time at
room temperature in white wine glasses.
Instruct guests to do as they would with wine: swirl,
sniff, sip, swallow. Have guests think about each
tequila’s characteristics to help discover which is
preferred. Sip slowly to savor the complexity of this
refined liquor. Watch how it’s done by tequila expert
Julio Bermejo.
Snack on tortilla chips between tastings to clear
your palate. Once you know what your preference is,
you can continue sipping tequila in the traditional
manner or you can mix it into a top-shelf margarita.
Begin with La Bandera
Also called “The Mexican Flag,” this classic way of
serving tequila consists of three parts – with colors
to match the Mexican flag – a shot each of tequila
blanco, sangrita and lime juice. Sangrita is a spicy,
tangy mixture of tomato and orange juices, usually
spiked with hot chiles and lime juice. Start by sipping
the tequila and follow with lime juice or sangrita
depending on your mood. This traditional drink
is a perfect icebreaker for starting off your tequila
tasting party.
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party timeline
at least 3 weeks out
• Set a date for your party.
• Customize our printable Margarita Party invitations.
• Gather names, addresses and phone numbers, and mail
invitations.
• Shop for perishable food items. Make sure avocados
are purchased today so they’re likely to be ripe in time
for the party. Choose limes with a thin skin to ensure
they’ll yield lots of juice.
2 days out
at least 2 weeks out
• Take inventory of your glassware and serveware.
Make sure you have margarita glasses, pitchers,
shakers, jiggers, plates and napkins. Purchase
anything you’re lacking.
• Begin planning a music playlist for the event – or,
borrow from ours!
1 week out
• Review recipes and make a list of all ingredients.
• Plan ahead for prep work you can do in advance,
and all that you’ll do the day of the party.
3 days out
• Begin food prep according to your schedule.
day before
• Set up for the party. Decorate, prep the bar area, etc.
day of
• Prep last-minute food items.
• Buy ice.
• Shop for and arrange flowers.
• Relax and get in the spirit of celebrating!
• Finalize guest list and follow up with anyone who
hasn’t RSVP’d
• Shop for beverages, decorations, etc.
• Gather serveware and glassware.
• Rent any tables or chairs necessary.
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recipes
The key to making the perfect margarita is to
find the right balance between the sweet and
the tart. Margaritas can be served on the rocks
or frozen. The following recipes apply to both
varieties and are for a single serving. If you plan
to make frozen margaritas, instead of using the
cocktail shaker, place all ingredients listed below
into a blender and mix until smooth.
Classic Cazadores®
Margarita
Blue Cazadores®
Margarita
Strawberry
Cazadores® Margarita
2 parts premium tequila
Cazadores® Reposado
1 part agave fructose
1 part fresh hand-squeezed
Persian lime juice
1½ parts premium tequila
Cazadores® Reposado
1 part freshly squeezed lime juice
1 part Blue Curacao
simple syrup to taste (roughly 1
teaspoon per cocktail)
1½ parts premium tequila
Cazadores® Reposado
1 part freshly squeezed lime juice
1 part Cointreau or other orange
liquor
1 part Strawberry Liquor
simple syrup to taste (roughly 1
teaspoon per cocktail)
Fill a cocktail shaker with crushed
ice and add all ingredients. Shake
vigorously to blend. Pour over ice
into chilled glass that’s half salted,
add lime garnish, and serve. For a
blended version, follow the same
recipe but blend and serve in
margarita glasses.
Fill a cocktail shaker with crushed
ice and add all ingredients. Shake
vigorously to blend and chill.
Pour over ice into salted and
chilled margarita glass, add lime
garnish, and serve. For a blended
version, follow the same recipe
but blend and serve in margarita
glasses.
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Fill a cocktail shaker with
crushed ice and add all
ingredients. Shake vigorously to
blend and chill. Pour over ice into
salted and chilled margarita glass,
add strawberry garnish and serve.
For a blended version, follow the
same recipe but blend and serve
in margarita glasses.
Guacamole is one of those dishes that’s
incredibly easy to make, yet lots of people think
it can only be found at a Mexican restaurant.
This recipe is from our one of our designers
who’s native to Mexico City and designed our
best-selling Sausalito Dinnerware and the rustic
Agave Collection that we’ve presented as part of
the Tequila Party. With this recipe, you can easily
make great, fresh guacamole at home – and you
can do it in about 5 minutes.
recipes
Brett’s Famous Guacamole
Ingredients
4 ripe avocados
½ medium red onion, chopped
2 medium tomatoes, diced, no pulp
2 roasted garlic cloves mashed
Juice from 1 lime
½ teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon sugar
1 Serrano chile pepper, minced
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro, plus a
stem or two for garnish
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Preparation
Take the avocado and slice it around
the pit lengthwise, until you can pull it
apart. The pit will stay on one side. Take
your knife and hit the knife-edge into
the pit, then turn the pit and it will pop
out. Scoop the flesh of the avocado from
the skin.
Place in a bowl and mix all the
ingredients, making it however chunky
or smooth you like.
Transfer to a clean a bowl and garnish
with a stem or two of cilantro. Serve
with chips – and enjoy!
Cazadores® Pomegranate Ceviche
The popular Mexican technique for “cooking” fresh raw seafood by tossing it with citrus juice is ideal for serving at
a Margarita or tequila tasting party. This version, which came to us from Cazadores®, adds the seeds and juice of a
pomegranate to the traditional mixture. Choose any of the fish varieties below, making sure it’s as fresh as possible.
Ingredients
1 lb halibut fillet or sea bass fillet or red
snapper fillet or cleaned shrimp
½ cup pomegranate juice
6 limes
1 cup diced fresh tomato
½ cup pomegranate seeds
4 tablespoons chopped cilantro
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
½ teaspoon oregano
2 jalapeño peppers (or more to suit your
taste), chopped
1 tablespoon white vinegar
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro
1 head of lettuce, chopped (to line
serving bowls)
avocado (optional)
Preparation
Dice the fish (approximately ½-inch
dice), then marinate in lime and
pomegranate juice in fridge for at least 6
hours, stirring often.
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Pour off most of the juice (just
leave fish moist). Add remaining
ingredients except lettuce, avocado and
pomegranate seeds. Do this a few hours
before serving, then refrigerate again.
Just before serving, toss well and arrange
in a bowl lined with the lettuce leaves.
Garnish with sliced avocado and fresh
pomegranate seeds.
Serve family style with corn tostadas or
corn tortilla chips. Enjoy!
Tequila Cazadores®
In 1922, Señor Jose Maria, a hard-working farmer from Jalisco, dreamt that one
day – with his own agave plants – he would create a high-quality tequila that people
would love. After long days of farming, he worked in secret to develop the Cazadores®
formula. Until that time, pulque – a crude fermented beverage with Aztec roots – was
the most common drink made from agave. But, Señor Jose Maria believed he
could change the perception of agave by crafting a high-quality distilled liquor.
After years of refining his recipe, he finally perfected the “original” Cazadores® tequila.
He kept the recipe hidden in a small, wooden box hidden within the adobe walls
of his farmhouse, and it wasn’t until years later that his dream became a reality.
Tequila Cazadores® was eventually served at family gatherings and important occasions – and
guests couldn’t get enough of it. In 1973, the taste of Tequila Cazadores® was so widely
enjoyed that a new distillery was opened to meet the growing demand for its unique flavor.
“Cazadores,” Spanish for “hunters,” symbolizes Señor Jose Maria’s constant pursuit to
create the world’s finest tequila. We – and lots of others – think he’s succeeded. This
premium tequila has established itself as one of Mexico’s most respected tequila
distilleries – and one of the most popular tequila brands in the world.
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Tommy’s Mexican Restaurant
Since 1965, Tommy’s has been serving San Francisco with authentic Mexican
and Yucatecan cuisine. Tommy’s also proudly pours the most extensive
collection of 100% agave tequila outside of Mexico, and makes what many
believe to be the best margaritas on Earth.
Julio Barmejo runs the family restaurant with his father, Tommy, mother and two sisters.
His Blue Agave Club is known to tequila connoisseurs around the world as one
of the most rigorous guided tasting adventures – including four distinct levels of mastery:
the master’s, the Ph.D., the Ninja Master and the elusive Demigod of Tequila, which
requires an exclusive tour of Mexican tequila distilleries with none other than Julio himself
– and a blind taste test that’s nearly impossible to pass. The Blue Agave Club has over 6,000
members – all of whom have discovered the fine nuance present in any premium tequila.
Watch our videos of Julio Bermejo demonstrating a tequila tasting and preparing
his famous signature margarita.
Visitors to Tommy’s can expect a friendly, neighborhood atmosphere, an enormous
Mexican menu including delicious Yucatecan specialties and the best selection
of tequila this side of the Rio Grande.
Tommy’s Mexican Restaurant
5929 Geary Blvd
San Francisco, CA 94121
(415) 387-4747
tommysmexican.com
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