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Forbes nominates Casa Dragones as a Tastemakers’ Top Tequila. 

What do Bob Pittman (former COO AOL – Time Warner and founder of The Pilot Group and MTV), Eric Ripert (chef extraordinaire), Martha Stewart (lifestyle maven) and Bertha Gonzalez Nieves (the first Maestra Tequilera a sommelier for tequila) have in common? Casa Dragones Tequila, a 100% Blue Agave Joven tequila hand crafted in Mexico, is what has the high powered worlds of media, food, and lifestyle salivating for a sip. TravelsinTaste has followed this cult sipping tequila from its launch in 2009 (with a production of just 12,000 bottles) on its journey to become one of the hottest bottles in town, and the priciest too at $275 per 750 ml bottle. But it is worth it. High profile fans such as Stewart and Ripert have only the best to say about the brand. In fact Ripert exclaimed, “I could have dark chocolate and Casa Dragones every night. It is delicious, very refined, light, with a tiny bit of citrus flavor.” He even serves it at his restaurant Le Bernardin in New York. The clean, crisp taste has quickened the tequila’s traction with the tastemaking set, so much so that it was served at the Vanity Fair 2010 Oscar Party in addition to Zona Maco, Mexico’s most important art fair.

Just like a great wine comes from a great region a great tequila is harvested and produced in only where there is the perfect trifecta of soil, climate and altitude. Casa Dragones has found the winning combination of nature and hand crafting to create this tequila’s signature style. Demonstrating its pairing ability Casa Dragones hosted an intimate pairing dinner at Mexico’s elegant new fine dining restaurant Country in Bosques de las Lomas. Chef Israel Montero Moros, who previously worked with uber-chef Alain Ducasse created the menu including one of the highlights “almeja chocolata en aguachile,” which harmonized perfectly with Casa Dragones hints of citrus.

Gonzalez told us, “We’re proud that we’ve been able to seduce some of the most demanding palates of top chefs and wine experts, both in Mexico and the US. This discerning group finds Casa Dragones aromatically fascinating with a complexity and length that invites them to savor and inspires them to pair with food. As a small, independent producer, we strive to push the boundaries of what has been done before, creating a tequila that is very unique tasting, very smooth, and very easy to pair with food.”

The brainchild of founders Pittman and the first Maestro Tequilero Bertha Gonzalez Nieves this tequila is prepared with meticulous attention to detail even down to the award winning hand crafted bottles. The intent is to keep production small and keep it perfect. Made from personally selected blue agave plants, multiple distilled with pure spring water, it gets its platinum color from ultra-modern filtration, and is finished by hand with an extra anejo tequila which has rested in oak barrels for five years to enhance the flavor. Add to that the award winning hand crafted, hand labeled, numbered and signed bottle and you have one recipe of pure perfection. Not only that, it tastes good too with its smooth combination of floral and citrus aromas enhanced by vanilla, pear and spiced undertones. The result – a smooth, fresh and inviting tequila meant for sipping.

Inspired by the San Miguel de Allende Dragones the leaders of the Mexican independence movement the name conjures thoughts of Mexican elegance as San Miguel was not only named 4th Best City in the World by Travel + Leisure, but was also the epicenter of Mexico’s silver trade in the late 1700s. It’s no coincidence then that Nieve’s silver touch has created a platinum tequila. If you don’t want to splurge for a bottle you can find it at some of the finest restaurants around the country such as The Bazaar At SLS By Jose Andres and Wolfgang Puck’s Spago in Beverly Hills, CarneVino in Las Vegas, Nobu 57 in New York, Della Femina in East Hampton, and at elegant dining establishments throughout its Mexican home.