Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/348953
{ SOMMjournal.com } 71 ROCA PATRÓN CAPTURES ATTENTION OF CHICAGO'S USBG MEMBERS story and photos by Tom Caestecker, Jr. ONE THING THAT CRAFT SPIRITS AND SMALL PRODUCTION have done for the industry is invigorate a craving for history and a sense of place. Small-batch brewers unearth Old World beer recipes; winemakers talk about ancient terroir. Spirits have a compelling story, too. Tequila Patrón recently teamed up with the Chicago chapter of the United States Bartenders' Guild and cooked up a cocktail mixer at the Park Hyatt Hotel. The event was part of a 14-city tour called Patrón Aficionados—unveiling the new Roca Patrón line of tequilas, with USBG members creating new cocktails with this craft spirit. "Patrón is bringing history alive with the Roca tequilas and the pure tahona method," says Antonio Rodriguez, Production Manager, Tequila Patrón. "The tahona is a volcanic stone that crushes the agave, and this is how the first tequilas were produced." There was much enthusiasm for the Roca lineup among the USBG members. Most were excited about the distinct agave flavors, the higher proof (90 for Roca Silver, 88 for Roca Añejo and 84 for Roca Reposado) and Patrón's connection with craft-oriented bartenders. "The new Roca Silver's being 90 proof really is great for bartenders, because it holds up more when you're mixing it," says Lisa Selman, Vice President of the USBG Chicago chapter. You get more of the aromas and flavors, and you don't lose the base spirit; it's not masked by the other ingredients." Rodriguez added that the higher proof usually yields more alcoholic notes, but being 100 percent tahona brings about a creamier texture and the flavors of cooked agave. "We're really excited about what Roca will do for the spirits world," says USBG member William Patton, a bartender at The Drawing Room in Chicago. "The true, pure expression of a tahona tequila is what people are looking for, and Roca signi - fies that tequila can reach the potential of what it was meant to be." USBG Chicago chapter member Sam "Sammy Faze" Toelstrup of Trellis prepares to use Roca Patrón Silver for his cocktail cre- ation at the Patrón Aficionados mixer at the Park Hyatt. USBG Chicago chapter member Lorna Biljan of Mas puts the finishing touches on her "Tahona Sour," which features Roca Patrón Reposado, Vida Mezcal, lemon juice and a hibiscus-ginger syrup. Rocking the Windy City the world. (And a lot of unusual ingredi- ents were revealed, proving that vanilla extract, mole bitters, cayenne powder, sea salt and verjus blanc work especially well with tequila cocktails.) Afterwards, Rodriguez gave educational presentations to small groups. "Basically, we're tasting tequila history," he remarked, while explaining the process and tasting Roca Patron's Silver, Reposado and Añejo, "because we're embracing full agave fla - vors, rather than refining them out." Following the event, Lee Applbaum, Patrón's Chief Marketing Officer, said the Roca lineup, which begins its dedicated nationwide rollout this month, is a direct response to calls from the industry for richer, robust tequilas. "Events like this one," he also said, "demonstrate why Roca was developed so strategically. There is massive interest in handcrafted products true to their origins and provenances. Yes, we are the world's number-one ultra- premium tequila, and we're very proud to have built that category, but we still make tequila in a very, very small-batch artisanal way." Antonio Rodriguez, Patrón's Production Manager (far right), at the distillery in Jalisco, with production teammates Ismael Solis, Francisco Alcaraz and David Rodriguez. PHOTO COURTESY OF PATRÓN SPIRITS