Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/76623
Tantalizing Tatratea A SLOVAKIAN SPIRIT WINS OVER THE U.S PALATE by Rachel Burkons / photos by Leigh Castelli With stand-out packaging and a unique backstory, Tatratea inspires creativity at the bar. A volleyball-playing Slovakian living in Brazil walks into a bar. This may sound like the open- ing to a bad joke, but it's actually the fascinating back story behind one of the most uniquely innovative brands breaking into the U.S. market: Tatratea. "I knew it was something special as soon as I tasted it," explains Rado Dvorsky, the aforemen- tioned Slovakian professional volleyball player who's bringing Tatratea to the American palate as President of Avant Garde Imports, which launched the brand stateside last year. "I was visiting home, and I kept hearing about this new product everyone was drinking. Multiple people mentioned it to me, and it was everywhere, the hottest drink and shot around. When I finally tasted it, I couldn't believe it! It was unlike anything I'd tasted before—and I knew I had to share it." 100 / the tasting panel / august 2012