What an exciting day I had this Tequila Thursday. My day began with moderating a class in the San Diego Bay and Wine Food Festival. Chefs, sommeliers and tequila aficionados participated in the “Art of tequila class”.

The panel of experts was made up of representatives from four different prestigious tequila brands to help create meaning and awareness of tequila culture, quality and different production styles.

Ruben Aceves, Global Brand Ambassador for tequila Herradura flew in from Guadalajara, Jalisco to share his brands rich history.  Marco Ramos, Brand Ambassador for tequila Fortaleza explained his brands unique production style. Eric Ruben, co-owner of tequila Tres Agaves introduced his relatively new brand and gave us some great tequila-food recipes. Finally, Nene Gonzalez, Brand Manager of tequila Alma de Agave had some great insight on Terroir.

All four panelists and audience learned from each other. People that had experience with wine, cooking and other spirits shared a wealth of knowledge about their specialty that helped to create connections and endless possibilities to create new innovations with tequila and food.

I put my studies to practice right away when arriving to Café Coyote. With the help of my colleague, Kenny Kaufman we decided to play around with old traditional Sangrita recipes to create the mango sangrita. Our old recipe was based on Orange Juice, hot sauce and spices. We substituted the traditional salsa for a mango salsa that made our tequila chaser different and a bit sweeter than usual. Next time you are at Café Coyote, ask for Mario, your one and only Tequila Ambassador and I will personally make this mango wonder.

Salud!

Lippy, The Tequila Whisperer, www.tequilawhisperer.com will be streaming a LIVE VIDEO from the Spirits of Mexico Festival at Cafe Coyote this evening!

The Spirits of Mexico Festival, the world’s best and biggest Agave Spirits festival in America is hosting over 150 spirits who haveentered into the tasting competition.

On tonight’s show, Lippy will BLIND-TASTE the top three winners in each age category, (blanco, reposado, anejo) then he’ll pronounce HIS OWN ranking of 1st to 3rd place for each of the blind samples. Watch in nail-biting anticipation as he reveals his winners, and see how close his own finely-tuned palate matches the results of more than 15 Master Judges!

Join Lippy & Cafe Coyote and see the results– LIVE steaming from the internet!

When: Thursday, September 16, 7:00 PM (PST)
Where: http://tequilawhispererLIVE.com

Cafe Coyote Hosts the Sangrita Challenge

We are less than a week away from the first annual Spirits of Mexico Cocktail Competition Finals that will take place at Café Coyote September 15th.  Tickets are available through our website, click below the Spirits of Mexico sombrero icon for detailed information. Immediatly after the competition I will reenact Miguel Hidalgo’s cry of independance (el grito).

This historic event will begin at 8:30 p.m. We will celebrate with a live television viewing of the annual cry of Independance to be given by Mexico’s President, Felipe Calderon. The viewing will begin at 9:00 p.m. El GRITO and Mexico’s 200th year Independance celebration is a free event to watch so come and join us with your friends and familiy.

Begining Wednesday, September 15TH Through Saturday the 18th Cafe Coyote and all of Old Town will be full of fun activities. Click on the following link for a schedule of great and cultural events that you cannot miss out on. https://www.polishedpalate.com/events/som/2010/sd/

Salud!

Mario Marquez

Tequila Amdassador

Cafe Coyote

Speaking to the gathered crowd in Dolores, Guanajuato, Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla, the famed “father” of Mexico, expressed his beliefs in a people’s revolt for Mexican Independence. His war cry or “El Grito de Dolores / El Grito de la Independencia” marks the anniversary of Mexican Independence and evokes national pride.

Not to be confused with Cinco de Mayo (May 5^th), September 16^th marks the celebration of Mexico’s War of Independence. Every year at midnight on September 15, Mexicans join together in solidarity and led by the President of Mexico, shout the El Grito.

Nestled in the heart of San Diego’s historic old town, also known as “The Birthplace of California”, Café Coyote, a traditional Mexican cantina and café, is one of only two Academia Del Tequila certified Tequila houses in the United States.  At its home within walking distance of Old Town attractions such as the Whaley House, the “Little Adobe Chapel,” the Old Town Cemetery “El Campo Santo,” and The Old Town State Park (California’s most visited State Park), Café Coyote has become a landmark in and of itself being Voted Best Mexican Restaurant in 2005, 2006, 2008, 2009, and 2010.

In honor of Mexico’s robust culinary history and to help mark the 200^th Anniversary of the Mexico’s Independence, the Spirits of Mexico Festival presented by The Polished Palate will be returning to Historic Old Town the week of September 16th. The oldest and most comprehensive agave spirits Festival in the United States, will coincide with Café Coyote’s Independence celebrations, culminating on the night of September 15^th, where Café Coyote will host an El Grito reenactment by Mario Marquez, our famed Tequila Ambassador.

Coinciding with the Independence Celebration, Café Coyote will host the Finals of the Sangrita Challenge presented by Living Liquid Magazine on Wednesday September 15 to mark the opening of the festival ($25 per person in advance; $30 cash only at the door, 21+).  Guests will be able to taste all 5 finalist entry cocktails as well as enjoy Café Coyote’s famous Mexican fair. The esteemed judging table will be headed by Judges Ryan Kelley of the National Tequila Examiner and Café Coyote’s own, Kenny Kaufmann.

June 17, 2010

The new margaritas have arrived just in time for summer!  Tequila aficionados, “De Fortitude” is here to stay. De Fortitude is one of the best margaritas you will ever taste. This margarita is made with Fortaleza blanco. Fortaleza is a hand crafted, artisan and stone milled 100% agave tequila produced by the one and only Guillermo Erickson Sauza. Guillermo is a fifth generation family member that has conserved his great, great grandfather’s traditional techniques to produce tequila like no other. De Fortitude Margarita is carefully balanced with Cointreau, sweet and sour and fresh limejuice. If you are tequila purest, try Fortaleza neat, at room temperature to appreciate its aromatic qualities and complex flavors.

Other new tasty margaritas on the menu are the Antiguo Gold and the Cabo-Rita. The Antiguo Gold Margarita is made with Antiguo añejo tequila that has been aged in American Oak for 1 year. This tequila is part of Casa Herradura and was originally exclusively crafted for friends and family of the Hacienda. We blend this exceptional tequila with French orange liqueur, sweet and sour, and a splash of fresh orange juice to combine a flavorful and refreshing drink.

The Cabo-Rita will captivate you with its Cabo Wabo 100 percent silver tequila. This tequila is produced in the Arnadas, Jalisco. Arandas is located in the romote highlands of Jalisco. Agaves grown in the highland are known for having high sugar brix levels. Its climate, rich red soil and altitude are perfect for agave cultivation. If you are ever in Los Altos de Jalisco, get your hands dirty, smell the earth and put a handful of red soil in your hands to experience nature’s richness.

Tasting Notes Tequila Paring

Fortaleza Blanco: Crystal clear with intense baked agave nose and buttery complexity. Its flavor parallels its aromatics but has an earthy and citrus balance with a sweet and smooth finish.

El Llano Reposado: Intense golden color, its 4-6 months resting in used bourbon barrels gives it a sweet and semi oaky aroma with traces of vanilla. It conserves a bold taste but finishes off sweet with lingering agave, mango, peach, and caramel.

Herrdura Añejo: Its bright copper highlight is the result of aging for two years in oak. It has a medium, agave resemblance with toasted oak and nutty aromatics with flavors of dried fruit, oak and creamy finish.

Don’t hesitate; the time is now!  Father’s day is June 20th. When was the last time you saw your old man? Treat him to some great food and nice sipping tequila. Just remember the good times you had as a child and cherish every moment that you spend with your family.

Salud!!

Mario Marquez

Tequila Ambassador

Café Coyote, Old Town

We at Café Coyote are all howling for joy now that the World Cup has begun. There is no sporting event like the World Cup, as an estimated  40 billion viewers world-wide are sharing their cheers, holding their breath, and  even screaming  at their television sets in unison.

The World Cup, now in its 19^th year (the first World Cup was hosted in 1930), is an expression of the world coming together.  Here at Café Coyote, we know all about people coming together: we see it every day. We see families, we see couples, and we see long-time friends gathering around our tables, enjoying our famous Mexican fair, listening to our live Mariachi music, and yes, having a few cocktails while enjoying sports on our numerous televisions screens.

We are getting into the World Cup spirit– opening early in the morning for the games — and we hope that you will come visit us as we come together to celebrate the world’s most popular tournament. This coming Thursday, 6/17, Team Mexico will be playing the 2006 tournament finalists and 9^th ranked team in the world, France, for a group-deciding match!

You won’t want to miss the action as these two top teams go head-to-head.  As we have already seen in the tournament, namely from an upset-for-the-ages game between Spain and Switzerland, anything is possible on the world stage! Come join us for the game: we are looking forward to celebrating our Futbol fever with you!

Hasta Pronto!

In honor of our Sonora Specials this month, enjoy this fantastic Grilled Tomatillo Chicken Tacos Recipe!

Ingredients:

• 6 Tomatillos, husked, washed, and grilled until blackened
• 1 Serrano, grilled until blackened
• Olive oil
• 1/2 small red onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• Spices for chicken rub(smoked paprika, salt, pepper, dried cilantro, a pinch of cayenne for heat)
• 1 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 lime, juiced
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1 1/2 cups shredded chicken
• 8 corn tortillas
• 1 cup of crumbled/shredded cheese (recommended: Queso Fresco)

Directions:

Rub chicken with olive oil (breasts or thighs) and add spice mix.

Preheat the grill to medium. blacken tomatillo and serrano chilis and cook chicken until cooked through.

Once the chilis are blackened, add to a small sauté pan and briefly sauté in olive oil over medium heat.

Remove chicken from the grill and shred.

Place the tomatillos, serrano, onion, garlic, cilantro, lime juice, and honey in a blender and blend until smooth(remove seeds if you want to make the recipe more mild). Place the blended mixture in a large saute pan and place on medium/high heat. Bring the mixture to a simmer, add the shredded chicken, and heat through.

Heat the tortillas in a pan or on the grill, and heat until warm(if cooking on the grill, heat for 20 seconds on each side). Spoon the chicken mixture into the tortillas and top with a few tablespoons of your favorite cheese (i.e.queso fresco) Fold the tortillas in half, serve immediately.

Hasta Pronto!

Dear Café Coyote patrons,

We are looking forward to the arrival of our annual Cinco de Mayo celebration here in the historic Old Town district of San Diego, California. San Diegans have been celebrating Cinco de Mayo at the  Fiesta Old Town celebration for the past 27 years with 200,000 visitors joining the festivities last year. Cinco de Mayo, or the Fifth of May celebration, commemorates the victory of the Mexican militia over the French army at the Battle of Puebla in 1862, located in the south-central part of Mexico.  Not to be confused with Mexico’s Independence Day on September 16th, Cinco de Mayo has become a popular holiday in the United States–and this year’s celebration promises to be a grand fiesta.

Café Coyote has been participating in Fiesta Old Town for 21 years and looks forward to welcoming you this year. Saturday, May 1^st and Sunday, May 2^nd will feature activities that the entire family can enjoy: live bands, arts and crafts, unique food and visitors from all over the world are only a few of the attractions.  Wednesday, May 5^th is tailored for the 21 and over  crowd when Café Coyote throws the biggest Cinco de Mayo party in town. There is ample space to everyone to enjoy the fiesta.  We invite you to join us to enjoy an outstanding selection of Tequila, beer, and specialty cocktails and by delicious Mexican food in a beautiful  setting–you won’t find a more perfect place to celebrate Cinco de Mayo.

Salud !

Mario Marquez

Tequila Ambassador

Café Coyote, Old Town, San Diego.