Drinking Through Disney: Disney Springs Edition

Well, it's Friday and it means you might be looking for some ways to enjoy a few cocktails/brews/grape juice/whatever for a summer weekend. This also means it is time for Drinking Through Disney, as I have more fun adventures to share from the epic family vacation. In today's installment, I take a dive into the Artist Formerly Known As Downtown Disney: Disney Springs.

When you need a break from the parks, this is where you go to shop, eat, drink, and catch shows. Cirque du Soleil, AMC movie theaters, bowling, and several bars are scattered about the area; the later it gets in the day, the more this place becomes the playground for adults. That being said, there is enough to do with the kids. The Lego store goes over very well here for the boys (maybe a little TOO well), as does the music playing. Additionally, when you aren't looking for booze, getting a shake at the Ghirardelli Chocolate & Ice Cream Shop is tremendous.

Loch Ness Monster made of many choking hazards for little ones, Disney Springs.

With all that being said, the only thing we followed in that last paragraph was a stop at the Lego store. We also visited Disney Springs the day we landed in Orlando on Father's Day. The reason? We were excited to go eat dinner at Rick Bayless' Frontera Cocina...and grab Tequila-based beverages. The Greatest Wife In The World and I absolutely love Rick Bayless' recipes. We have his cookbooks. His classic Margarita recipe is our standard house Margarita. We expected great things here, and it delivered on (even exceeded) our expectations.

It all starts with the drink menu. Among all the other places we dined, this was the most difficult place to make decisions. Just look for yourself...Frontera's killer salsas with chips would be fine with just about any of these. I mean, there is even Mexican wine on the menu! Details on Bodegas Monte Xanic are here, and it was very tempting. In the end, how could I refuse the Premium Tequila Flight? When our server brought the flight out, she asked if I knew how to drink the Tequila. You mean just drinking these with my mouth is not an option?

Premium Tequila Flight (L-R): Avión Reserva 44 Extra Añejo, Clase Azul Reposado, Casa Dragones Blanco. Tomato juice, lime, and salt included.

For The Greatest Wife In The World, she was all about the La Cava Avocado Margarita, and my goodness...look at this thing! It tasted even better than its appearance. We'll be trying to replicate this one for years.

The bulk of a La Cava Avocado Margarita and what remains of the hibiscus salt rim.

Clase Azul Tequila Reposado ($80). You are not just paying for the spirit inside, but also for this beautiful ceramic bottle.

Oaxacan red chile chicken for me, Carnitas for her, and who cares what the kids ate (although the toddler cleaned up all the salsa). Seriously, though, it was difficult to make a choice. I found the food here to all be very reasonably priced for a Disney property restaurant with a well-known chef's name attached to it. I was happy with my Tequila flight...it was outstanding. The Casa Dragones has citrus and apple flavors, but surprisingly had enough body and texture to it along with a peppery kick on the finish; it is one of the few white Tequilas I could drink on its own. The Clase Azul, aged eight months in barrel, showed pronounced agave character but was complemented by vanilla and toffee, along with a saltiness on the finish. Those flavors developed from the barrel didn't take over the Tequila, which is exactly what I look for with aged Tequila. The Avión 44 was a real treat, as I don't get my hands on much Tequila with extended aging; this example went nearly 44 months in barrel. This tasted like toasted walnuts, ripe mango, coconut, vanilla, and the entire range of baking spices (cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon, etc). There was still just enough agave character to know that this was Tequila, though it was bordering on whiskey-like. No matter...it was still awesome.

If you plan to recreate this flight at home and buy your own bottles, be prepared to spend for it. The three bottles together run you approximately $300 ($70, $80, and $150 respectively, but if you have some money burning a hole in your pocket and you are a Tequila fan, these are all worth picking up. Besides, it is still cheaper than jetting to Orlando and staying at Disney World to make this happen. Heading to Disney Springs and Frontera was not just a great start to the trip, but a wonderful Father's Day with the family that day.

Good Karma: Recapping Tequila Class

Last night, I put a bow on the Spirits 101 classroom series for the season at Divine Wine. It is certainly great to teach these courses, but now we start moving into more casual tastings out on the deck or more informal crash courses on a subject.

I was happy to close things out with Tequila 101. Nothing else on Earth smells or tastes like good quality Tequila. As you know, it is the base ingredient in the Margarita, which I have sung the praises of in the past. We had all styles on display. My favorite part of running this tasting is that we get to taste the standard range of products from one producer all together: Silver, Reposado, and Añejo Tequilas. Additionally, I like to feature a Resposado from two other regions of Tequila's permitted production zones. It gives the taster an idea of how the agave presents itself in different growing regions with a touch of aging to add extra layers of flavor.

Production zones of Mexican spirits. Image credit: Culinary Historians of New York

This year's Tequila 101 class also featured Mezcal, the spirit that can be made from various species of agave (as opposed to Tequila featuring the blue Weber agave). It seems like with each passing month, our distributors are adding more Mezcal to their portfolios. Mezcal's smokier, higher-proof aggressiveness is something that parallels young, peated whiskey as far as its intensity of flavors and aromas.

One really fun thing about these classes is removing any preconceived notions a student might have. For instance, some in the classroom (along with some of you, I imagine) may have had a rough experience with Tequila. Since Jose Cuervo was about the only Tequila available to many of us, if your experience was bad with it, you may believe that's what all Tequila will taste like (or do to you the next morning).

Karma Tequila was our brand chosen to represent our horizontal range of Silver, Reposado, and Añejo. Karma has its headquarters in California, but all of their production facilities (agave fields, distillation, aging warehouses, etc) are all located in the Jalisco Highlands of Mexico. Since all aspects of making Tequila take place here, it can legally be called Tequila. Karma simply took its name from the "cause and effect relationship between our choices and their consequences. Karma Tequila is about cultivating good karma: it is a commitment to live with energy, happiness, and kindness."

The result is a modern, full-bodied Tequila, where there is plenty of agave character in the spirit without being too pungent and overwhelming. The whole range tastes great, versatile enough to either mix with cocktails or drink neat. Karma, along with the others listed below made for a very entertaining class, capped off by a classic Margarita to thank my students for listening to me bloviate about Tequila for a couple of hours!

Here's what we tasted. All are absolutely worth seeking out.

Karma Silver Tequila ($42): Intense, but not pungent agave on the nose, with orange and lemon citrus, as well as a sea salt finish. This might taste good when chilled if you want to drink it straight, but a salt-rimmed classic Margarita is the way to go with this one.

Karma Resposado Tequila ($51): The agave is still noticeable after 364 days of resting in large wooden vats. Accompanying the citrus notes in the silver are toffee, baking spices, and black pepper. You can easily enjoy this on its own or use it in a more complex Margarita, such as one with blood oranges and cinnamon.

Karma Añejo Tequila ($63): Aged nearly three years in old Bourbon barrels, the agave character is understated, while caramel, vanilla, and woody notes come into play. If you are a whiskey lover, this is one for you to try!

Herradura Reposado Tequila ($45): Our Lowland example for the evening, Herradura's nose is not super-intense, but on the palate it's all agave, green bell pepper, black pepper, and a touch of cayenne. Very earthy and savory on the finish.

Chinaco Reposado Tequila ($50): Chinaco is situated in the outlier region of Tamaulipas near the Texas border. There is a distinct candied lime flavor that plays with the agave very well. This is one that I really enjoy drinking neat with a slight chill on it, maybe even with a squeeze of lime.

Yuu Baal Mezcal Espadin Blanco ($39): Espadin is an agave species that makes up about 90% of all Mezcal production, and it is very closely related to the blue agave used for Tequila. The Espadin is very smoky and fiery on the nose. On the palate, it's like drinking a peppery wood fire, something that the Islay Scotch drinkers out there who also like agave spirit will absolutely enjoy.