by Steven Doyle
Last evening Kent Rathbun held one of his famous dinners, this time surrounded by the people from Patron who offered some amazing pairings with Rathbun’s surprisingly unusual food. Walking into the restaurant I was thinking ‘Mexican’ to match up to Patron Tequila, and that would certainly work for Abacus which serves up world cuisine. But instead of just going to the immediate south of the border, we were treated to full-on pan-Latin cuisine, which took elements from Spain, South America and yes, Mexico.
We know Patron best for the many times we enjoyed shots at a bar with buddies. The tequila certainly is good for that purpose. But Patron offers so much more, including the one cocktail made from Gran Patron Burdeos, that can retail for as much as $500 a bottle. This would make a single bar shot of the tequila in the $60 to $80 range. This particular cocktail was made with a Ghost Chile Ice Ball for extra grins. The chile poked out of the ice ball only to taunt each guest with the horrors of up to 16 million on the Scoville scale. Happily the frozen balls protected us from that fate. Wait, that didn’t sound right.
All this was in celebration of National Tequila Day, which if you think about it every day should be celebrated with the spirit.
Roasted Jumbo Prawn, Yucca Root, Prickly Pear Glaze
Wood Roasted Texas Quail, Duck “Carnitas”, Red Chile-Orange Pico and Squash Blossoms
Hickory Grilled Chimichurri Strip, Queso Blanco Tots, Epazote, Borracho Bean Demi
Here is a Patron recipe to take you into the weekend.
Patron Mojito
1 1/2 oz Patrón Silver
1 cut lime
1 oz : simple syrup
club soda
6-8 fresh mint leaves
lime wedge for garnish
Method
In a tall glass, muddle mint leaves, lime, and simple syrup.
Add a cup of ice and Patrón Silver, and top with club soda.
Stir gently. Garnish with a lime wedge
