For chef Shuai Wang, heritage cooking has always been a journey. “I was never a great student, so I kind of just fell into the culinary world,” he says. His family immigrated from Beijing to Queens, in New York, when he was nine, and though traditional Chinese food was central to his home life, it took many years before he embraced it as a career. Instead, in his early twenties, the chef transitioned from architecture classes at the Art Institute of New York City to the school’s culinary program, and went on to cut his teeth in restaurants across the city. His focus, however, was never the Chinese cuisine of his childhood; instead, Wang worked to master the styles of other traditions, eventually landing a gig as chef de cuisine at Chez Sardine, a Japanese izakaya where he met his now-wife, Corrie, a young adult novelist and fellow veteran of the restaurant industry.
by RACHEL HAHN
video by MIKA ALTSKAN AND MATVEY FIKS
Whether on the dock or at a tailgate,
Dos Primos Tequila is crafted for outdoor sipping
The Spirit of the Outdoors
Pecan shelling and playing sold-out venues across the country are great ways to make a living, but for Jeff Worn and Thomas Rhett, the real payoff comes after hours, when the cousins get to catch up by a campfire over glasses of Dos Primos Tequila.
The president and CEO of South Georgia Pecan Company and the country-music chart-topper, respectively, discovered their shared love of tequila three years ago at a tasting in Telluride, Colorado. Inspired by the complexity of the blue agave spirit they were sampling, the duo decided to dive head first into the distillation process and launched Dos Primos—Spanish for “two cousins”—with outdoor lifestyles in mind.
“We believe there’s no spirit more closely tied to the land than tequila,” says Thomas Rhett, an avid hunter and fisherman. “The outdoors have always been a huge part of our lives, and we carried that into the Dos Primos brand.”
They started by tapping master distiller Rodolfo González, a third-generation tequila producer in Jalisco, Mexico, to develop their bold, earthy premium blanco. As the owner of a family-run tequila company, González was an ideal fit for the cousins’ family operation. But the brand’s connection to Mexico wouldn’t end there.
Since launching last year, first with a blanco and more recently with a reposado, Dos Primos has extended its mission to giving back by partnering with the Nature Conservancy. “A lot of our favorite memories were made outdoors,” Jeff says. “Once we started talking to the Nature Conservancy, it was clear that we had an opportunity to do some real good.” Dos Primos pledged $50,000 to support the organization’s land restoration and water conservation work in Mexico’s Tehuacán Valley.
“We believe there’s no spirit more closely tied to the land than tequila.”
—Thomas Rhett
Find the perfect Dos Primos spirit for your outdoor gathering at
DosPrimosTequila.com
Keeping Dos Primos’ philanthropic efforts in mind makes the brand’s latest offering taste all the smoother with subtle notes of oak and baking spice. “I love the Dos and Soda, and honestly it works just as well with the reposado,” Thomas Rhett says. “A little soda water and lime juice go a long way in bringing out that agave flavor, but you still get that great barrel character.” Jeff prefers to enjoy Dos Primos Reposado on the rocks with an orange slice “as I would a bourbon or scotch,” he says.
The cousins hope tequila fans—and those on the fence about this particular liquor—will give their spirits a try. “I’ve had people come up to me and say, ‘You know, I don’t normally like tequila, but I really love Dos Primos.’ That’s really awesome, because we put so much time and effort into building our flavor profile,” Jeff says.
Even better: When Dos Primos fans share that they’ve enjoyed the brand while gathered outside with friends. “I love hearing stories of people bringing it to their bonfires, tailgates, or wherever. I’m just glad it’s bringing people together,” Thomas Rhett says. “That’s what it’s all about.”
—Linda Vater
To learn more about these extraordinary plants, visit EncoreAzalea.com
DosPrimosTequila.com
Find the perfect Dos Primos spirit for your outdoor gathering at
For more ways to enhance your outdoor space, visit GardenandGun.Trex.com
The Spirit of the Outdoors
Whether on the dock or at a tailgate,
Dos Primos tequila is crafted for outdoor sipping
Pecan shelling and playing sold-out venues across the country are great ways to make a living, but for Jeff Worn and Thomas Rhett, the real payoff comes after hours, when the cousins get to catch up by a campfire over glasses of Dos Primos Tequila.
The president and CEO of South Georgia Pecan Company and the country-music chart-topper, respectively, discovered their shared love of tequila three years ago at a tasting in Telluride, Colorado. Inspired by the complexity of the blue agave spirit they were sampling, the duo decided to dive head first into the distillation process and launched Dos Primos—Spanish for “two cousins”—with outdoor lifestyles in mind.
“We believe there’s no spirit more closely tied to the land than tequila,” says Thomas Rhett, an avid hunter and fisherman. “The outdoors have always been a huge part of our lives, and we carried that into the Dos Primos brand.”
They started by tapping master distiller Rodolfo González, a third-generation tequila producer in Jalisco, Mexico, to develop their bold, earthy premium blanco. As the owner of a family-run tequila company, González was an ideal fit for the cousins’ family operation. But the brand’s connection to Mexico wouldn’t end there.
Since launching last year, first with a blanco and more recently with a reposado, Dos Primos has extended its mission to giving back by partnering with the Nature Conservancy. “A lot of our favorite memories were made outdoors,” Jeff says. “Once we started talking to the Nature Conservancy, it was clear that we had an opportunity to do some real good.” Dos Primos pledged $50,000 to support the organization’s land restoration and water conservation work in Mexico’s Tehuacán Valley.
Keeping Dos Primos’ philanthropic efforts in mind makes the brand’s latest offering taste all the smoother with subtle notes of oak and baking spice. “I love the Dos and Soda, and honestly it works just as well with the reposado,” Thomas Rhett says. “A little soda water and lime juice go a long way in bringing out that agave flavor, but you still get that great barrel character.” Jeff prefers to enjoy Dos Primos Reposado on the rocks with an orange slice “as I would a bourbon or scotch,” he says.
The cousins hope tequila fans—and those on the fence about this particular liquor—will give their spirits a try. “I’ve had people come up to me and say, ‘You know, I don’t normally like tequila, but I really love Dos Primos.’ That’s really awesome, because we put so much time and effort into building our flavor profile,” Jeff says.
Even better: When Dos Primos fans share that they’ve enjoyed the brand while gathered outside with friends. “I love hearing stories of people bringing it to their bonfires, tailgates, or wherever. I’m just glad it’s bringing people together,” Thomas Rhett says. “That’s what it’s all about.”