PARTNER CONTENT WITH
THE PATRÓN DIARIES
Bartender Michael Aredes Mixes Joy, Spice, and Authenticity In the“Look-At-Me” Margarita
words by JAY LANKAU
photography by JEFF BROWN
Bartender and educator Meaghan Dorman jokes that she’s a “Craigslist success story,” after scrolling through ads and listings on a rainy day in New York City, looking for bartending gigs.
THE INGREDIENTS OF DORMAN'S "MEET MY MUSE"
PATRÓN Cristalino
Crafting the perfect pour
The Crystal-Clear Elegance of PATRÓN CRISTALINO
“Of course Margaritas and Palomas are beloved for good reason,” Dorman says, “but there are vegetal notes to play on for more savory drinks, for example. Tequila cocktails can go so many directions, while still maintaining a brightness about them.”
No Additives, All Craft with PATRÓN CRISTALINO
“When mixing with spirits, I’m always looking for a profile that has enough of its own flavor and ABV backbone to bring something to the table, but also has flavor building blocks we can play off of and add elements to really create something new and interesting to a drinker,” Dorman says.
She explains that all PATRÓN expressions have their own personality that allows her to build drinks around unique flavors by complementing them with additions that play to the spirits’ strengths. Dorman intentionally chose ingredients that still display the cristalino’s colorless appearance while building an earthy profile that highlights the tequila.
Fino sherry plays effortlessly into this flavor profile with a nutty character and faint salinity, while the Cocchi Americano emphasizes the cristalino’s bright zestiness and botanical qualities.
THE ART OF FLAVOR BALANCE
This “green” element of the agave flavor and delicate earthiness of the oak is something Dorman sought to expand upon with the inclusion of Palo Santo bitters and the shiso garnish, ingredients that blend a Japanese influence with an additive-free tequila.
Dorman describes the balance of flavors in “Meet My Muse” as such: “I found shiso made the vegetal and white pepper notes of the agave spirit shine, while blending Palo Santo with the oak influence. The salinity of the fino sherry is a great balance to the roasted agave and butterscotch notes.”
THE “Meet my muse” Recipe
Ingredients
1 ½ ounces PATRÓN CRISTALINO
¾ ounce Fino sherry
¾ ounce Cocchi Americano
4 drops of palo santo bitters
Garnish: shiso leaf
Directions
Build ingredients in a mixing glass.
Stir with ice.
Strain into a rocks glass over a large ice cube and garnish.
Lime peel
Palo Santo bitters
Shiso leaf
Cocchi Americano
Fino sherry
Hover over the circles to see what makes up this delicious cocktail.
LEARN MORE ABOUT PATRóN CRISTALINO
PATRÓN CRISTALINO is the heart of the drink: Dorman describes the expression as having the personality of a blanco, but the elegant roundness and depth that aging gives añejos.
It was the early 2000s, and low-rise jeans and boy bands were all the rage, but so was a little thing called the cocktail renaissance, for which New York City was at the forefront.
Dorman had worked in a bar during her senior year of college and loved to host, crediting her welcoming energy and love for festivity to her grandmother, Dee, who “threw a party for any and all reasons.” So when that Craigslist open call for bartenders appeared, it just made sense, and Dorman hasn’t looked back since.
“I love the blend of creativity, hosting people, and the energy of bars,” Dorman says. “Every day is truly different.”
It’s this deep understanding of the craft cocktail movement and appreciation for a good show that inspires Dorman’s drink, what she calls “Meet My Muse.”
Dorman says of the conversation surrounding additives: “Agave spirits have such a personality on their own, and additives dull that down and can be used to cover poor processes. Additive-free tequila truly shows the hand of the maker and their signature style.”
Seeking to shine a spotlight on the processes and style of a good tequila, Dorman showcases PATRÓN in her “Meet My Muse,” specifically the exceptional PATRÓN CRISTALINO. Cristalino often doesn’t get as much attention as other expressions of tequila, but it’s growing quickly in popularity, and for good reason. It retains the butterscotch, vanilla, and oak flavors from the barrel-aging (in PATRÓN Tequila’s case, 12 months of cask aging), but it also has the crisp, bright notes typical of a blanco.
True to Dorman’s philosophy on additives, she selects PATRÓN as the best option for the cocktail due to its lack of additives.
The cocktail is made with PATRÓN Tequila and is loosely inspired by a White Negroni. The cocktail features PATRÓN CRISTALINO, which starts as an Añejo and gets filtered through wood charcoal to produce something sweet and velvety, but with a crystal-clear appearance.
A collaborative energy moves behind the bar at Dorman’s place of work, a jazzy parlor full of patterned wallpaper, plush curtains, mirrors, and velvet upholstery. She and her bar team bounce ideas off one another and workshop flavors. Other days, it’s guest requests that get the gears in her brain turning. Service is conversational, Dorman explains. A guest describes the type of drink they’d like, or asks for recommendations. Sometimes, Dorman whips something up that a guest comes back for because they just couldn’t stop thinking about it.
And the basis of a good drink is, of course, good ingredients. Tequila, she says, is particularly fun to work with due to its versatility.
The source of this bright flavor is the vibrant agave, which gives tequila a crisp, peppery, and sometimes citrusy profile. That 100% Weber Blue Agave is the star of the spirit, bringing a richness and complexity of flavor that can sometimes, unfortunately, get softened by other additives.
As the market for tequila continues to grow, tequila options have included additives for a variety of reasons. Sweetener and other added ingredients claim to round out the edge of a tequila, or even standardize color. This, however, is not always for the best, whether you’re sipping neat or mixing in cocktails.
Dorman says of the conversation surrounding additives: “Agave spirits have such a personality on their own, and additives dull that down and can be used to cover poor processes. Additive-free tequila truly shows the hand of the maker and their signature style.”
Seeking to shine a spotlight on the processes and style of a good tequila, Dorman showcases PATRÓN in her “Meet My Muse,” specifically the exceptional PATRÓN CRISTALINO. Cristalino often doesn’t get as much attention as other expressions of tequila, but it’s growing quickly in popularity, and for good reason. It retains the butterscotch, vanilla, and oak flavors from the barrel-aging (in PATRÓN Tequila’s case, 12 months of cask aging), but it also has the crisp, bright notes typical of a blanco.
True to Dorman’s philosophy on additives, she selects PATRÓN as the best option for the cocktail due to its lack of additives.
The creation of the drink was inspired by artists like Akio Hanafuji and Shinzaburo Takeda, who traveled to Mexico to study, and ended up staying, creating masterful works influenced by Mexico’s culture and landscape. “Meet My Muse” is much the same, something elegant and complex that embraces the qualities of the spirits within and expresses them in artful fashion.
workshop flavors. Other days, it’s guest requests that get the gears in her brain turning. Service is conversational, Dorman explains. A guest describes the type of drink they’d like, or asks for recommendations. Sometimes, Dorman whips something up that a guest comes back for because they just couldn’t stop thinking about it.
And the basis of a good drink is, of course, good ingredients. Tequila, she says, is particularly fun to work with due to its versatility.
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Click the circles to see what makes up this delicious cocktail.
