The Spirits of Mexico Festival will celebrate its 10-year anniversary this fall when it returns to San Diego from Sept. 17 to 21. The annual festival, a five-day celebration of all things agave, has several new events this year in honor of the anniversary and will give attendees an opportunity to sip the newest and best tequila and mezcal on the market. The image of tequila has drastically evolved over the past ten years from a cheap drink found at college parties to a more sophisticated drink for sipping and tasting, and the Spirits of Mexico Festival is the event to experience, first hand, current tequila trends and appropriate tasting techniques.
For the Spirits of Mexico Fest, the San Diego event is the final stop on the festival’s 10th anniversary national tour and will feature more than 50 brands of tequila, mezcal and other spirits from Mexico, making it the biggest tequila festival in the world. Happening Sept. 17 through 21, the event is far more than simply tasting tequilas. It hosts best-selling authors, critics, mixologists and master distillers from world-renowned and new-to-market brands who come together to share their skills, experience and above all, their spirits.
• Sept. 17 – New! Contemporary Cocktails / Ancient Cuisine – The 2013 festival opener will boast an evening of Aztec cuisine and the hottest new cocktail sensations. Guests will experience, firsthand, how the Spanish influenced Mexico’s ancient culinary landscape at the Blind Burro in downtown San Diego. Guests will also vote for their favorite cocktails entered into the Festival’s cocktail challenge. Top mixologists will include Dale DeGroff’s Pimento Aromatic Bitters and Junior Merino’s Dainzu Syrups and Rimmers as key ingredients in each recipe entered, to compete for the 2013 Spirits of Mexico Festival cocktail of 2013.
• Sept. 19 – Tequila Trail – Agave enthusiasts will sample selections of tequila, mezcal, bacanora and other Mexican spirits as well as signature dishes at more than a dozen Old Town eateries from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. The event continues at Café Coyote with an Olmeca Altos Tequila-sponsored after party starting at 9 p.m.
• Sept. 20 – Awards Dinner and Live Auction – Milagro Tequila welcomes our guests with a cocktail uniquely created for this evening, and a spirits-infused tasting reception and dinner with specialty cuisine prepared by Barra Barra Saloon Chef Jose Pulido from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. An awards ceremony announcing the winners of the 2013 Tasting Competition, which takes place earlier in the week, will follow, along with a Celebrity-hosted live-auction featuring one-of-a-kind rare bottling as donated by our sponsors. The auction benefits the Sky Ranch Foundation, which, for 54 years has been helping troubled youth. This event sells out every year!
Tickets for each event can be purchased online, and in addition to a la carte tickets, value packages are available. The Spirits of Mexico Festival is presented by the IWSC Group, a leader in organizing wine and spirit competitions and events around the globe.
For more information about the Spirits of Mexico Festival visit www.thespiritsofmexico.com and follow on Facebook and Twitter.
