Patron Teams Up With Emerging Artists for the “Simply Perfect” Art Project to Benefit Local Art Organizations

Patron Spirits is inviting a new kind of window shopping this holiday season. Starting Nov. 15 and continuing through Dec. 31, 2011, the Patron “Simply Perfect” Art Project will showcase live, working art studios and galleries that offer emerging artists the opportunity to create one-of-a-kind works of art for auction in support of four local organizations.

Across the country, four “Simply Perfect” Art Project studios occupy formerly vacant storefront windows that have been transformed into spaces of creativity and imagination for nearly 30 up-and-coming artists. Given approximately one week each, artists will create an original painting, sculpture or other work based on their personal interpretation of Patron tequila’s “Simply Perfect” mantra.

Each studio is active throughout afternoons and evenings, Wednesdays through Sundays. During all other times, the art will be on display in each window, along with a video screen showing the progression of the collective work. To view the art in the making, please visit one of the four “Simply Perfect” Art Project locations, including:

• Chicago – 50 East Chicago Avenue (between North Wabash Avenue & North Rush Street)
• Los Angeles – 7024 Hollywood Blvd. (between North Sycamore Avenue & North Orange Drive)
• New York City – 454 West Broadway (between Prince Street & West Houston Street)
• San Francisco – 581 Market Street (between 1st Street & 2nd Street)

“These live art studios offer a unique opportunity for emerging artists to showcase their work to a much larger audience. At the same time, we hope to enhance the holiday season by bringing people the experience of artistic creation,” said Jennifer Long, Patron brand director. “We are thrilled to promote fresh talent and, with their help, enrich the local community. Their generosity of time and talent is a simply perfect gift to their cities, and we’re proud to amplify it.”

To view complete collections from all four cities, passers-by can scan the QR code located on the windows of each of the four installations. The QR code will link consumers directly to the auction website (eliminateregifting.com), where they will be able to learn more about the artists and bid on their favorite works of art.

The first round of artwork will be posted for bidding on Monday, November 21. Please visit often over the next seven weeks as there will be over 30 pieces of unique artwork to bid on. – eliminateregifting.com

The artist whose work receives the highest bid will receive national exposure in a print advertisement for Patron in 2012. Additionally, the proceeds from the purchased pieces will benefit local art organizations that are partners on the project, including:

• Chicago Artists’ Coalition (chicagoartistscoalition.org)
• Los Angeles Art Association (laaa.org)
• New York Foundation for the Arts (nyfa.org)
• The Artists Guild of San Francisco (artistsguildsf.com)

For more detailed studio schedules and complete lists of artists, including bios and photos, please contact Greg Eppich atgreg.eppich@publicisconsultants.com or 206.270.4677.

Tequila Brand Expands Soccer Sponsorship to Enhance Consumer Experience

el Jimador, 100 percent blue agave tequila, announces the launch of its soccer-themed consumer contest, which will award 10 winners an opportunity to attend the MLS Cup in Los Angeles on Nov. 20, 2011, along with a guest.

To participate, consumers are invited to submit a rule aimed at improving the sport of soccer. These rules will be reviewed by a panel of judges and winners will be selected based on creativity and originality. The contest period concludes on Nov. 4, 2011, and winners will be notified on Nov.8, 2011, via email and/or phone.

Ten grand prize winners will be awarded two tickets to the MLS Cup, in addition to round-trip airfare, a two-night stay in a local hotel, and $200 in cash. Winners and guests must be 21 and older and be available to travel Nov. 19-21, 2011.*

As the official tequila sponsor of the MLS, U.S. Men’s and Women’s National Teams and the annual U.S. Tour of the Mexican National Team, el Jimador Tequila will be active in a variety of the teams’ activities through 2012.

For more information on el Jimador’s soccer sponsorship and consumer experience, please visit the brand’s Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/eljimador.

*No Purchase Necessary. Must be at least 21 years of age and a legal resident of the United States to enter. Contest void in California and Tennessee and wherever prohibited or restricted by law. See Official Rules for Details.

Mick Fleetwood and Nicole Atkins Come Together to Launch Cabo Wabo® Tequila’s Off The Record Conversation Series

Mick Fleetwood, founder of chart colossus Fleetwood Mac, and singer-songwriter ingénue, Nicole Atkins, have been tapped as the first acts to front the Off The Record music conversation series presented by Cabo Wabo® Tequila, founded by Rock and Roll Hall of Famer, Sammy Hagar. The double-act came together in Mick’s hometown of Maui, at his new bar Fleetwood’s on Front Street (opening early 2012), to share tales of career beginnings, legendary nights on stage, song inspirations, tour secrets and rumored band romances. Their musical journey together was captured on video forOff The Record, and will launch through Cabo Wabo’s YouTube page on October 11^th at www.YouTube.com/CaboWabo

“a relationship that should’ve ended two years before it actually did.”

Cabo Wabo’s Off The Record series pairs rock royalty with buzzworthy emerging artists for an intimate one-on-one conversation, captured on film, giving the viewer a personal, behind-the-scenes view into a life in rock and roll. Off The Record allows music aficionados a chance to get the inside track on the untold stories of the musician’s experience.

Mick Fleetwood and Nicole Atkins make for a fascinating introduction to the Off The Record program as they both epitomize the grandeur of blues and rock. Riffing off comparisons with Fleetwood Mac front-woman, Stevie Nicks, and following her recent cover of the band’s hit, “Oh Well,” Nicole takes Mick to task on the greatness of Fleetwood Mac, amongst his other achievements. Taken en masse, Fleetwood Mac’s oeuvre can enchant purists, pop fans and stars alike. Nicole confesses: “Stevie Nicks has had a large influence on my own songwriting and made me comfortable with my singing voice. Fleetwood Mac is that band that is able to write timeless hits with a serious dark side. That’s what I strive for in my songs – a contrast between the light and dark.”

In the dimly lit bar setting that is Off The Record, Nicole finds out first-hand her unknown tie to Nicks, how a fateful night in New Orleans with the Grateful Dead almost got Mick barred from playing in the US before anyone knew his name, and how Fleetwood Mac’s many pronged and complicated relationships provided the backdrop that nearly tore the band apart, yet ultimately led to the band’s masterpiece, 1977’s Rumours.

Equally attuned to the experience of love gone bad, Mick turns the tables on New Jersey-born Nicole. Her new album, Mondo Amore, was hatched in a time of extreme turbulence, a period which saw her parting ways with her former music label while also dealing with the painful termination of “a relationship that should’ve ended two years before it actually did.” Nicole cites blues and classic 60s psychedelic rock as longtime influences, a sound which Fleetwood Mac dabbled in early on. Not only does Mick probe Nicole about the genesis of what New York Times calls her “surrealistic songs” and Rolling Stone her “forceful…melancholy,” he uncovers the driving force behind her music and her lifelong passion to perform.

Mick adds, “The series is something long overdue and highly invaluable to aspiring musicians and music fans alike. Bringing together musicians of varying ages and genres to discuss common experiences gives a one-of-a-kind insight into our craft and world. Not only will people get to see myself and Nicole improvise a little on stage, but there will also be enough rock ‘n roll capers to split a band! It’s only fitting that this should all be played out over a shot of Cabo Wabo, my tried-and-true companion when making music in my new bar, Fleetwood’s on Front Street.”

Founder of Cabo Wabo, Sammy Hagar, comments, “Cabo Wabo Tequila’s association with rock music is well known and we have always been strong supporters of new artists. Off The Record is another program like Cabo’s Your Shot To Rockcontest, aimed at finding the top unsigned rock bands in America, and aide in moving them forward to become rock stars. Having my friend and legend Mick Fleetwood in the mix, Cabo Wabo adds a new dimension to finding and spurring new artists to greater rock and roll heights.”

Founded nearly 15 years ago by rock legend Sammy Hagar, Cabo Wabo is the original Rock ‘n Roll Tequila. Cabo Wabo Tequila is handcrafted from 100-percent Blue Agave creating tequilas perfect for sipping, shooting or mixing. Cabo Wabo comes in three distinctly different core marques. Whether you like the smooth unadulterated agave flavor of our Blanco, the rich peppery taste of our Reposado or the vanilla and caramel nose in our Añejo, Cabo Wabo Tequila will have you screaming for an encore.

Editor’s Notes

The Off The Record music conversation video series featuring Mick and Nicole will be aired on the 11^th of October at www.YouTube.com/CaboWabo andwww.cabowabo.com. You can also rock with Mick Fleetwood and Nicole Atkins at Cabo Wabo at www.Facebook.com/CaboWabo

About Cabo Wabo Tequila

Cabo Wabo Tequila was originally created by Sammy Hagar to have a superior tequila to serve his friends and in his Cabo Wabo Cantina in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. Cabo Wabo is made from 100-percent Weber Blue Agave and comes in three marques including Blanco, Reposado, and Añejo. It is acknowledged as one of the finest tequilas in the world and won a Double Gold Medal at the 2011 San Francisco World Spirits Competition.

The Mexican Museum unveils the Tequila Don Julio Collection on September 23, 2011 as part of its ongoing celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month. The Tequila Don Julio Collection makes its permanent home at The Mexican Museum in San Francisco following a successful traveling exhibit that included stops in Los Angeles, New York, Chicago and Houston.

This is the first time the entire collection will be on display for public viewing in San Francisco. The new exhibit opens to the public on Friday, September 23 and runs through August 5, 2012. A press preview of the collection will be held Wednesday, Sept. 21 from 11 a.m. – 3 p.m., in The Mexican Museum’s recently renovated galleries at Fort Mason Center.

“We are honored that the entire Tequila Don Julio Collection will be on display here at The Mexican Museum,” said Jonathan Lorenzo Yorba, chief executive officer of the Museum. “Having this important art collection here in its new permanent home is the culmination of a long-term shared vision.”

The new contemporary art collection, which is made possible in part with generous support from Tequila Don Julio, showcases the expressive, cutting-edge vitality of 17 of today’s most prominent Mexican and Mexican American contemporary artists — three of whom live in the Bay Area.

The Bay Area artists with works in the collection, and who are available for media interviews:

• Viva Paredes – The inspiration for Paredes’ piece “My Pocha Tongues” came from her grandmother Petra, a curandera and her Mexican American family’s strides to assimilate into American culture, which included not being allowed to speak Spanish. Paredes continues her grandmother’s tradition of healing by creating artwork that explores the sacred space of ancestral memory, culture and linguistic history.
• Caleb Duarte – Duarte migrated with his family from northern Mexico to the farmworking communities of the Central Valley. The themes of architecture, shelter and home have been central to his art. Duarte’s inspiration for exploring social inequalities and the realities of globalization come from his world travels. Recently his focus has shifted from the notion of shelter to the symbolism of social protection and truth found in what he calls “architectural sanctuaries.” Duarte searches for the truth and balance between message and messenger.
• Julio César Morales – Morales’ artwork is a reflection of his binational upbringing in Tijuana and San Diego and seeks to expose and decode the DNA of transcultural life, the small things that shape who we are and the world we live in. Morales’ Lowrider Mambo sculpture boldly references the musical legacy of Cuban bandleader, Pérez Prado, who was the first Latin American artist to “crossover” internationally with a music style of his own invention, “The Mambo.”

Artist Jorge Rojas, born in Mexico and now living in Salt Lake City, will be working on his piece on site at The Mexican Museum from September 19 to 23. He is available for media interviews.

Other featured Mexican and Mexican American artists in the collection include: Ray Martín Abeyta, Tania Candiani, Einar and Jamex de la Torre, Francisco Fernández aka TAKA, Camille Rose Garcia, Michael Hernandez de Luna, Franco Mondini-Ruiz, Tatiana Parcero, Marcos Ramírez aka ERRE, Jerómino López Ramírez aka Dr. LAKRA, Betsabeé Romero and Arturo Ernesto Romo.

The Mexican Museum is open Wednesday-Sunday from noon to 4 p.m. and is located at Fort Mason Center, Building D, in San Francisco. For more information, please visit:www.mexicanmuseum.org.

About The Mexican Museum:

Founded by San Francisco artist Peter Rodriguez in 1975 in the heart of the Mission District and now at Fort Mason Center, The Mexican Museum is the realization of a vision to exhibit the aesthetic expression of the Mexican and Mexican American people. Today, the Museum’s vision has expanded to reflect the evolving scope of the Mexican, Chicano and Latino experience. The Museum currently has a permanent collection of more than 14,000 objects reflecting Pre-Hispanic, Colonial, popular, Modern and Contemporary Mexican, Latino and Chicano art. For more information, please visit: www.mexicanmuseum.org.

Tres Agaves Products has introduced the first shelf-stable USDA Certified Organic Margarita Mix. Tres Agaves’ Organic Margarita Mix is a simple blend of just four ingredients – organic lime juice, organic agave nectar, ascorbic acid (vitamin C) and pure filtered water. Just add 100% Agave Tequila for the ultimate all natural Margarita. Tres Agaves’ ‘skinny’ Margarita, made with real all-natural ingredients, creates a sublime balance of sweet – from the organic agave nectar – and sour – from the organic lime juice.

Tres Agaves Products has introduced the first shelf-stable USDA Certified Organic Margarita Mix. Tres Agaves’Organic Margarita Mix is a simple blend of just four ingredients – organic lime juice, organic agave nectar, ascorbic acid (vitamin C) and pure filtered water. Just add 100% Agave Tequila for the ultimate all natural Margarita. Tres Agaves’ ‘skinny’ Margarita, made with real all-natural ingredients, creates a sublime balance of sweet – from the organic agave nectar – and sour – from the organic lime juice. Tres Agaves has evolved into a cocktail beverage company specializing in all natural products including a full suite of 100% Agave Tequilas and all-natural complementary mixers. Tres Agaves Organic Margarita Mix is available for just $9.99 per 750ml bottle at retailers and restaurants across much of the U.S., giving consumers a healthier, organic option when creating a delicious Margarita or even tasty limeade.

According to Organic Trade Association’s April 2011 press release, which outlined the results of a recent study, “The organic industry grew at a rate of nearly eight percent in 2010, bucking the current trend whereby ‘flat is the new growth’ for many other segments of the economy.” Tres Agaves is ahead of the curve in creating the first organic, shelf-stable Margarita mix.

Tres Agaves Organic Margarita Mix ingredients include lime juice sourced from the finest sun-ripened limes and agave for the organic agave nectar grown in Jalisco, Mexico. Jalisco’s volcanic soil and pure, freshwater springs create ideal conditions for agave, the world’s purest source of natural plant sugar. Tres Agaves never uses conventional sugar or corn syrups in its Margarita mix – only sweet, organic agave nectar.

Consumers watching their caloric intake will also enjoy Tres Agaves Margaritas made Organic Margarita Mix. With only 68 calories per Margarita serving the result is a healthy, great-tasting, lower-calorie Margarita.

Tres Agaves Real Margarita Recipe

• 2 oz. Tres Agaves® 100% Agave Tequila
• 3 oz. Tres Agaves® Organic Margarita Mix

Shake with ice, taste for balance and pour into your favorite rocks glass. Salt rim to preference and add a lime wedge as garnish.

The Margarita is the world’s most popular cocktail, and when made correctly it’s the world’s best cocktail. Restaurants, bars and consumers can now make low-cal, all-natural Margaritas using the entire Tres Agaves Products portfolio. In addition to the organic margarita mix, Tres Agaves also produces organic agave nectar and three award-winning, 100% agave Tequilas: Blanco, Reposado and Anejo. Tres Agaves Tequila is estate-bottled for full, smooth taste at one of the last family-owned distilleries in Jalisco, Mexico.

Tres Agaves’ Tequila is made from Agaves matured to an average of nine years and produced in the ‘old school’ tradition by one of Mexico’s most respected Tequila families at their boutique distillery located in the very soul of Tequila country – the historic city of Tequila itself. The distillery, El Llano, began production in 1900 and is one of the oldest in all of Jalisco. The master distiller is the town’s former mayor and a fifth generation artisan who specializes in small-batch, handcrafted Tequila.

Uno, dos, TRES: it’s that simple!

About Tres Agaves Products

Tres Agaves Products, Inc. is a San Francisco/Bay Area-based brand bringing estate-bottled, award-winning 100% agave Tequila and complementary organic Margarita mixers to the market. Tres Agaves believes that a Margarita recipe should enhance the flavor of good Tequila, not hide it, which is why a Tres Agaves’ all-natural Margarita is made only with organic lime juice, organic agave nectar, and 100% agave Tequila. Tres Agaves Tequila is available in three expressions: Blanco, Reposado, and Añejo. Tres Agaves also produces the only organic Margarita mix that is shelf-stable. Visit http://www.tresagaves.com or become a fan of Tres Agaves on Facebookhttp://www.facebook.com/tresagaves.

To purchase Tres Agaves products online, visit Tres Agaves Web store at: http://www.tresagaves.com/store. To find Tres Agaves at retailers/bars/restaurants near you, visit http://www.tresagaves.com/shop/locator or use the mobile search option: http://www.tresagaves.com/mobile

International Management Group (IMG), USA Volleyball (USAV) and Jose Cuervo today announced the 2011 “Jose Cuervo Pro Beach Volleyball Series.”  The three-event series is USAV sanctioned and features a $500,000 cumulative prize purse, the richest in the U.S. this year.  The three-day, double elimination tournaments will be televised live on VERSUS.  More information is available at www.josecuervoprobeachvolleyballseries.com.

“IMG has a long history in pro beach volleyball and we’re thrilled to get back in the game here in the States,” Senior VP James Leitz said.  “With great partners like USAV and Jose Cuervo, and a tremendous field of very talented athletes, we envision consistent growth and success for the sport in the coming years.”

“Beach volleyball and Jose Cuervo are both known for intensity and lifestyle appeal, and the opportunity to help the sport return to prominence not only for the players but also for fans was one we’re excited about,” said Brian Radics, Brand Director, Jose Cuervo.  “Given the Jose Cuervo brand’s deep history in professional beach volleyball and as one of the sport’s first corporate sponsors, this just feels right for everyone involved.”

Jose Cuervo’s beach volleyball roots can be traced to 1978 when they became the sport’s first major sponsor.  Cuervo again played a significant role in the sport during the mid-80′s ultimately leading to the Cuervo Gold Crown in 1988, considered the Triple Crown of beach volleyball.  The Gold Crown events were among the first televised in the sport and helped pave the way for pro beach volleyball to become an Olympic sport.

The Cuervo Pro Beach Volleyball Series will debut on Aug. 26-28 at the $200,000 Manhattan Beach Open in California, a tournament with the longest history in the sport.  A field of 64 teams in both genders will battle for the largest domestic purse of 2011 and the winners will be enshrined with a permanent plaque on the Manhattan Beach Pier.  Known as the ‘Wimbledon of beach volleyball,’ winners will join the ranks of beach volleyball legends Karch Kiraly, Phil Dalhausser, Todd Rogers, Sinjin Smith, Randy Stoklos, Misty May-Treanor, Kerri Walsh and Holly McPeak.

The series then moves to Miami Beach on Sept. 16-18 for the $150,000 Miami Beach Pro followed by the $150,000 Jose Cuervo Pro Beach Volleyball Series National Championship on Sept. 23-25 in Hermosa Beach, California.  Prior to the official series launch in August, Jose Cuervo will stage a “pro shootout” in Bradford Beach, Wisconsin on July 23 and 24.  The Jose Cuervo Pro Beach Volleyball Shootout features top players, an amateur tournament, clinics and a festival village.

“I am pleased and excited to begin this relationship with Cuervo as the title sponsor of our Pro Beach Series,” USA Volleyball Chief Executive Director Doug Beal said.  “This is exactly the kind of partnership we have been looking for as we develop high-profile, quality beach events.  Cuervo has a rich history in our sport and to open up our Series in Manhattan Beach is only fitting.  USA Volleyball is committed to grow our beach involvement at all levels.”

The Jose Cuervo Pro Beach Volleyball Series provides both superstars and rising talent the opportunity to play in world-class, purpose-built stadiums in front of enthusiastic crowds in proven beach volleyball markets.  IMG, USAV and Jose Cuervo will turn up the fan energy through ancillary events, attractions, sponsor activations, hospitality programs and more in order to build a beach lifestyle festival as a backdrop for each tournament.  The inaugural Series is slated to expand in 2012 to include up to seven events hosted in the United States.

About Jose Cuervo: Jose Cuervo is the largest producer of tequila throughout Mexico and around the world. The Jose Cuervo portfolio of tequilas includes Jose Cuervo Especial Gold, the number one tequila worldwide, Jose Cuervo Especial Silver, Jose Cuervo Black Medallion, Jose Cuervo Tradicional 100% Agave Reposado and Silver, Jose Cuervo Platino, Jose Cuervo Reserva de la Familia, Jose Cuervo Golden Margaritas, Authentic Jose Cuervo Margaritas and Jose Cuervo Margarita Mix.  For more information, visit www.josecuervo.com.

About IMG: IMG Worldwide is a global sports, entertainment and media business, with nearly 3,000 employees operating in 30 countries around the globe. IMG’s areas of expertise are diverse and wide ranging: IMG College; IMG’s Joint Ventures in China, Brazil and India; IMG Media; IMG Events and Federations; IMG Fashion; IMG Models; IMG Art+Commerce; IMG Clients; IMG Academies; IMG Action Sports; IMG Consulting and IMG Licensing.  More information is available at www.imgworld.com/.

About USA Volleyball: Founded in 1928, USA Volleyball is a Colorado incorporated non-profit organization recognized by the United States Olympic Committee (USOC) and the Federation International de Volleyball (FIVB) as the National Governing Body for the sport of Volleyball in the United States. USA Volleyball is responsible for both the Olympic disciplines of indoor volleyball and beach volleyball. USA Volleyball has over 262,000 registered members, 12,000 teams and 5,300 clubs nationwide. With an annual budget in excess of $18 million dollars, USA Volleyball supports the USA men’s and women’s senior national team programs, youth and junior national teams, national championship events, coaching education and certification programs, grassroots development, and programs for the disabled and Paralympic Teams. USA Volleyball has a rich tradition of success as evidenced by winning an Olympic medal in every Olympic Games since 1984 and capturing numerous World Cup, World Championship and Continental Championship titles. USA Volleyball is committed to and works toward opportunity for all to participate. It is an advocate for all Americans endeavoring to assure universal access to opportunities at all levels of the game. For more information please visit www.usavolleyball.org.

Source: International Management Group

el Jimador, 100% blue agave tequila, announced today the launch of its soccer-themed consumer experience. The brand invites passionate and enthusiastic soccer fans to “Like” the el Jimador Facebook page and answer the question “What Makes You A 100% Real Soccer Fan” for a chance to win a VIP trip to the 2011 AT&T MLS All-Star Game on July 27, alongside three friends.

The person with the most creative story about being a true soccer fan will be selected on July 14 by a panel of judges. The winner will be treated like soccer royalty with VIP seating at the much anticipated match between the MLS All-Stars and Manchester United, as well as spend a night in Manhattan at a grand hotel. Winner and guests 21 and older must be available for travel on July 27-28, 2011.*

As the official tequila sponsor of the MLS, U.S. Men’s and Women’s National Teams and the annual U.S. Tour of the Mexican National Team, el Jimador Tequila will be active in a variety of the teams’ activities’ throughout the year, including an event on July 24, National Tequila Day, at MLS Headquarters which will be open to consumers and media alike.

For more information on el Jimador’s sponsorship and consumer experience, please visit the brand’s Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/eljimador.

*No Purchase Necessary. Must be at least 21 years old. Void in CA and where prohibited. See Official Rules for Details.

About el Jimador Tequila

From Casa Herradura, established in 1870, el Jimador is a premium, authentic 100 percent agave tequila that captures the spirit of real tequila. The name el Jimador honors the men who harvest the locally grown agave with great pride and care. Since its introduction in 1994, el Jimador has become the No. 1 selling tequila in Mexico. To learn more about el Jimador, visit www.eljimador.com.

Cinco de Mayo is here, and Camarena Tequila is celebrating for 24 hours straight. The Camarena Tequila Facebook page is giving away Camarena-inspired summer swag starting at 12AM (ET) on Thursday every 5 minutes for 24 hours. Fans who don’t win within that five minute period have the opportunity to enter again every five minutes all day long.

We’re kicking off summer in a BIG way and can’t wait to celebrate with our amazing Facebook fans all Cinco de Mayo!  Remember to “Like” us on Facebook for a chance to win! Simply head over to Facebook for your chance to win!

Competition is however only open to US citizens!

About Familia Camarena Tequila

With a legacy of six generations of tequila making experience, Familia Camarena Tequila is made from 100% blue agave grown in the Los Altos Highlands region of Jalisco, one of Mexico’s most prestigious tequila districts. Produced in Arandas at the family-owned and operated distillery, each bottle is double distilled, as well as bottled, labeled and packaged by hand. The Familia Camarena Tequila portfolio includes a 100% Blue Agave Silver and a 100% Blue Agave Reposado, which is aged for a minimum of two months in both new and used American oak barrels.

More than 185,000 margaritas were consumed per hour by Americans in 2008 according to Brown-Foreman, one of the nation’s largest spirit suppliers. That makes the margarita the most popular cocktail in the United States. The man most credited for this phenomenon is restaurateur/entrepreneur Mariano Martinez of Dallas, Texas.

May 11, 2011, will be the 40th anniversary of his invention of the frozen margarita machine, which resides in the Smithsonian Museum in Washington, D.C.  ”There’s no doubt where the credit belongs,” said Dr. Rayna Green, curator of the Smithsonian’s National Museum in Washington, D.C.  ”Museum officials spent more than a year researching the history of the frozen margarita and verifying its origin.”

The significance of this machine was quantified this past September when the museum released its list of the top 10 American inventions. Topping the list was Thomas Edison’s light bulb and “Mariano’s Cool Creation” came in 10th.  Mariano (who goes by only his first name) did not invent the frozen margarita; he just figured out how to produce the drink in quantities large enough to make an entire restaurant tipsy.

“It is an inspiring story about the rise of a smart, young businessman who made this incredible choice at the right time, ” said Dr. Green. “No, it’s not the Model T, but we have a lot of little things in the museum that are little innovations that became important.”

It was an idea inspired by a Slurpee machine, executed by a young restaurant owner struggling to stay afloat.  ”As a result,” said Dr. Green, “margaritas and Tex-Mex cuisine emerged as an essential part of the American culture.”

“The margarita made tequila an acceptable drink for women,” explained Marc N. Scheinman, a marketing professor at Pace University’s Lubin School of Business and author of a study called “The Global Market for Tequila”.

“Demographics played a huge role in the popularity of the frozen margarita,” said Scheinman. “The spread of the frozen margarita coincided with large numbers of young women coming into the workforce.”

The rise of the margarita in the late 1970s and early 1980s set off a radical change in the Tex-Mex restaurant business.  Vintage Tex-Mex restaurants didn’t have bars, but from the 1970s on, the bar became the center of every Tex-Mex restaurant.

“To us at the Smithsonian, it’s a story about American innovation and entrepreneurial spirit,” said Green, “and it coincides with a very interesting story of Tex-Mex becoming a phenomenon.”

In 1971, Mariano, opened his first restaurant with $500 and an S.B.A. loan. He had no designs of becoming an inventor or an icon; he was just trying to succeed in running his restaurant and realize the American dream of owning his own business. Back then, margaritas were not well known.  People either didn’t know about them or didn’t want to go to all the trouble of making them.  The squeezing of limes, procuring the right tequila and portioning the right amount of other ingredients proved cumbersome.

Enter Mariano and his revolutionary machine.  He had just opened his first restaurant, Mariano’s Mexican Cuisine, in Dallas, where he proudly served his father’s secret recipe margaritas. Feedback immediately started pouring in and some of it was not favorable.  The drinks were inconsistent in both temperature and taste, most of them not cold enough. After arguing with his bartenders who threatened to quit and go back to making scotch-and-waters and bourbon-and-Cokes at their previous jobs, Mariano had a sleepless night.

The next day, while making a stop at a 7-Eleven convenience store, Mariano saw a kid pulling a frozen Slurpee out of a machine. A light bulb went on. A solution had been found, fixing Mariano’s three problems. The margaritas could be precisely measured and made in large batches in the morning, making every margarita the same high quality, and easy for bartenders to produce during the rush. As far as the temperature issue, what could be colder than frozen?

At first the new creation changed the way people socialized in the hip Upper Greenville Avenue area of Dallas, before quickly spreading all across the city. Mariano’s became the popular destination for young professionals, Dallas Cowboys and other professional athletes, SMU students, upscale apartment residents, and other young Dallasites looking for a good time. Then, as frozen margarita machines became prevalent throughout the state, Texans ushered in a national phenomenon. The frozen margarita became the most popular drink in America and frozen margarita machines are now a worldwide hit and can be found in 36 countries. It has changed the culture of Mexican food and added to the bottom line of thousands of restaurants in Texas and across the globe.

But while the social aspect of the frozen margarita has been well documented over the years, only recently has the major impact of Mariano’s machine on the American economy come into focus.  It has created thousands of new jobs and has been a significant influence on the prosperity of our nation’s hospitality industry’s bottom line at thousands of restaurants in Texas and across the globe.

Over the past 40 years, many journalists have chronicled Mariano’s invention with cleverly written prose such as “the party in a tank that fueled the disco era in Texas,” “the machine that jump-started the Mexican food craze” and “the machine that changed happy hour forever.”

Smithsonian Museum director Brent Glass called the invention “a classic example of the American entrepreneurial spirit”. With the advent of the machine, margaritas became as standard as chips and salsa at Tex-Mex restaurants.

Consider this. The hospitality industry (restaurants, hotels, etc.) is the single largest creator of new jobs, as well as the biggest employer in the United States. The mortality rate in the restaurant business prior to 1971 was the highest of any business. Sometimes the difference between a restaurant keeping its doors open and closing, comes down to unsustainable losses of a few hundred dollars per month, due to lack of profits, inconsistent quality and labor costs.

Mariano’s machine addressed these obstacles and helped overcome them. The popularity of frozen margaritas boosted the bottom line by adding extra sales to lunch and dinner tickets that might not have included an alcoholic beverage otherwise.

The frozen margarita machine’s consistent quality diminished the amount of drinks that were returned. Its ease of operation helped bartenders’ efficiency and increased productivity and reduced costs. These benefits, along with others provided by the machine, allowed restaurants not only to keep their doors open, but also to be profitable. Entrepreneurs could now open new restaurants that they otherwise would not have, creating more jobs. Mariano was the first example of this. He was struggling to keep his new restaurant going when his invention stabilized his business, created a positive cash flow and kept his dream from going down the drain.

Helping the economy never tasted so good.

If you are one of the 185,000 American who will drink a margarita over the next hour, offer up a toast to Mariano, the inventor of the frozen margarita machine four decades ago.

Cheers to 40 years! Viva la margarita!

Source: PRNewswire

They never could have anticipated the journey that lay in front of them – an adventure which would include falling in love, traveling to Mexico to reunite with an estranged father of 30 years and sharing a family’s generations-old passion for tequila with the world.

The story began in Arizona in 2005, when former real estate agent Debbie Medina unassumingly knocked on the door of her newest client, Jonathan Gach, a former accountant originally from New York. Their relationship quickly grew into a friendship, and eventually romance.

Later that year, Medina, a native of Chicago, was contacted by her father whom she hadn’t seen in 30 years. He was living in Mexico, approaching his 80s, and he wanted to reconnect with his daughter. Gach, who lost his father at the age of 17, encouraged the reunion and accompanied Medina on the trip.

The meeting was an emotional, yet uplifting experience. It was on this initial trip that Medina’s father presented them with a bottle of homemade tequila that originated from a recipe passed down by his ancestors in Jalisco, Mexico. Medina and Gach were impressed with the quality and smoothness of the tequila, which traditionally had been shared only between family and close friends. The recipe, process, and passion had been handed down through generations and Medina’s father, affectionately nicknamed by those close to him as “Señor Rio,” shared it with them.

It was destiny. When Medina and Gach returned to their homes in Arizona, they knew they must listen to what their hearts were telling them. They left their careers and invested their entire savings with the hope of sharing the family’s tequila with the world. While researching tequila history and culture, the couple began routinely visiting Jalisco in order to find a master distiller worthy of carrying on the family’s legacy. They appropriately chose a distillery in the town of Tequila, where tequila was originally born.

They decided to name the premium tequila after the nickname of Medina’s father. The logo is taken from an old picture of Señor Rio when he was in his thirties. The bottle, designed by Gach, is intended to embody the high-standard of elegance that the taste evokes, and it is reminiscent of a crystal decanter used in serving fine spirits.

The couple formed their own distribution company, Jalisco International Imports, Inc., located in Gilbert, Arizona. Finally, after years of work and anticipation, the first batch of Señor Rio was bottled and enjoyed on Cinco de Mayo, 2009. Since then, the couple has been working 12 to 15 hour days with ambitions of sharing Señor Rio with the world. They have gone from knocking door-to-door, selling one bottle at a time, to fulfilling shipments that are becoming larger every month.

It has not been easy, but the couple has been able to rely on the love and support of each other in order to persevere. “Little did I know that when I rang his doorbell to show his house, this would be our future five years later,” says Medina. Gach adds, “When someone says ‘do you think you’re going to find love knocking at your door,’ you never know, because I did.” Señor Rio Tequila is a testament to their love, as well as to the passion and integrity of the generations from which they inherited its legacy.

Señor Rio Tequila originates from 100% blue weber agaves grown in the arid red clay soil of Jalisco, Mexico. It is distilled only twice to preserve the true agave flavor. The hearts of the agaves, or piñas, are harvested by hand and slow cooked in traditional stone ovens.

When someone says ‘do you think you’re going to find love knocking at your door,’ you never know, because I did

Señor Rio is available in three types: the Blanco, the Reposado, and the Añejo. The Blanco (meaning “white”) is clean and crisp, yet perhaps what is most appealing is the hint of citrus that can be noted in the back of the palette, leaving a smooth finish. This is due to the open tank fermentation process which captures the fragrance from the mango and citrus trees surrounding the distillery. The Reposado (meaning “rested”) comes from aging the Blanco for six months in French white oak barrels from Tennessee. These barrels previously stored whiskey, and this element creates a finish in the tequila that is a nice balance of oak and honey. Finally, the Añejo (meaning “aged”) comes from aging the Blanco for two years in French white oak barrels. This process reveals a marked aroma of the wood and a semi-heated finish along with depth, full-body, and intense flavor. This gentleman’s spirit has been referred to as the “cognac of tequilas,” and is paired well with a fine cigar.

Señor Rio Tequila in the News (video)

In its brief life on the market, Señor Rio Tequila has already received three awards in taste and presentation from the L.A. Wine and Spirits Competition, the Spirits of Mexico competition, and the San Francisco Wine and Spirits competition. Its superior quality and smooth finish is enjoyed by tequila aficionados and beginners alike. Señor Rio Tequila is currently available in Arizona, California, Tennessee, Oregon, Illinois, Connecticut, Vermont, and Holland.

For more information on Señor Rio Tequila including events, locations, ordering online, and more, please visit: http://www.senorrio.com

Source: PRWeb