Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/928625
3 8 | t h e c l e v e r r o o t REACHING AN 80TH anniversary is no minor achievement for a family-run company—statistics show only 3 percent of fam- ily businesses survive to the fourth generation. There's little doubt, then, that Don Felipe Camarena would be very proud today if he could visit the La Alteña distillery he founded 80 years ago. Upon his return, he'd see the fifth generation of Camarenas at the helm with the next generation already learning the ropes. He'd also perhaps recognize some of the employees' faces, as many are descendants of workers hired back in 1937. And in the tequila distillery itself, he'd be surprised to find not much has changed. In fact, his great-great-grandson Carlos Camarena produced the small-batch El Tesoro TM 80th Anniversary Extra Añejo precisely the way Don Felipe would have made it himself. Correction: "Itty-bitty batch," rather than "small batch," might be a better descriptor for the spirit. By tequila in- dustry standards, the eight barrels—roughly amounting to 1,700 bottles—are the result of a miniscule production pro- cess. The 80th is designated "Extra Añejo" due to the eight years it spent mellowing in American oak barrels, where it gradually attained its silky mouthfeel, caramel-hued color, and complex flavors of butterscotch and crème brulée. El Tesoro invited a group of Bay Area beverage direc- tors and bartenders to Jordan's Kitchen in San Francisco's Mission District to celebrate the major milestone. It might have seemed an unlikely party venue despite being one of the city's most beloved cooking schools, but El Tesoro National Brand Ambassador Luis Navarro explained the company selected Jordan's Kitchen as the venue "because making El Tesoro is a completely hands-on process." "We wanted to give people an experience that would help illustrate not only how hard it is, but why the results are worth the effort," Navarro added. TEQUILA A MEXICAN COOKING CLASS SHOWCASES EL TESORO'S 80TH ANNIVERSARY TEQUILA WITH A HANDS-ON MENU by Diane Denham photos by Hardy Wilson Cocktail specialist Mariangela Urquizo prepares handmade tortillas for El Tesoro's 80th anniversary party in San Francisco. Celebrating in the Spired KITCHEN The refreshing ginger-based welcome libation with El Tesoro Tequila was festooned with colorful miniature flowers.