Don’t call it a comeback…
I was lucky enough to win a dinner at Oyamel from a Facebook contest. Friends and co-workers have made fun of me saying I have good luck. I don’t think that’s the case considering I was unemployed/underemployed for about 3 years. It’s more at some point things have to stop coming up Milhouse and come up Christina.
I started off the evening with an AMAZING cocktail in the bar. I ordered the sagrado corazon and it did not disappoint. It had hibiscus ice (say what) with toasted coriander and cilantro. I met Bonard Molina of Mayalen. They import and distribute the amazing tequila (Tequila Real) and mezcal (Banhez Mezcal) that we had paired with our dinner.
Bonard is an amazing person who like so many others is pursuing his passion. He works a regular gig to pay the bills and support his family while his import business blossoms. I was lucky enough to meet his mom (ADORABLE), sisters (they are also part of his business) and brand ambassador. The brand ambassador is a great guy who was wearing an ironic shirt to dinner. The ironic shirt was one that I actually own too.
The dinner had an appetizer, four courses and a dessert. Each course contained two to three small plates accompanying the course. We started with the Banhez Limited Edition: Oaxacan Fruit. It was a great starting point with slightly smoky notes, but a great fruity element and smoothness.
Throughout the dinner, we were presented with a history of the spirits, stories of the farmers in Mexico as well as a discussion of the tasting notes. Bonard and his company focus on not just obtaining a great product, but working with farm cooperatives to ensure fairness. They brought the head of one of the farming cooperatives in to talk about his passion, harvest and more. I asked about the inheritance law as I was curious about farm lands. He informed me that many young people have left the area to seek employment either in America or a larger urban area like Mexico City. If they are around, land goes to the male in the family. I was kind of taken aback as I knew that was common practice in many other cultures, but didn’t think that was the case in Mexico.
We started with the Tequila Real Silver, which was very clean and smooth. It paired well with the shrimp and tacos with mushrooms.
We moved onto a delicious raw beef dish, oysters and salad. It was paired with Banhez Espadin/Madrecuixe Blend. This was my favorite. It combined a great smoky element especially on the finish with fruit flavors and a salty element. It made perfect sense with the oysters.
We moved onto the baby squid (BABIES) and pork loin paired with Tequila Real Anejo. As they explained,there are various aging periods for tequila. Anejo is aged a minimum of one year, but less than three years in small oak barrels. Barrel aging when done right, really adds value and maturity to your product. It had this great smoothness with caramel and spiced notes from the aging.
We moved onto lamb chops and a rice dish with corn truffles, queso fresco and epazote herb oil paired with the Banhez Tobala. The Banhez Tobala had an amazing nose with great spice notes like baker’s spice flavors.
As the dinner took longer than expected it was at this time Man Friend was done. It was about 10:30pm so I can see wanting to go home. Anyways, I thanked our generous hosts and we sprinted to the metro.
