Can you describe the palate profile?
When put together, there’s a three sips evolution. Each sip has a different flavor. There’s the complexity of the tequila, honey, and the flavor of greenness from the agave plant. There’s a little bitterness first, followed by sweetness. Then there’s the refreshing taste of the verbena and lemongrass soda. Then you start tasting the sweet and spicy fruitiness of the red paint, which is a mix of red pepper and strawberry, and a touch of bitterness from the Campari.
Was a liquid evolution the foundation for the cocktail?
Yes. I wanted to create a cocktail that would evolve from the beginning until the end, whose flavors change from the first sip until you finish it. It had to be refreshing, with a surprising flavor, that everyone can drink. It needed to be very visual, and an experience for the client. I also wanted to include ingredients from our botanical garden.
Why was that an important part of this drink?
The drink highlights the ingredients and work that’s done all year. I used fruits only available in April and May, like red peppers and strawberries, and our famous flower, immortelle, which has flavors of honey and curry. We have five beehives on the rooftop and use honey in the drink as well. We also make our own house made sodas.
Is there a personal component infused in this beverage as well?
It’s my first drink for the festival that I’ve created myself for the hotel from start to finish, so I wanted it to be memorable. My background and career are highlighted in this drink, too. I’m from Uruguay, South America, so the tequila represents my Spanish native heritage. I’m half Italian, so the bitterness of that is coming from the Campari. My career and studies from Spain, Italy and France are represented by the red peppers and strawberries, which are Mediterranean grown. The botanicals, honey and the immortelle flower are from the hotel; my future.
How has the festival-themed cocktail evolved over the past decade?
It’s become classical and elegant. The drink is tastier, more complex and more botanically infused. Visually, it’s more exciting. People can see it from another table and say, “What is that? I want that.”
What was the most challenging part?
Getting the red paint to stick, and then stay, on the inside of the glass for the duration of the drink.
