In the Aztec language, paquí means "to be happy", which is certainly fitting for paQuí Silvera Tequila, an exceptional, high-quality, luxury spirit made with 100% blue agave. Luxury Experience recently "discovered" paQuí Silvera Tequila and was impressed from the very first sip; from tequila aficionados this is high praise indeed. Discover paQuí Silvera Tequila with Luxury Experience's "From Mexico with Love" Cocktail and Culinary Menu.

What immediately drew my eye to paQuí Silvera Tequila was the attractive adobe-shaped glass bottle with its distinct cobalt blue stopper and handsome booklet. The heavy glass bottle has an opulent feel to it that emphasizes the quality of the workmanship behind this luxury product. Pouring paQuí Silvera Tequila into a tequila tasting glass, I was impressed with its aromatic aromas and rich floral bouquet on the nose that promised and delivered excellence on the palate.

paQuí Silvera Tequila

Speaking with John Chappell, Founder & Vice President, Brand Development, I learned about the philosophy behind paQuí Silvera Tequila, launched in late July 2009. Three years ago the founders – Dr. Javier Martinez, President and CEO of Tequila Holdings, Inc., Larry N. Steitz, VP of Sales & Distribution, and John Chappell, approached Master Distiller Gilberto Jasso to create a special tequila that would go beyond the typical tequila; they wanted to push beyond the envelope to a place where he had never taken the spirit. According to John, the criteria was that it must be “drinkable, elegant, smooth, but with lots of agave characteristics.” There are over 660 different characteristics that agave elicits, so they thought why not push beyond the flavors of typical tequila? The challenge they gave to Master Distiller Gilberto Jasso was to create a smooth and expressive tequila that would highlight the wonderful agave characteristics.

Manually Harvesting the 100% Blue Agave for paQuí Tequila

However, the challenge came with highly defined limitations; tequila has a long history in Mexico that dates to the 16th century, and the Aztecs made a fermented beverage from agave known as pulque that pre-dates tequila. Unlike vodka, which can be made from a wide variety of ingredients and can still be called vodka, tequila is a highly controlled and regulated product. The Tequila Regulatory Council (CRT) designates that tequila may only be made from 100% blue agave, Tequilana Weber Blue, and must be produced and bottled in Mexico in the state of Jalisco and limited regions of the states of Guanajuato, Michoacán, Nayarit, and Tamaulipas. Regulated like a wine DOC, Mexico uses NOM (Norma Oficial Mexicana) to indicate authentic tequilas made with 100% blue agave. Each bottle of authentic tequila has NOM stamped on the bottle as well as a number, which is the distiller number.

Another part of the challenge was that while there were some smooth tequilas on the market they were too neutral and lacked agave characteristics, others had strong agave characteristics, yet had too rough a finish. Master Distiller Gilberto Jasso met the challenge using a controlled fermentation using the elegance of wine yeast versus the typical airborne yeast, and a process that he named “selective distillation.” He not only cut the head and the tail of the liquid during the distillation process, he went deeper in essence and eliminated unfavorable aromas and flavors that he felt the tequila would be better without.

Master Distiller Gilberto Jasso's "Selective Distillation"

For a small company, discarding approximately 20% of the product during the distillation process would be unheard of, yet that is exactly what Gilberto did. The result is smooth, aromatic, and flavorful silver tequila, also known as “blanco” (white) that retains the essential essence and character of the agave. After careful testing, Gilberto finally had his “ah-ha” moment. John described that Gilberto poured some tequila into a glass and smelled the aromas, and then he poured a small amount in the palm of his hand, rubbed his hands together, and held them up to his face to allow the aromas to evolve and be able to smell the characteristics. When Gilberto removed his hands from his face, he beamed with pride over his accomplishment; he had indeed succeeded.  

paQuí Silvera Tequila, 40% alcohol by volume, is crystal clear, and is made from 100% blue agave in the valley of Tequila, Mexico. Look for the paQuí Aztec mascot on the logo, and the NOM and number imprinted on the bottle.  

Tasting Notes: paQuí Silvera Tequila is highly refined, elegant, and very smooth. This sophisticated aromatic spirit delivers fresh agave, herbaceous, sweet, and floral notes of jasmine and honeysuckle, with honey and citrus on the nose, which continues on the palate and has a clean, exceptionally smooth slightly spicy, peppery finish. Drunk neat it elicits wonderful aromas and flavors, and it is very versatile as an ingredient in cocktails as well as in culinary recipes. 

Luxury Experience’s “From Mexico with Love” Cocktail and Culinary Menu captures the spirit of Mexico and elegantly shows the style of paQuí Silvera Tequila. Eat, drink, and enjoy paQuí Silvera Tequila. Salud (Cheers) and Buon Provecho (Bon Appétit)!  

Luxury Experience’s “From Mexico with Love”
Cocktail and Culinary Menu

Luxury Experience’s Love at First Sight
Luxury Experience’s Dinero

Luxury Experience’s Mango Muse

Luxury Experience’s Margarita

Luxury Experience’s Chilled Avocado Cream Soup
with Caramelized Tequila Shrimp

Luxury Experience’s Margarita Cheesecake

The Cocktail Recipes

Luxury Experience’s Love at First Sight
Luxury Experience’s Dinero

Luxury Experience’s Mango Muse

Luxury Experience’s Love at First Sight captures the spark that ignites when you first glimpse that special someone across the room. One taste of this luscious, sophisticated cocktail made with paQui Silvera Tequila, Galliano, Hpnotiq, pineapple juice, lime juice, and agave syrup will have you instantly falling in love.

Luxury Experience’s Love at First Sight  

Yield:                One Cocktail

Glass Used:      Tulip Wine Glass

Method: Chill wine glass and set aside. Add all ingredients to a large metal shaker, and 4 ice cubes, and shake hard until can is frosty. Strain into glass and garnish with a lime wheel.

Luxury Experience’s Dinero incorporates key Mexican ingredients – paQuí Silvera Tequila, avocado, lime juice, cilantro, agave syrup, and is rounded out with Cynar and coconut milk for body and balance. The inspiration for the name of this tasty cocktail is that health is money, dinero in Spanish, and the avocado provides B-Vitamins, Vitamin C, Vitamin E, folic acid, potassium, and fiber. While Dinero is not a health drink, it does contain healthful elements.

Luxury Experience’s Dinero

Yield:                Two Cocktails
Glass Used:      Rocks Glass

Method: Mix all ingredients in a blender until smooth. Pour into a rocks glass filled with ice. Garnish with a slice of avocado and cilantro leaves.

Mangoes and roses are important to Mexican culture, which was the inspiration for the refreshing cocktail, Luxury Experience’s Mango Muse made with paQui Silvera Tequila, Rhum Clement Creole Shrubb, fresh mango, mango nectar, red rose petals, lemon juice, and agave syrup.

Luxury Experience’s Mango Muse  

Glass Used:      Margarita Glass

Yield:                One Cocktail

Method: Chill a Margarita glass and set aside. Add all ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth. Pour into chilled glass and garnish with a rose petal.

The most famous tequila cocktail is the Margarita, and Luxury Experience’s Margarita delectable version is made with paQuí Silvera Tequila, Grand Marnier, lime juice, and agave syrup.  

Luxury Experience’s Margarita  

Glass Used:      Margarita Glass

Yield:                One Cocktail

Method: Chill Margarita glass and set aside. To salt or not to salt, is your preference. To salt the rim, place kosher salt on a plate, use a small lime wedge to wet the outside rim of the glass, and gently roll the wet rim in the salt. Rim the outside of the glass to prevent salt from falling into the glass.

In a large metal shaker can, add paQuí Silvera Tequila, Grand Marnier, lime juice, agave syrup, and ice cubes. Shake hard until metal is frosty and ice is incorporated. Strain into Margarita glass and garnish with a lime wheel.

The Culinary Recipes

Luxury Experience’s Chilled Avocado Cream Soup
with Caramelized Tequila Shrimp

Luxury Experience’s Chilled Avocado Cream Soup with Caramelized Tequila Shrimp is an easy to make, delicious starter, that may be made several hours ahead or overnight to allow the flavors to meld.

Luxury Experience’s Chilled Avocado Cream Soup with Caramelized Tequila Shrimp

Yield: 4 Servings (4 ounces each)

Ingredients for the Soup:

Method for the Soup: Bring chicken stock to a boil. Add minced garlic and remove from heat. Let rest for 5 minutes to cool the stock and temper the garlic. Add all ingredients to a food processor or blender and puree until smooth. Pour into a bowl, place avocado pit in the soup to keep the color fresh, and cover. Chill for several hours or overnight to let the flavors meld.

Ingredients for the Shrimp:

Method for the Caramelized Shrimp: In a sauté pan, melt butter over medium-high heat; add shrimp, and quickly sauté until shrimp are pink. Remove shrimp from pan and set aside. Add sugar to the sauté pan, and when sugar just starts to caramelize, add shrimp and shake to coat. Add tequila and carefully ignite with a long match to flambé the shrimp, and step back.

Note: Use extreme caution when flambéing, keep pan away from updrafts or fans as flames will rise, and will self-extinguish as the alcohol burns off.

Finishing Ingredients:

Presentation: Fold in diced tomatoes into chilled soup. Pour soup into 4 chilled Margarita glasses. Place 3 shrimp on the rim of each glass, and garnish soup with minced cilantro leaves.

Luxury Experience’s Margarita Cheesecake is a creamy, rich, and smooth dessert that allows you have your cake and “drink” it, too.

Luxury Experience’s Margarita Cheesecake

Ingredients for the Crust:

Preheat oven to 350º F (177º C).

Method for the Crust: Lightly spray with vegetable oil, or grease a 12” springform pan and line it with parchment paper. Gently press the crust mixture on the bottom of the pan and ½” up the side of the pan. Set aside.

Ingredients for the Cheesecake Filling:

Method for the Cheesecake: Add all ingredients to a food processor and blend until incorporated. Carefully pour mixture over the crust. Bake for approximately 50 minutes or until tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from oven and let cool at room temperature, then refrigerate for several hours or overnight.

Ingredients for the Margarita Topping:

The topping is a classic Margarita with the addition of agar agar to set the cocktail.

Method for the Margarita Topping: In a large metal shaker can, add paQuí Silvera Tequila, Grand Marnier, lime juice, agave syrup, and ice cubes. Shake hard until metal is frosty and ice is incorporated.

Add liquid and agar agar to a small saucepan and let rest for 15 minutes. Bring mixture to a boil and boil for 5 minutes to dissolve the agar agar. Remove the springform and the parchment from the cheesecake sides and bottom. Place on a serving plate and carefully pour the “cooked” Margarita over the top of the cheesecake. Decorate with lime slices and sprinkle lime zest to garnish. Chill until serving time.

For information on where to purchase paQuí Silvera Tequila please visit the website: www.paQuiTequila.com.

paQuí Silvera Tequila

Imported by:

Tequila Holdings, Inc.
221 E. Walnut Street, Suite 100

Pasadena, California 91101
United States

Telephone: +1-626-683-3123

Fax:            +1-626-83-3124
Website:    www.paQuiTequila.com 

© June 2010. Luxury Experience. www.LuxuryExperience.com All rights reserved.