From 7 to 10 p.m. Thursday, July 23, the eve of National Tequila Day, Gaspar's Grotto will host its Hecho En Mexico Festival, set to mix premium tequila and mezcal samples with appearances from noted whizzes on agave products.
Hecho En Mexico, or "Made in Mexico," will showcase dozens of high-end Mexican spirits as guests down hors d'oeuvres and groove to live tunes. A People's Choice award will also be presented to the event's cocktail challenge winner.
During the unlimited tasting festivities, which costs $30 online in advance and $40 at the door, German Gonzalez, master distiller for T1 Tequila Uno and Tears of Llorona, will be on site.
In the late '70s, German's father, Guillermo Gonzalez Diaz Lombardo — who taught German how to make tequila through traditional techniques — established Chinaco as the first small-batch, ultra-premium tequila brand imported into the United States, according to a news release.
Jim Lannon of Pinellas Park, a former executive chef and bar manager, will join German. Promoting agave spirits around Florida, the native New Jerseyan runs TotallyTequila (Tampa Bay), a local Facebook page dedicated to the spirit.
