Gets Its Own - Rojo Mexican Grill

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By Sarah Howard
The popular Mexican restaurant in West End has been open
nearly two years. In that time, they’ve sold enough tequila to be offered a
chance to create their own blend of the popular alcohol — an honor often
saved for only those in Las Vegas, Los Angeles and New York.
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theshopsatwestend.com
We were
Flattered!
This is
something
that only
happens to
restaurants
in Las Vegas
and Los
Angeles.
In the short time Rojo Mexican Grill has been open,
the restaurant has become a top-seller of tequila in the
state. With 100 brands of tequila at its bar, the restaurant
already has one of the largest selections of the popular
liquor in the Twin Cities. And because of the high
volume of tequila Rojo sells, the restaurant was offered
the chance to expand its tequila selection even further.
In fall 2011, manager Adam Lehr was contacted by his
liquor representative with a special opportunity: the
chance to go to Mexico to custom design a barrel
(or 240 bottles, or 64 gallons) of the restaurant’s
own unique tequila.
Lehr, along with front-of-house manager Matt Linse,
headed off to Casa Herradura, a family-owned distillery
known for creating Herradura Tequila that is located
in the Tequila region of Jalisco, Mexico (the only place
in the world where true tequila is made). There, they
tasted every type of tequila, rode donkeys out into the
agave fields, talked to the agave farmers and met family
members at the distillery. “This was a once-in-a-lifetime
experience,” said Lehr. “I really felt like part of their
family. They really taught me so much.”
The tequila-making process is a mystery to many. It’s
labor intensive and is an intricate process. “Before going
on this trip, I understood tequila, but I never knew the
process in this much detail,” Lehr says. “To see tequilamaking at every stage was eye-opening.”
photos
Left: Rojo’s Reposdo Tequila
Above: Agave field at Casa Herradura
Right: Matt Linse and Adam Lehr with one
of the field workers at Casa Herradura
theshopsatwestend.com
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Unique Liquors
Found Around The
Shops at West End
Rojo’s tequila isn’t the only unique booze on the
block. From unique labels to creative cocktails,
the liquor options at The Shops at West End
allow for creativity and fun!
2 Gingers
A new whiskey hits the block
The infamous Big Ginger got a remake when
Kieran Folliard, former owner of Kieran’s and
The Local in downtown Minneapolis and
Cooper in The Shops at West End, unveiled his
own brand of whiskey in time for 2011’s St. Patrick’s
Day. The Irish whiskey is aged in barrels for four
years and is only distilled twice, as opposed to the
traditional three times, so the citrus and caramel
flavorings stand out. At first, the Irish whiskey was poured
only at his restaurants. Now the liquor is entering the off-sale
world. In late 2011, Folliard’s 2 Gingers became available in
liquor stores across Minnesota. Of course, it’s still available
in such drinks as the famous Big Ginger (which is 2 oz. of
whiskey in ginger ale and garnished with a lemon and lime)
at Folliard’s restaurants, but now you can enjoy it in your
home as well. 2gingerswhiskey.com
Coppola
An Oscar-winner’s tie to The Shops at West End
Wine is an important sidekick to many dishes. But
it is arguably most important with Italian meals.
That’s why, when investigating wines for Sopranos
Kitchen, the management was mindful of having
a good, buzz worthy house pour to complement
its tasty, succulent dishes. The answer came in
Coppola wine. And yes, it’s associated with that
Coppola. You know, the Italian, Oscar-winning
director Francis Ford Coppola. Soprano’s house
selection of Coppola wine comes from Francis
Coppola Winery in California and is available in
white (Bianco) and red (Rosso) varieties for $8 per
glass or $31 per bottle (with half-priced bottles on
Thursdays). The wine is stored in a temperate wine cellar
and general manager Julie Blanton says that the restaurant
goes through about one barrel of Rossa every week and
one barrel of Bianco every two to three weeks.
Crave’s Creations
Craveworthy cocktails abound at this popular restaurant
The high-end, popular restaurant is well known
for its chic décor and its meat and sushi options,
but it also offers an array of signature cocktails
and martinis found only at Crave. The Crave
Creations list features seven custom-made drinks
and featured tequila, vodka and rum-based drinks,
including the Prickly Pear Margarita, Corpse Reviver
and the Torched Mojito. And given the restaurant’s
sushi options, there is, of course, sake to complement.
Their seven sake choices can be bought by the glass or
bottle – pick your poison.
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The process of making tequila starts with blue agave
plants, which take anywhere from eight to 10 years to fully
ripen. When the plants are ripe, the leaves are stripped
and the core (which can weigh upwards of 80 pounds) of
the plant is used. The cores are then cut and roasted in a
distillery, where the starches turn to sugar. A press then
squeezes the juice from the core and this juice is brought
to fermentation tanks. Yeast is added and the juice
ferments for about two days and is distilled two or three
more times.
At this point in the process, the alcohol is a silver tequila,
or tequila blanco, which is used for cocktails and shots.
Often, the alcohol is moved to oak barrels for about two
months. After this aging process, the tequila is known
as Oro or gold tequila, which is used to make margaritas
and other tequila-based cocktails. Reposado (or rested)
tequila is aged up to one year and is considered a sipping
tequila, due to its smooth taste and flavor.
“There are so many different flavor families when it comes
to tequila,” Lehr said. “We really got to try the flavor
profiles and taste tequila in every process, and I consider
myself an expert in tequila now!”
So after all of that tequila tasting, what did Lehr and Linse
decide on? The Rojo tequila is a Repasado, or an easy
drinking tequila that is aged six months. “We wanted a
flavor as smooth as possible,” he said. “One that every
guest would enjoy.”
The tequila has, of course, become Rojo’s house pour.
It can be enjoyed straight up as a shot or in Rojo’s
Herradura Double Barreled Reposado Coinstyle
Margarita — a unique cocktail that features a blend
of Rojo’s own tequila, Brazilian orange liqueur, agave
nectar and Rojo’s signature margarita mix. This drink
complements the multiple tequila-based cocktails and
margaritas on Rojo’s already extensive drink list.
photos
Left: Inside the tasting room at Casa Herradura Middle: Adam and his
transportation through the agave fields Top Right: Rojo’s Reposado Seal from Casa
Herradura Bottom Right: Rojo’s own bottle of Reposado Tequila
And, according to Lehr, having your own
personalized tequila is quite an honor.
“We were flattered,” he said, adding that
not many restaurants in the Midwest sell
enough tequila to be offered this type
of opportunity. “This is something that
only happens to restaurants in Las Vegas
and Los Angeles.”
And Rojo is taking this opportunity to
really showcase the new tequila, as well as
the additional tequila options at Rojo. Lehr
says the restaurant hopes to finish their
personal barrel in a year to have a new
batch of Rojo Tequila created every year as
an annual tradition. “It’d be great to make
it an annual thing and to change up the
flavor every year,” Lehr said.
And the tequila has hit Rojo at the perfect
time. Cinco de Mayo is on a Saturday
in 2012, and Rojo has quite the party
planned. On the Mexican holiday, which
honors Mexican culture and celebrates
freedom and democracy during the
American Civil War, Rojo will host an
outdoor, day-long block party with
drink specials, food and music – plus
the opportunity to celebrate Rojo’s own
blend of tequila.
So make your reservation today to try
Rojo’s Reposado tequila in a cocktail or
on its own and experience a one-of-a-kind,
smooth drink.
Rojo de Mayo
Rojo Mexican Grill is
excited to host their
second annual Cinco de Mayo Fiesta
on Saturday, May 5.
Rojo’s Cinco de Mayo
event was a huge success last year, so this year
they’re taking it to the streets
with an all-day block party. The
fiesta will feature local musicians
playing traditional Mexican favorites and a DJ to help keep the
margaritas flowing. Hornitos
Tequila will be in house sampling tequilas
and giving out prizes. Rojo’s food truck will
be on hand to provide street tacos for block
party guests, and multiple margarita stations and Dos Equis will be serving all event
long. Doors open at 11 a.m., and the party
goes until midnight.
Rojo will host Tequila Tasting and Tequila
101 classes leading up to Saturday the 5th of
May or as they call it, Rojo de Mayo. Classes
start at 5 p.m. and run every Wednesday
from April 4 through May 2. Classes are
hosted by Rojo’s in-house tequila experts,
who will sample traditional and new tequilas.
Rojo is also taking reservations
for their second
Tequila Dinner, a perfect
outing for date night or a group of friends.
This year they are bringing in the U.S. Ambassador from Herradura Tequila to help
with the tastings and to share fascinating
tequila stories.
All events are open to the public. For more
information, contact Rojo Mexican Grill at
(952) 657-5385, visit the restaurant, go to
www.rojomexicangrill.com, or find them
on facebook.
theshopsatwestend.com
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