Tequila, which must be made in the Mexican state of Jalisco, isn’t often considered a hometown spirit in the Northwest, but Papa Bueno is making a bid to be known as the Seattle tequila. Founded by Scott Greenburg, a Seattle-based attorney, the company has become a tight-knit, family-and-friends-run operation that controls Papa Bueno’s distillation process as well as importation and distribution in Seattle and surrounding areas (a reach likely to widen in the near future). The group is focused not just on supplying a high-quality product, but on cultivating the fun that comes with it. Papa Bueno’s Cinco de Mayo launch party was a laid-back, grin-inducing event at MAKERS coworking space near Pike Place Market, complete with ceviche, cocktails, a shot (er—sample) bar (plus shotskis!), and tons of metallic tattoos.
The tequilas themselves are made in Antotonilco El Alto, about an hour and a half from Guadalajara in the famed tequila state of Jalisco, using 100 percent agave and cooking in traditional brick ovens before entering the still. The añejo result, after aging for one year, is a smooth, honeyed, versatile distillate tying in nuances of smoke and oak alike, the interplay of which makes for a complex finish. Experiment with switching it out for other spirits in riffs on the Manhattan, the Cuba Libre, and if you’re feeling adventurous, even the Negroni.
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