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gion’s awesome food and drink culture, these good friends decided they had to try to find a way to share their love for finely-crafted authentic tequila with the rest of the world.
From Baja, they ventured to Jalisco, tequila’s spiritual home and birthplace and, under the guidance of master distiller Fuentes, a.k.a. the “godfather of tequila,” immersed themselves into the art and science of this country’s signature spirit.
“I think for us it’s all about authenticity and the crafts- manship that goes into this,” said Varvatos. “That’s why leaning on Arturo was so important. He has so much care in every step of the process and we brought a lot of passion and attention to detail to the brand vision but also to the bottle itself and obviously getting the liquid right.”
In Jalisco, the pair got a master class in tasting, blending, and learning what it takes to make the perfect flavour profile, so that Villa One could reflect their longstanding commitment to quality and craft. When it comes to tequila, that means harvesting mature agave that’s been in the ground soaking up the sun and terroir for years, slow-cooking the piña (the heart of the agave) to bring out all its natural sweetness, and then distilling it — twice — to capture its purest essence.
“It all really set us up to have a great experience and enjoy the ride but also made us get serious so we could make what we believe is best in class,” recalled Jonas.
FOOD : GUIDE
ANNE PETERSEN IS THE EDITOR
OF LEGENDARY DINNERS: FROM GRACE KELLY TO JACKSON POLLOCK
She tells Sharp what makes for a legendary dinner, and why the book is striking a chord in 2021
First off, what makes a dinner “legendary”?
There are just certain parties that become really iconic. For example, Grace Kelly’s wedding was the first that was very well documented, because it was filmed. Or there’s Truman Capote’s Black and White Ball. The guest list was a masterpiece; everyone in New York was scared of not being invited. And then there are also those special occa- sions where you can really feel the changing times, like John F. Kennedy’s visit to Germany, or the dinner celebrat- ing Apollo 11 and the first man on the moon.
Over time, have we lost some of the “art of entertaining”?
It seems people used to have more fantasy about really big parties. They made such an effort. For example, the in- vitations for the Bauhaus parties in Dessau were art piec- es. The parties were so full of creativity and costumes.
It makes a difference to go the extra mile, and I think this is something the book shows: don’t take it so seriously and don’t be afraid of being a little bit kitsch. Just go for it.
Legendary Dinners is already a bestseller in Germany. Does it owe any of its success to the times we’re living in?
I think there’s some nostalgia, yes. It’s funny; people had orgies in Germany in the Middle Ages after the plague was gone. Humans are interested in humans, and it’s in our nature to want to be together. There is a nostalgia [for parties] and yearning for people. [Legendary Dinners] is a cookbook, but it also allows you to travel somewhere in your mind. It takes you somewhere.
PUBLISHED BY PRESTEL, LEGENDARY DINNERS: FROM GRACE KELLY TO JACKSON POLLOCK IS AVAILABLE IN NORTH AMERICA AS OF APRIL 20.
SPRING 2021 SHARPMAGAZINE.COM 39
ALTHOUGH A LOVE FOR HIGH-QUALITY CRAFT TEQUILA
runs deep for both Varvatos and Jonas, the latter has a special reason for choosing it above other spirits:
“Tequila has always been my go-to spirit. For me, as a person living with Type 1 diabetes, I feel like it was a natural fit given the low-calorie, carb, and sugar intake. And the taste was something I was really drawn to. Once I started understanding the process of distilling and making the tequila, my interest grew exponentially.”