Mixology 101: Bartending Basics with Jaret Peña

After a nearly two-year tenure at The Esquire Tavern with a James Beard Foundation nod for Outstanding Bar Program under his belt, San Antonio native Jeret Peña was named a Rising Star Mixologist by StarChefs.com and ended 2012 stepping out on his own – opening his first watering hole to critical acclaim with an all-star staff handpicked from the best bartenders at Le Midi, The Esquire Tavern, and the Culinary Institute of America’s Nao restaurant.

Located at 516 Brooklyn Avenue between downtown and the Pearl Brewery, The Brooklynite’s moniker comes from a classic variation of the daiquiri cocktail made with Angostura bitters, honey, Jamaican rum, and lime.

We had the opportunity to belly up to the bar at the blue collar chic hotspot, and with elbows atop the zinc countertop, sipped house-made ginger beer between craft cocktails while talking shop with Peña.

Although he says the Negroni is his drink of choice, he credits touting tequila for paving the way to his present-day success. Turning the page back about a half-dozen years, it all began when his budding bartending career led him to a brand ambassador post with Partida Tequila.

Next, talking tequila…

TLK: How did you become passionate about creating cocktails?

JP: While working with Partida Tequila for two years, I got to travel around Texas and other parts of the country, meeting other bartenders. I saw there was a huge thing going on in the cocktail world. Then what really changed things for me was meeting Bobby Heugel (from Anvil Bar and Refuge in Houston). Seeing his passion, and learning the technique and history behind it all made me realize: I don’t know anything about cocktails! I started researching drinks, cross-referencing web pages, and following Bobby and other bartenders like Eric Castro, who owns Polite Provisions in San Diego.

TLK: Where would you steer an aspiring mixologist to start doing their research?

JP: The book Imbibe by David Wondrich – the foremost resource about cocktail history, and Vintage Spirits and Forgotten Cocktails by Ted Haigh, which features 100 classic recipes and the stories behind them. Online, tips from Jeffrey Morgenthaler in Portland and video tutorials from Robert Hess of drinkboy.com are really useful. Tequila.net is a great source for brushing up on your tequila knowledge.

TLK: Speaking of tequila, what are a few you recommend?

JP: Fortaleza Reposado is fantastic, amazing – the best reposado that I’ve ever had. It really got me back into loving really good tequila. It has the almost-pure agave notes you expect from a blanco tequila with a softness that comes from the aging of the oak.

For an anejo tequila, I recommend Siembra Azul. It’s produced in small-batches and owned by the proprietor of a Mexican restaurant in Philadelphia who also heads up a tequila interchange program – promoting tequila and bringing light to the plight of agave harvesters.

And for a budget-friendly brand, Cimarron Tequila Blanco is a good choice. Don’t let the label fool you, it’s 100 percent blue agave and surprisingly smooth.

There’s no better way to lubricate your spring soirees from St. Patrick’s Day through Cinco de Mayo than with tequila. Peña provided a recipe for a peculiar potion from The Brooklynite lineup that will get your guests talking once you reveal the star ingredient: Truffle oil.

Next, a truffled tequila cocktail recipe…

Shroomingway

• 1/2 ounce Truffled tequila 
• 3/4 ounce Grapefruit Juice
• 1/2 ounce Maraschino Liqueur  
• 1/2 ounce Squeezed Lime

Get the full recipe.