Disney World’s Food and Wine Festival: Mexican Tequila Lunch Review
Brian and I try to go to Disney World every year during their annual Food and Wine Festival which runs from last August to mid November. We try to do one “special thing” every year besides the regular tasting around the world of the many delicious food booths. This year, we decided to splurge and do the Mexican Tequila Lunch, which is one of the many up-charge events during the Food and Wine Festival.
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Location and Cost
The Mexican Tequila Lunch was held in the Mexico Pavilion in Epcot at La Hacienda de San Angel. The lunch was being held on select Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays throughout the festival from noon to 1:30pm. The cost was $85 per person and included a four-course Mexican inspired meal as well as tastings of several tequila varieties. We arrived at La Hacienda de San Angel and checked in and were greeted with a cucumber margarita, yum!
At first, we were worried that $85 per person seemed a little steep for lunch, after all that’s $170 for both of us and that would surely buy a very nice meal at California Grill! However, when we sat down and saw the sheer amount of liquor in front of us, we both figured that this was going to be worth it!
As we sipped on our cucumber margaritas we were introduced to our tequila ambassador, Hilda Castillo, who would lead us on our tour of tequila over the next 1.5 hours. Hilda was extremely knowledgeable and truly passionate about what she does. Hilda explained to us the origin of tequila, how tequila is made and how to properly sip tequila.
First Course and Tasting: Heart of Palm Salad with Tequila Milagro Select Barrel Blanco
Our first course was a heart of palm salad with mache lettuce, baby arugula, roasted pineapple, pine nuts, and a Mezcal vinaigrette. This was paired with the Tequila Milagro Select Barrel Blanco. Before we drank it, we cleansed our palate with a sip of vodka, which actually did soften the tequila a bit. The salad was light and refreshing and the bite of the arugula paired well with the blanco tequila.
Second Course: Grilled Octopus with Casa Noble Cava Select Reposada Tequila
The second course was octopus, marinated in ancho and served on a black mole sauce, butternut squash puree, and grilled cactus leaves. Sounds pretty strange right? Well, it was delicious! We paired it with the Casa Noble Cava Select Reposada Tequila which is aged slightly longer than the previous tequila blanco.
Main Course: Beef Tenderloin with Tequila Ambhar Añejo
The main course was a tender beef tenderloin topped with poblano cream sauce, plantain puree, and fingerling potato chips. This one was paired with the Tequila Ambhar Añejo which has some coffee and chocolate notes. Before we moved onto dessert, we tried Mezcal El Senorio Joven, it had a very smoky taste which I didn’t really care for.
Dessert Course: Mamey Flan with Avion Espresso Tequila
Lastly, for dessert, we had mamey flan with blackberry coulis and almond dust. This was paired with Avion Espresso Tequila Liquor which was my favorite of all the tequilas we tasted! I thought it paired very well with the dessert.
If you’re looking for something different aside from the usual beer and wine tastings, I would highly recommend this tequila tasting. The food was outstanding and one of my favorite parts was learning about all of the different tequilas. We will definitely be looking for this on the schedule for next year!
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