Award-Winning Chef Eric Ripert Recommends Pairing Casa Dragones Tequila with Chocolate at Sixth Annual Great Chefs Dinner

NEW YORK, Aug. 16 /PRNewswire/ -- Casa Dragones solidifies its position as the beloved tequila of the culinary industry, as renowned chefs such as Eric Ripert of The New York Times four-star restaurant Le Bernardin praise the 100% Blue Agave Joven sipping tequila and pair it with food.  "[I could have] dark chocolate and Casa Dragones every night," says Ripert. "It is delicious, very refined, light, with a tiny bit of citrus flavor."

On Sunday, August 8th, Casa Dragones was the exclusive tequila poured at the sixth annual Great Chefs Dinner in Bridgehampton, New York, where guests including Richard Gere, Carrie Lowell, Jon Bon Jovi and Star Jones enjoyed dishes from celebrated chefs Tom Colicchio (Craft, Colicchio & Sons) Laurent Tourondel (Brasserie Ruhlmann), Marc Meyer (Cookshop, Five Points, Hundred Acres) and Ripert, who suggests sipping the tequila with chocolate.

The only spirit paired with the four-course meal, Casa Dragones was poured for the dessert course, which was created by pastry chefs Miche Bacher of Sacred Sweets and Emily Wallenjack of Cookshop.  Inspired by the tequila's subtle vanilla and citrus notes, Bacher prepared a specialty cookie plate that included vanilla ginger sables and pecan shortbread.  "Upon tasting [Casa Dragones], my first instinct was not to go with something heavy," Bacher said.  "The tequila's finish is very delicate, very smooth and very simple."

To watch a brief video of the Great Chefs Dinner featuring Ripert's and Bacher's thoughts on pairing food with Casa Dragones, please visit http://casadragones.com/great-chefs-dinner-dessert-pairing/ or Casa Dragones' Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/CasaDragones.

Since its United States debut in 2009, Casa Dragones has earned praise from well-known chefs, top sommeliers and tequila aficionados for its distinctive taste, aroma and body that reflect the care and precision that go into its production.  Casa Dragones has also been selected by Men's Journal as a Best New Product of the Year and recommended by Martha Stewart as a luxury gift for the 2009 holiday season.

CASA DRAGONES

Handcrafted in small batches in Tequila, Mexico, Casa Dragones is a 100% Blue Agave Joven tequila made with an innovative process to be exceptionally smooth – so smooth that it can only be called a sipping tequila. Co-founded in 2009 by Bob Pittman, a former AOL Time Warner COO and a founder of MTV and Pilot Group, and CEO Bertha Gonzalez Nieves, Casa Dragones is made with meticulous attention to detail and a commitment to perfecting this one style of limited edition sipping tequila only. The brand's Maestro Tequilero individually selects the finest blue agave plants and hand-finishes each bottle by gently balancing platinum tequila with a hint of extra anejo. Each bottle is handcrafted from pure, lead-free crystal and individually engraved, hand-labeled, numbered and signed. Casa Dragones is available at select retailers and premiere restaurants and bars in New York, New Jersey, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Miami and Las Vegas and nationwide at http://casadragones.com/.

SOURCE Casa Dragones