Episode 17: Tequila, Tahonas & Terroir with Jesse Estes of Tequila Ocho (Part 2)

The Cottonmouth Club Presents: Bars, Bar Culture, Cocktails & Spirits

In this episode, Tequila Ocho Global Brand Ambassador Jesse Estes joins us to talk all about agave spirits, diving specifically into Tequila! This isn’t your average tequila talk—our topics range from the two categories of Tequila and the process of making Tequila Ocho to “What is a diffuser and why is it controversial?”
There is something for both experts and neophytes in this, the second of our two-part conversation with Jesse Estes. Stay tuned for Part Two.
In the meantime, check out our other Spirit School entries on our website (https://thecottonmouthclubpresents.com), or browse conversation with some of the world’s best bar professionals in our Masterclass Series.
Jesse Estes is a London-based spirits educator, author, and former award-winning bartender. He has worked behind the bar at establishments like The Lonsdale, Green & Red, All Star Lanes, CalloohCallay, and The Luggage Room, as well as performing guest bartending shifts around the world. He has won a number of cocktail competitions and regularly acts as a judge and chairman for various cocktail competitions and spirits awards including the Drinks International's International Spirit Challenge and the Tequila Masters.

In 2013, Jesse developed the bar program for London's first 'agavería' – a bar specializing in Agave Spirits – El Nivel. That same year, Jesse was named one of London's Best Bartenders by the Huffington Post. He is often consulted as an expert on agave spirits, and has been interviewed or featured in publications such as: Imbibe, Esquire, Shortlist, Spirits Business, Forbes and Drinks International, among others. In 2019, Jesse was one of the first people to sit the WSET Level 3 in Spirits, which he passed with Merit.

Jesse is now the Global Brand Ambassador for Tequila Ocho and can be found leading seminars, tastings, and masterclasses on tequila and other agave spirits across the world. He is also the author of two cocktail books, Tequila Beyond Sunrise and From Dram to Manhattan, and regularly contributes articles to trade publications. Jesse recently became the Agave Spirits Curator for Spirits Kiosk, a craft online spirits retailer directed at discerning drinkers.

Get in touch at [e-mail]
Weirdo-paced Banjo Tune: “East Virginia”

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1. Episode 17: Tequila, Tahonas & Terroir with Jesse Estes of Tequila Ocho (Part 2) (00:00:00)

2. The Two Categories of Tequila (00:01:53)

3. The Making of Tequila Ocho (00:03:11)

4. What do Brix measure? (00:04:05)

5. Natural Fermentation (00:05:52)

6. The flavor of dead yeast? (00:08:52)

7. Distillation (X2) (00:10:34)

8. ABV vs. Proof (00:12:04)

9. Shoutout to Tapatio 110 Still-Proof Tequila (00:14:23)

10. The Terroir of Water (00:14:53)

11. What “resting” a spirit does (00:16:53)

12. “All this knowing...” (00:20:18)

13. Diffusers & their controversy (00:23:23)

14. What does time give us? (00:27:59)

15. The Maker’s Sazon (00:32:16)

16. Five Questions for Five Agave Spirits (00:34:00)