Story
The quest for the best tequila is a journey that involves dedication, passion, and a deep appreciation for the craft.
25 YEARS IN THE MAKING
Bob Potter opened the first tequila bar in Connecticut 25 years ago after a visit to San Diego in 1998. A friend took him to Old Town where they ate at a restaurant serving over 300 tequilas, the majority of which he never heard of. After trying some great tequila at the waiter’s suggestion, he bought a few bottles, drinking one of them on the flight back with other passengers. It was then that he thought of the idea to open a tequila bar and educate people on tequila. This was done by offering tequila samplers, innovative cocktails, hosting tequila dinners and arranging tours to Mexico to visit different distilleries. The idea caught on.
A PARTNERSHIP IS FORMED
Cecilia Shea at the time was working at the tequila bar and was a big catalyst in helping get the tequila project rolling. It started with an informal conversation with Cecilia when she suggested “you should do your own Tequila”, then quickly corrected herself, “WE should do a tequila”. Her tequila knowledge and appreciation for quality tequila made her the perfect partner. Taking that into consideration, I started looking into distillery options. Initial results weren’t very positive, but then two years ago, I called her up and said “are you ready to make a tequila?” She said “ Yes”
A JOURNEY OF 150 TEQUILAS
We finally decided to do a Tequila after we saw numerous brands come out using additives and relying on marketing. We wanted to do an additive free tequila, using traditional methods and 6-7 year old Agave. Over the course of a year, we tried over 150 different blanco tequilas, notating each one, ranking them and narrowing down what we wanted in a flavor profile.
TRUE APPRECIATION
As a result, Bob Potter decided to only sell verified additive free tequila brands at his restaurant, Prime 16 in New Haven. Being the first in Connecticut to serve only verified, additive free tequila meant eliminating a lot of popular brands. “People need to know what tequila is supposed to taste like, it shouldn’t taste like vanilla frosting or cake”. Cecilia and Bob work on educating people so they have a true appreciation for the spirit.
Our Tequila is open air fermented and only produced certain times of the year. We are a true small batch Tequila.
