Meet the Winning Tequila Cocktail From the Mi Campo Live Louder Showcase

Earlier this summer, The Daily Pour joined forces with Mi Campo Tequila for the Live Louder Showcase, a curated cocktail series that put out the call to New York City’s finest bartenders and mixologists. The prompt was simple: Create a signature recipe with Mi Campo Blanco or Reposado, shoot a video and speak from the heart.

Eight bartenders from across New York City were accepted into the finals on a balmy September day, where it quickly became apparent that speaking from the heart can take many, many forms.

Lena Bicakci from the Lower East Side’s Champagne Problems paid homage to her Turkish roots with an unorthodox blend of banana liqueur, rosemary-pepper juice and pickled turnips (the totally odd, and totally delicious “Madame Campo”). Carlos Flores of Astoria’s Diamond Dogs zagged in a similarly savory direction, reimagining the El Salvadorian pupusa by way of cheese-washed tequila, carrot liqueur, masa-horchata foam and a hand-carved tropical bird stirrer (“El Guanaco,” one of several cocktails that tasted like an entree in a glass). Other creations combined everything from pineapple and cilantro to oat milk and passionfruit.

By the end of the night, a clear favorite emerged. Octavio Medina walked away with the grand prize for his “Herencia Mexicana,” a vibrantly hued cocktail that nailed the tricky balance between recognizable tequila influence and in-your-face, out-there flavors.

Herencia Mexicana — Spanish for Mexican Heritage — announces its intentions right off the bat. The base of the recipe blends blanco tequila, lime, elderflower liqueur and a housemade nopal cactus puree, a nod to one of Mexico’s enduring culinary staples. Next comes the neon-pink foam, made from a combo of dragon fruit and a chile paisilla liqueur distilled in the Sierra Norte mountains of Oaxaca. The glass is rimmed with a generous serving of sal de gusano — worm salt made from roasted and ground agave moth larvae — and garnished with a dried corn husk.

“My intention was to create something authentically Mexican, but at the same time, make it look beautiful and taste delicious without losing my essence as a Mexican and a drink maker… I was about to say mixologist, but honestly, I hate that term,” Octavio told us with a laugh after the competition.

Octavio has worked in the New York hospitality scene since 2003, enlisting as a barback at an asian fusion restaurant in Chinatown and eventually launching his own “Fiesta Culture” mobile bar for small events and family celebrations. These days, he slings cocktails at Ruta Oaxaca in Astoria, Queens, where signature drinks like the Guelaguetza (mezcal, orange, tamarind, lime) are served alongside heaping piles of molé enchiladas.

For the Herencia Mexicana, Octavio drew from the flavors of his childhood. Cactus pads, dragon fruit and tamale husks; a combination of green, red and white that almost resembles the Mexican flag if you squint your eyes hard enough. Honors were also paid to Octavio’s grandfather, a role model who pulled triple duty as a farmer, musician and master pulquero — a maker of pulque, the fermented agave beverage that precedes tequila and mezcal by over 2,000 years.

Sadly, the Herencia Mexicana won’t be finding a permanent home on the Ruta Oaxaca menu. But that doesn’t mean it’s gone forever.

Attendees at this year’s Arte Agave NYC will have a chance to meet Octavio and try his showcase-winning drink, which will be up for grabs alongside over 100 premium tequilas and mezcals, authentic culinary creations, live music and folkloric performances. The event is touching down on October 1 and October 2 at The Bowery Hotel in downtown Manhattan. If you haven’t grabbed tickets already, it’s not too late!

Try The Herencia Mexicana For Yourself At Arte Agave NYC