Guest Blogger Pablo Agave: What the heck is agave?

Words and Wisdom from the esteemed Professor …
Hello everyone, Pablo here back again from a tour of my vast agave fields. It is my favorite time of the year because it is harvest season. It is that magical time when the air chills a little and the agave plants are eager to be picked and turned into amazing tequila. Of course only the best get chosen, a true tequila master can almost hear the plants call out and asked to be harvested. I figured this would be a great time to talk about the agave and its role in the making of tequila.

First of all there are over 130 species of agave plant found in Mexico, but only one The Agave Tequilana Weber Azul (Blue Agave) can be used to produce tequila. Many people believe that the agave is in the cactus family, but actually it is more closely related to the lily. Most agave plants that are used are in the ground for 8 to 10 years, sometimes more. Only a well trained Jimador can decide when the plant is ready for harvest.

So now that our expert Jimador has selected the best possible plants, what’s next? At this point, they cut off the protective leaves and dig out the oh-so-important Pina, or heart of the plant. Each Pina is cut out of the earth by hand using a spade like tool called a Coa. The Pinas then are cooked and the process of making tequila really begins. We will save that for another time, enough to say that the process of growing the agave and preparing it to make tequila is time and labor intensive. This is all the more reason to savor that amazing tequila once it finally gets to your table or bar. In fact the very word Tequila is said to come from the ancient Nahuatl word the “place of hard work” or “the place of harvest”.

At Salty we appreciate the hard work that goes into every bottle of luxury tequila we sell. Tequila although fun for shots and great in margaritas is a sophisticated spirit with a long and rich history. It is up to us to teach the rest of world about what a special libation tequila is. Of course not everyone wants a history lesson on the agave plant, but everyone appreciates a good story. Many places serve a good margarita and you go to a grocery store to get a good bottle of tequila. Only at Salty Senorita can you get a true tequila lover (that’s you) to infuse that passion and knowledge to every guest about the wonder of tequila. It is our mission to let the world know that we are experts and truly one of the great tequila restaurants in the world. Take time to learn on your own or let Pablo (that’s me) help you along.

People have been harvesting the agave plant for nearly 500 years. Let’s give that long history the credit it deserves and spread the good word and a little love about magical tequila.

Much love
Professor Pablo Agave

Salty's Annual Santa Brunch and Live Music Holiday Festival

CALENDAR ANNOUNCEMENT
Tuesday, October 13, 2009

THE REINDEER ARE ON STRIKE-SANTA CLAUS DROPS INTO
SALTY PEORIA BY HELICOPTER

Peoria Location Transformed into a Winter Wonderland with Real Snow during Salty’s Annual Santa Brunch; Sunday, Dec. 20 All Day Event


WHAT: Salty Senorita Peoria is announcing the arrival of a very special guest, Santa Claus! On Sunday, December 20th 2009 Salty Peoria’s Mexican Village will be transformed into a winter wonderland and will be welcoming guests to come and enjoy a delicious Sunday breakfast buffet and all day festivities for the whole family. Santa Claus will be arriving by helicopter in ‘Salty style’ and will be available for pictures and, of course, last minute gift requests. Good old St. Nick is expected to arrive from the “North Pole” at noon.

During the annual Santa Brunch and Holiday Festival guests can participate in the ginormous breakfast buffet, play in eight tons of real snow, adopt Fido from the Maricopa County Pet Adoption Bus and visit with Santa.

And, the fun isn’t just for the kiddos this year, Salty will be hosting a live music holiday festival directly following Santa’s departure, from 1pm-Midnight with live music from Nineball, Shallow Water, Metalhead and more! So stop by after your holiday shopping or make a night of it with friends. For more information about Salty Senorita visit http://www.saltysenorita.com/.


WHEN: Sunday, December 20th
10:00 a.m. – Midnight
Santa Claus Arriving at Noon

WHERE: Peoria
8011 W Paradise Ln
Peoria, Arizona
623.979.GUAC

MEDIA CONTACT: Lauren Smith, Director of Marketing at Anthem Restaurants, 480.421.0500 or via email at lsmith@anthemrestaurants.com.

ABOUT SALTY SENORITA
Salty Senorita Fresh Mexican Cantina has four locations across the Valley and is known for its quality of service and attention to detail. A leader in margarita ingenuity, Salty features 51 handcrafted margaritas in its signature drink book, 51 BLUE, and houses over 101 premium Blue Agave tequilas. Salty Senorita offers patrons an array of special events from its Margarita Mechanics Classes® to Diego’s Gospel Brunch every Sunday morning. For more information visit http://www.saltysenorita.com/.


For media inquiries, photographs and recipes or to set up an interview with John Casale, founder of Anthem Restaurants of America contact:
Lauren Smith I mailto:daniel@pastichepr.com I 480.421.0500
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Win A Trip To Rocky Point!

Salty Senorita has teamed up with Miller Chill, Sea Side Reservation and Re/Max Legacy of Rocky Point to give away a trip to Rocky Point...Check Out The Official Sneak Peek Press Release below:

P R E S S R E L E A S E

Contact: Lauren Smith / 480.421.0500/ lsmith@anthemrestaurants.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Salty’s Go Seaside…
Welcome Back To Rocky Point

ARIZONA (October 13th, 2009) –Salty Senorita, Sea Side Reservations and Re/Max Legacy of Rocky Point Mexico have partnered to send Valley residents on vacations south of the border!

Every Friday night, November 6th through November 27th, all Salty Senorita will be giving away an amazing Sea Side Reservation Vacation Package to their resorts in Rocky Point, Mexico. Each trip is for two adults and includes a 3 day 2 night stay in luxury accommodations and more. Even if you don’t win the big trip you are still a winner at Salty! On every entry form there is a tear off secret discount code for 15% off your next trip to Rocky Point via Sea Reservations, the Rocky Point Experts at www.seasidemexico.com.

The concept of Salty Senorita was inspired by little beach towns like Rocky Point, Mexico and Salty is eager to help Valley residents experience an amazing vacation as well as encourage tourism to such a relaxing destination. The residents of Rocky Point, valley residents with second homes in Rocky Point, Re/Max Legacy, The Rocky Point Times, Rocky Point Convention and Visitor’s Bureau and Sea Side Reservations are excited to welcome new and returning guests to Rocky Point, Mexico.

Rocky Point or Puerto Penasco, Mexico is an easy 3 ½ to 4 hour drive from the Phoenix area where you can choose to partake in the many great land and ocean activities, enjoy the culture and history of the area or simply relax on the beautiful sands of The Sea of Cortez.

While you are listening for your name to be drawn to win one of these hot vacations, Salty will be serving up tacos and ice cold Miller Chill from 8pm to close. There is no purchase necessary to win. Contestants can enter at any Salty location by filling out a way cool entry form from their server. Drawings will be every Friday at each Salty location between 8pm and 9pm.

So every Friday throw on your favorite pair of flip flops and head to Salty Senorita, where you can eat, drink, and be mermaid.

Old Town Scottsdale
3636 N. Scottsdale Rd.
(480) 946-SALTY

Mesa
1860 S. Stapley Dr.
(480) 632-TACO

North Scottsdale
14950 N. Northsight Blvd.
(480) 922-MARG

Peoria
8011 W. Paradise Lane
(623) 979-GUAC

Check us out online at www.saltysenorita.com or visit Seaside Reservations at www.seasidemexico.com .
For Rocky Point Real Estate questions please visit www.realestaterockypoint.net
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