For weeks, I have attempted to drink an El Dinero without having to pay for it. I love all things tequila, but I could never see myself paying $100 for a single drink. When the drink was first discussed on cVillain, many of us said it would be much smarter to drink the ingredients separately, but I wanted to know exactly what the combination tasted like. Friday night, I accomplished this goal. I have to say it was the most delicious drink I have tasted in my entire life (except for the echo). As we are all well aware, the El Dinero is a margarita made of Cuervo Reserva de la Familia, Gran Marnier 150, Fresh lime and sea foam. These ingredients combine to create a drink that is simultaneously sweet, delicious, and deserving of a spot in tequila heaven.
One might wonder how a person such as myself might end up with a free drink that has a $100 price tag. Let me tell you my story…
With rumors of the perfect storm flooding Charlottesville to Noah-esque proportions, I decided this could be my last opportunity to enjoy a night of drunken bliss on the Downtown Mall. As always, I made the rounds and went to all the free wine tastings and enjoyed a couple of Shock Tops while listening to Sparky’s Flaw at Fridays After 5. From there, I headed to Ventana which is quickly becoming one of my favorite Friday night locations (CCTV in the bathroom is hilarious, that’s another post altogether). Zoe was excited to see us and greeted us with an ice cold beer which was accompanied by a tequila shot. On our way out the door, we convinced the owner, Michael, to accompany us on the rest of our drunken adventures. He came with us to Zocalo where we all enjoyed many shots/shooters, including the echo and the Poison Ivy (it’s official now). At some point, Michael left Zocalo. I don’t why he left or where he went. I was drunk.
As luck would have it, Michael and I crossed paths as I was leaving Zocalo. He convinced me to return to Ventana before I went to visit one of the hottest bartendresses in Charlottesville (shenanigans, we should hang out sometime). This time, Zoe made us some jalapeño margaritas which are deliciously spicy with a dusting of cayenne pepper on top.
Once Michael was behind the bar, he could not resist making a drink with the Holy Grail of tequila, Cuervo Reserva de la Familia. His only option was the El Dinero. The funniest part of the whole night was when he asked if I would like an El Dinero on the house. I almost said, “No, I’d rather not have a free $100 drink,” but I thought there was a chance my sarcasm would have been lost, and I would have passed up my only opportunity for a taste of ambrosia. He made the drink, and it was delicious. Just ask orchid.
Tagged as: El Dinero, Restaurant, review. mexican, tequila, Ventana
Yay Echo posted! Woot! But for real dude, give us more details….what’s it taste like…did you come when you sipped it? What’s the glass look like?
best drink EVAR. but seriously, where’s the slideshow?
See lurkers, if echo can write a post anyone can.
wait, was there supposed to be a slideshow? you have pics? email them!
I am truly jealous
/hope the Crystaltini makes it on the Joya menu at Zocalo
^the cat was out of the bag a long time ago anyways
Fucking brilliant; nice work! I agree with 1, we definitely need more details on the drink.
#1 question: Is it really worth 100 fucking dollars? I’d put my money on no
@ 3 so wait. lurkers can actually post topics? you dont have to be in the clique?
@8.. cherry, baby: of course.. just no advertorial or personal attacks…
http://cvillain.com/2008/03/28/surprise-back-to-the-roots-how-to-write-your-own-cvillain-article/
@6 we’d been drinking for 6 hours at that point. i don’t know if more details are possible.
it was perfect. i despise grandma & i like my jalapeno margaritas without sea foam, but when you add them to cuervo reserva de la familia, they become lovely. i would drink a free el dinero any day.
@7 & the guy who bought one because ours looked so good seemed to have enjoyed it too.
hmm so the slideshow is up, and it doesn’t look that appetizing. it looks big, really big. wouldn’t you want this in a small portion to really savor it?
What no owner’s wife rack photo? I read that was the point of the drink. Well that’s what I remembered
Needs a crazy straw!
you mean the ones from the 80’s, the really curvy ones ?
Yeah like this
Excellent post echo. Glad you broke your cherry (uhhmmm).
@16 - echo told me that happened when he was a little girl and was trying to jump over his neighbor, Mrs. Pimpillage’s fence. Who’s lying?
@17: That’s outrageous! echo told me I was his first. OUTRAGEOUS!
Oh man, well, if he told you that and you believed him, then he’s been hanging around with Floozy for a lot longer than I realized.
I was scared to click on that Tuffy….
/never stand on a mirror
Floozy, I agree with you in the sense that it’s all a lot more flattering when said mirror is above you, and you’re surrounded by gold lame΄ and suspended by an elaborate pulley system with fur lined shackles is involved.
/talkin’ your talk?
Hmmm…. sounds a bit Hugh Heffnery to me Tuffy. Gold lame is such a tough look to pull off …. one ends up looking like a Thanksgiving turkey which can spoil a good stuffing.
back on topic ((because some drunk said to me this weekend, “tequila breaks necks”), does anyone know a good jewelry repair palce?
place
has anyone eaten there? food any good? reviews? did i miss it?
they don’t appear to have a website with menu…thanks!
@1: It’s sweet for a margarita, but at the same time, the sea foam makes it salty. It really is a fascinating combination of flavors.
@7: Is it worth $100? Probably not. Michael even said it’s more of an $80 drink, but it’s the experience that makes it worth it.
@11: In small portions? For $100 it should be bottomless.
@16-18: Those are all true stories, but I should never be trusted.
how do you make sea foam?
/no seriously, I want to know, it looks yummy!
It looks like spoodge Caroline.
@27: It’s magic.
it looks yummy flooze!
damnit echo!
I actually have no idea how they do it. I know it takes a lot of effort to keep it foamy.
@25 echo says ventana has the best tacos EVAR. i have had the salsa sampler; i’m sure i would have preferred meat, because salsa is a stupid dinner.
how do you make sea foam?
How do you make wind blow? How do you make fish swim? Flowers bloom?
The world is indeed full of mysteries.
@25, 33: Oh yeah. Those tacos are delicious. They aren’t cheap. I don’t remember how much they cost, but you can get either chicken or steak, and I have never had a better taco anywhere.
$6 apiece
That’s what I was thinking, but I wasn’t sure. Worth every dollar.
Damn - I don’t read cvillain for a while and now Echo posts articles??
/out of step with the world
38: Yes. But he only posts them while drunk, to keep us all feeling cozy.
Clearly I need to go drinking with Echo more often if he’s getting $100 drinks for free. Did he let any of his compadres taste this masterpiece?
And the fact that I started thinking literally about how to make sea foam probably means I watch too much Iron Chef where they seem to make all kinds of tasty foams to decorate their plates.
…back to lurking….
ok, i find it really hard to believe that after x hours of drinking (I think it was six), that you could taste - or for that matter - remember tasting anything. Maybe it was the company/atmosphere?? $80 to $100 drink - please wake up people! all I can say is, from my crazy employed past, are “pajamas” from a french designer REALLY worth the $15,000 paid for them 20 YEARS AGO???? And she bought at least five sets/pairs????
@7: Is it worth $100? Probably not. Michael even said it’s more of an $80 drink, but it’s the experience that makes it worth it.
?that’s just drunk talk?!
and a bit of BS
/”greasing the hand”:
//from the hand that is taking that extra $20 dollars for the experience.
i’m glad you got it for free and had a great night. if i don’t go to asheville this friday, i might try to wine taste et all with ya’ll…(i don’t have to wear black and stay in one place friday!!) or i might stay home.
@40 yes.
@42: I’m going to Blacksburg this weekend, so I won’t be doing wine tasting et al. It’s disappointing I might miss a chance to have you join us. Depending on when my plane lands, I was thinking about coming in Thursday for a drink or 2. We’ll just have to see how lucky you are.
Ohhhhh this makes me want to taste it even more. I need to haul my butt out to the downtown mall (at night) again soon. And I NEED to check out Ventana. It’s such a quaint location, looks deliciously swank… I always just pass it when I’m going in and out of Salad Creations at lunchtime.
@42 - yeah, it’s all drunk talk, yo
We’ve dropped in for drinks at Ventana many times, and last Friday night three of us finally stayed for dinner. Michael, the friendly owner (and occasional ‘villain celebrity cameo), talked with us about his chef and his menu. Based on his suggestions, we shared four things: guac with warm chips, steak enchilada with pumpkin seed and tomato-chile sauce, yucatan tamale steamed in banana leaf, and adobo chicken with poblano mole. Each had very pronounced flavors and distinctive character. Seasonings were quite bold in everything but the mole, which leaned more towards a rich subtlety. Considering the kitchen talent and delicious result, prices were very reasonable — our bill, including four import beers, was about $65 after tax but before tip. We’ll go back. I want to try the manilla clams steamed with habaneros and white wine.