by Mario Sanguinet
October 20, 2024
The annual San Diego Spirits Festival took place this weekend at the Museum of Contemporary Art in La Jolla. This year marked the 15th installment of the festival. Readers of this hallowed space might recall I had the good fortune of attending this event in the summer of 2019, before something happened that made us all stay home in our sweatpants for over a year. Just kidding, I don’t own sweat pants.
Once again, I bravely ventured into the world of cocktails and craft spirits, purely in the name of journalism. So I took on this arduous assignment and covered this event, for you esteemed reader. Not all heros wear capes. Actually, heroes should not wear capes.
Naturally, as to be expected, there were a range of spirits, like, gin, bourbon, run, canned cocktails, and tequila. So much tequila. I know that’s what readers are looking for, this hard hitting level of analysis.
Based on what I learned last time, I tried to stick to tequila añejo as much as possible, since they are aged for longer and their sharp taste mellows out as they adopt the flavors of the barrels they’re in. Also major caveat, I’m not a connoisseur. So it’s entirely possible that my descriptions and/or taste is asinine and I’ll have egg on my face in the mind of the more refined or trained palate. With that out of the way, let’s get into it.
By far, Adictivo Tequila had some of the most memorable añejos. One was aged for two years in French oak barrels used for red wine. Another one was aged in American oak barrels used for whiskey. And then there was the one which blended both of these, the flavor and notes were sweet and smooth like caramel with hints on vanilla on the nose.
Also worth noting was Daybreak Island Grill’s banana bread (I know random, but it was great) as well as Salt Point’s canned cocktails, their Greyhound in particular was quite good.
The last time I attended this event, it was held at the Port Pavilion on Broadway Pier downtown which to an outsider, may be describes as a warehouse off the boardwalk, a really nice warehouse with views of the bay and waterfront. But a warehouse nonetheless.
This new venue, in La Jolla, is a much more glamorous location—as most La Jolla things are. It also helps to have $105 million renovation and expansion, as the Museum of Contemporary Art did in 2022.
The way the museum space was used and allocated for this event is to be commended. Each section of the museum had enough variety to appease a range of palates, and at least one food option, which was well thought out.
It’s not usual for me to offer notes or suggestions in situations like this. Alas, I’ll be departing from that for this piece. There’s only two and they’re minimal. First, encourage food vendors to bring enough food to last until the end of the event or note the hours food will be available. Second, indicate when last call will be happening ahead of time—like, in the confirmation email, in an easy to spot location or on the ticket—so folks can plan accordingly.
To stay connected to this festival and their yearly happenings visit https://www.sandiegospiritsfestival.com/
