Featured Bar: Bar Lafayette

April 23, 2015
By Alana House
Bar Lafayette from Perth is one of just 12 select bars in Australia to have partnered with tequila brand Herradura this month in a unique and first of its kind collaboration.

Joining forces earlier in April, Bar Lafayette and 11 of Australia’s top bars met with Herradura Master Taster and Global Brand Ambassador, Ruben Aceves in an opportunity to select and purchase their own exclusive barrel of Herradura “Double Barrel” Reposado tequila – an opportunity often only affordable to larger venues.

The exclusive barrel, named the ‘Australian Casa Select’, will arrive with these bars later this year and will be served exclusively by each in their own unique signature serve.

In addition to this rare opportunity, Brown-Forman (distributor and owner of Herradura in Australia) is also offering each of the bars from QLD, NSW, VIC, ACT, SA, WA and NT the opportunity to visit Casa Herradura and experience the historic site first-hand.

Each venue has been presented their individual targets and is now engaged in a 12 week Herradura brand incentive with 100 per cent of the program profit being reinvested into hosting the group in Mexico in July. The number one performing venue will also receive the actual oak barrel that was used in the secondary ageing process of the Double Barrel Reposado.

The only bar representing WA in the program, Bar Lafayette is a classic, old world cocktail bar. Located on the ground floor of the heritage-listed Perth Technical School, Bar Lafayette has a charming ‘old world’ feel.

The cocktails you will find on the menu at Bar Lafayette are often twists on classics, made using new techniques and modern ingredients taking the whole cocktail experience to another level. Less is more when it comes to presentation at Bar Lafayette. Product and service are paramount and emphasis is placed on the little things, making guests feel at home and well looked after throughout their visit.

drinks bulletin spoke to Bar Manager at Bar Lafayette, Stefano Urso to find out what it means to be one of very few to select and purchase their own barrel of Herradura “Double Barrel” Reposado tequila and how Bar Lafayette will be serving its customers Herradura tequila over the coming weeks for a chance to be selected for a once in a lifetime trip to Casa Herradura.

drinks bulletin: What does it mean to you to be one of very few bars to be able to select and purchase your own unique barrel of Herradura “Double Barrel” Reposado tequila?

Stefano Urso: As one of the most exclusive cocktail bars in Perth, to have our own tequila that we selected is the most amazing opportunity.

We also like to be involved as much as we can with Brown-Forman. It’s really nice to be treated as customers once in a while and that’s the kind of treatment we get from them. We actually won the last competition with Woodford Reserve and are being flown to Kentucky next week!

DB: What is it about the Herradura brand and or history that resonates with you?

Stefano: The thing I love the most about Herradura is that they use old school, original and traditional methods and it’s family owned, like Brown-Forman, which makes us feel like we’re getting a real quality, genuine product.

DB: How will you be introducing your customers to Herradura over the next 12 weeks?

Stefano: The idea is for us to send a message to our customers that tequila is not a shooter; tequila is actually a drink that can be for sipping. So while we’ll be integrating some into cocktails, we’ll mostly be serving Herradura Seleccion Suprema Tequila as a sipping drink– the best expression of Herradura, to send a message about the different ways tequila can be consumed.

It’s a pretty hard task trying to send that message, but we’re glad to be pioneers of doing that with this event and most of our customers are supporting us as the only bar in WA representing Herradura, which is pretty amazing.

DB: How will you be serving the ‘Australian Casa Select’ – Barrel 787 at Bar Lafayette when it arrives?

Stefano: Because this is such a limited edition tequila, we’ll be putting some of our bottles into Herradura barrels behind the bar, which will give it a bit of extra ageing.
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