Drinking at Governors Ball 2014: Tequila Don Julio and the Perfect Summer Music Festival Drink

Summer is right around the corner, so it's right about time to get both shaken and stirred with a little bit of cocktail fun. Last weekend, MStars News' sister site MusicTimes.com made its way to New York City's Governors Ball and had a little backstage fun with Tequila Don Julio.

One of the festival's biggest not-so-secret secrets involved the free tequila for wristband holders and musical artists, but we wanted to know more than just how to drink a solid margarita. So, we caught up with mixologist Ben Scorah to discuss the art of the perfect summer cocktail and how to mix it up for a major music festival.

So, what's the secret to creating something really tasty? It's pretty simple, according to Scorah. "We just have to keep tasting it to make sure it's right. It's kind of like cooking, there's a bunch of flavor combinations that work well, so we kind of go by those rules and think outside the box a little bit, but not too much," he said. "Then, if we get somewhere by thinking outside of the box maybe we push it and push it a bit more. Maybe it goes wrong, so then we get back a little bit."

Of course, just tasting something until it's right sounds easy enough, but there's a true craft in Scorah's work with Don Julio Tequilas, and for Governors Ball, he made cocktails taste refreshing with some non-standard ingredients, including coffee, kale and plenty of agave nectar.

The four Governors Ball drinks consisted of a "Shakerado" comprised of espresso, coffee liquor, tequila and agave nexted; a spin on a morning juice with kale, lime juice, pineapple juice, Don Juli Blanco and agave; a lavender paloma with Don Julio Reposado, infused soda, grapefruit juice, lime and lavender; and a classic margarita.

Check out a recipe for one of the Governors Ball drinks below, but first be sure to drink safely! Scorah recommends staying hydrated with water and perhaps cutting down on the amount of alcohol in subsequent drinks during heated music festival weather.

Tequila Don Julio Paloma

Ingredients:

1 1/2 ounces Tequila Don Julio Reposado
1 ounce Soda Water
1/2 ounce Grapefruit Syrup
1/2 ounce Fresh Lime Juice
Grapefruit Peel for Garnish

Preparation:

1. Combine Tequila Don Julio, grapefruit syrup and fresh lime juice in a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake well.
2. Strain contents over ice into a highball glass.
3. Top with soda water
4. Garnish with a grapefruit peel.

Ideal Serving:

Highball Glass

Yield:

1 drink, no drink contains more than 0.6 fl oz alcohol