A Taco and Mezcal Après

The taco craze has made its way along the Sea to Sky Highway to Whistler where the Four Seasons Resort Whistler presents Mezcal y Maize, a series of après parties designed for Cornucopia, the all things food-and-drink festival. When conceived 21 years ago, Cornucopia was a way to bridge the shoulder season lull; today, the annual showcase has evolved from its focus on wine (along with brunches, lunches, and dinners, seminars and grand tastings), to toasting beer, whisky, and cocktails.

The bartenders at Four Seasons Resort Whistler played host to celebrated mixologist Mica Rousseau of cocktail bar Fifty Mils, who visited Whistler from their sister property in Mexico City to kick-off the Mezcal y Maize with an intimate (and sold out) mezcal master class. “Mezcal is an essential tool in the bartender’s toolkit,” said Rousseau, who credits the rise in tourism to the southern parts of Mexico for driving, in part, the mezcal enthusiasm. Making mezcal is a process of handcraft in which agave plants are harvested and the piñas roasted underground in stone-lined pits for three to four days before fermentation and distillation, which imbues it with flavours of spice and whiffs of smoke.

With Mezcal y Maize, Rousseau has teamed up with Sidecut executive chef Eren Guryel to offer a trio of gourmet tacos, paired with one of Rousseau’s inventive drinks. Mole-braised chicken in a soft tortilla; fried feta taco with green tomatillo; and pineapple pico de gallo, pickled red onion, and honey chipotle sauce make-up the taco trinity, while mezcal stars in any one of the Naked and Famous, Diana Martini, or Chequez Special mixed drinks.

Whistler Blackcomb is set to open early and the Four Seasons Resort Whistler has you covered for après on this season-opening weekend.

Cornucopia at Whistler runs through November 19, www.whistlercornucopia.com.

Photos by Hannes Van Der Merwe.

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