Ambassadors
Tomas Estes
Tomas Estes has been a bar and restaurant owner for 39 years, having founded the Pacifico Group in 1976. In addition, Tomas has been recognized twice by the Mexican National Tequila Chamber with the title of “Ambassador to Europe for Tequila” and received a Life Time Achievement award from “Theme” magazine for his work with Tequila in the hospitality industry. In 2008, Tomas founded Tequila Ocho, the first single-field tequila. In 2012 he published, “The Tequila Ambassador” the definitive work on the subject of tequila. In 2015 he received the Chaiman’s Award from Imbibe magazine’s “Outstanding Personality of the Year”. Tomas has a true love of Tequila that shines through all he does. He is often found as a guest speaker, talking about the taste and process of hand crafted Tequilas to educational groups and connoisseurs.
Get in touch at [email protected]
Nicci Stringfellow – Casa Herradura Brand Ambassador
Nicci has been involved in the bar business for 7 years and is famous
industry wide for her knowledge of and passion for 100% agave tequila.
Nicci started her career at the world renowned “Player” in London’s
Soho working alongside industry legend and “King Cocktail” Dale
Degroff. After honing her skills with the Match Group, Nicci tended
behind some of the best bars in the world, including LAB & Opium in
London, Biervana in Tokyo and Hakkasan in Mumbai.
After consulting on various new openings including the Bonnie Gull in
London, Nicci stepped over to the other side of the bar working as a
Brand Specialist for London based agency Marblehead Brands .
However, when the opportunity to represent Casa Herradura, Nicci
grabbed it with both hands:
“It’s a dream job for me to be able to represent such an amazing
tequila. There are few things I like more than Herradura. Not just the
liquid, though its honeyed silk is indeed a thing of beauty, but the way
of life that it represents; the spirit of the community that its sharing
creates.”
Nicci joins the expanding Brown Forman UK Advocacy team and can be
contacted via Nidal Ramini, Head of BF Advocacy at nidal_ramini@bf.
com
Jesse Estes
Jesse was first inducted into the London bar scene by Henry Besant and Dre Masso of the Worldwide Cocktail Club. He has since gone on to work at the likes of Green & Red, All Star Lanes, Callooh Callay, Luggage Room, as well as guest bartending around the world. He has won a number of cocktail competitions and now regularly acts as a judge for various cocktail competitions and spirits awards including the Drinks International’s International Spirit Challenge and the Bartenders’ Best Awards. In 2013, Jesse joined the Pacifico Group to work as the European Brand Ambassador for Tequila Ocho and to help develop the bar program for London’s first ‘agaveria‘ – and latest addition to the Pacifico Group – El Nivel. He is often consulted as an expert on agave spirits, and has been interviewed or featured in publications such as: Imbibe, Esquire, Shortlist, the Spirits Business and Drinks International, among others.
Jesse can now be found leading seminars, tastings, and masterclasses on tequila and agave spirits across Europe. He was recently named one of London’s Best Bartenders by the Huffington Post.
Get in touch at [email protected]
Megs Miller
Canadian born I moved to Australia for university and started bartending like many students do. Learning in pubs, nightclubs, live music venues and eventually discovering the world of cocktails. Upon graduating and getting a degree in Interior Architecture, I quickly realized that the bar life had me hooked. After 5 years in Australia, I moved on to Scotland, landing a job at Bramble.
The tequila love took me London to start working with Cazadores tequila and bartend at Opium.
After working with Dre Masso in London, I moved on to Indonesia to work with him & Potato Head developing their cocktail program.
Now back in London and very excited to be the new House of Tequila Ambassador for PRUK.
Gabriela Moncada
Nazareth N Rodriguez – Marca Negra and Meteoro Mezcal Brand Ambassador
Nazareth Navarro left Mexico ten years ago and arrived in London with the intention to devote his life to music. To achieve this he had to improve his English so he could study audio engineering at SAE.
He started working as a barback to support himself while studying, however the economic conditions were not favorable for interning in the music industry; this situation meant he had to decide which path to follow, so the bartender life was his best option.
He acquired knowledge in cocktail bars and clubs around London and these skills would lead him to one of the classic cocktail bars of the 80’s and 90’s, Nam Long “Le Shaker”, where he started as Head bartender and amounted to Bar Manager.
At that moment the call of his motherland was beginning to make it’s presence and he began to work in a high end, well known Mexican restaurant in Mayfair managing the bar.
This is where he met Nicci Stringfellow and Tomas and Jesse Estes who immediately infected the magic of love for the agave into him. Right after this he was recruited at 10degreesc Boutique Brands through his dear friend Eduardo Gomez as a brand developer in the Agave department (METEORO and MARCA NEGRA mezcal) which lead him becoming the European brand ambassador for these mezcal brands which are allowing him to share the magic of the Mexican culture and their Agave spirits which is in his roots and now mainly running through his blood.
Reach him at:
IG: amor_a_tragos