How Frida Escobedo joined forces with Maestro DOBEL® Tequila to break boundaries and elevate the tequila drinking experience.
Kindly sponsoring cocktails at the LFA reception at Burlington Arcade on Friday 14 June, Maestro Dobel® tells the story of their collaboration with world-famous architect Friday Escobedo. Maestro DOBEL® is renowned in its homeland Mexico for its family of ultra-premium tequilas. Eleven generations of masters, makers and rule breakers inform its craft.
As part of this unique pairing, acclaimed Mexican architect Frida Escobedo conceived and designed a set of exclusive drinking vessels, brought to life by the eminent stone artist, Mexico City-based Juan Fraga.
Frida was inspired by thejícara, a cup made from the fruit of the calabash tree and traditionally used for drinking tequila. Each of the three spherical vessels were then masterfully hand-carved from obsidian, a naturally occurring glass formed by the rapid cooling of volcanic lava unearthed in the ‘ring of fire’ region of Mexico, where Dobel tequila is produced.
Experimental ideas, together with an innate respect for tradition, were also a driver for Escobedo during the design process. Against the vibrant backdrop of her native Mexico City, with its thriving modern art scene and rich cultural and culinary heritages, she explored the notion of connection to people and the ever-changing landscape by way of a mythical circle.
Frida Escobedo explains: “We sourced golden obsidian—a deep black stone with subtle gold nuances that appear only when touched by light—in honour of the world’s first Cristalinotequila Maestro Dobel Diamante. For Dobel Humito, we used a slightly translucent, silvery grey obsidian to reflect the tequila’s smoky attributes, while the smallest vessel is hand-carved using red obsidian—a rare mélange of red and black, for the rich amber liquid that is Dobel Añejo.”
The one-of-a-kind vessels, which were designed and overseen by Frida Escobedo Studio and realised by Fraga, required even more skill than usual to produce.
“Developing the vessels was part of a long process – one which began with an 8-hour drive from Mexico City to the Sierra of Guadalajara, in search of rare ‘rainbow’ obsidian as this contains a broader colour range,” explains Fraga.
“Each cup took around three days to craft.”
In the UK, Escobedo is perhaps best known for her bold, latticed roof-tile installation for the Serpentine Pavilion in 2018. To date, she is the youngest architect to have received this prestigious commission and her work continues to spark cross-cultural discussions wherever it is shown.
In February 2019, Escobedo was presented with an International Fellowship, one of the industry’s highest accolades, from the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA).
The first series of 30 limited-edition sets are available to purchase from Harvey Nicholsand are also being presented as part of a special serving ritual in some of London’s most exclusive bars, including the Mandarin Bar, at the Mandarin Oriental.
More information here.
