All Photos by Billy Bennight for The Los Angeles Beat
When Patrón throws a party you know it’s going to be a party! My first experience with Patron was in Austin Texas for the introduction of their coffee tequila lacquers. Patrón always sets the atmosphere and provided excellent entertainment. The Patron Día de los Muertos party this year at City Libre was no exception. You were immediately upon entrance embraced by the holiday with a beautiful ofrenda dia de muertos full of flowers and candles in remembrance of la Familia as only Patron can do it!
The night was cool and City Libre embraced the Spanish sensibilities of a glorious courtyard where the festivities were to take place. At the entrance, there was a bar where all who entered were immediately served a deliciously exotic Charcoal Chili Margarita with a salted sea salt foam. You had me a Margarita! Once in the courtyard were greeted by performance area, another bar and a mixed-media installation by artist Alexa Meade. There was another alter and behind it was a confectionary table of sweet delights and to the right make-up artist doing face painting and to the left a grotto with art and another bar. Oh, tres chic!
The DJ spun eighties tunes and Latin favorites. As the night wore on I got my face painted in Día de los Muertos calavera style. This all happened between two beautiful performances of traditional dances and songs. The pageantry was beautiful and moving. The Senoritas and Caballeros were fully dressed in traditional outfits and the Ballet Folklorico dances were the pinnacle of the evenings experience.
There were so many cocktail options it was mind boggling. There was the milk shake they offered on trays that was delightful and deadly but the bar menu offered beautifully conceived and dramatically wonderful offerings that were extraordinarily good and pure eye candy. The menu consisted of the El Diablo (evil, of course), Craneo Paloma (dangerous as hell!) and Smoked Mole Old Fashioned (magnifico).
After 2 performance I bid my adieu with some reluctance to leave surroundings of beautiful people and inspiring atmosphere bites, treats and drinks still flowing I slowly bowed out with a sense of gloriously paying homage to a wonderful Día de los Muertos experience to look back on.
