Dean Fearing’s (Barrel) Select Cinco de Mayo Dinner

Dean Fearing’s upcoming Cinco de Mayo dinner in Dallas is certainly not your ordinary party.

But the chef many consider the Father of Southwestern Cuisine has you covered if you’re looking to celebrate this festive holiday at his eponymous restaurant with sophisticated cocktails and delicious cuisine.

Here’s how the night is slated to unfold on May 5: José Meza Arróyave of Punta Mita, Mexico, will be Fearing’s guest chef, preparing a three-course meal highlighting traditional Mexican ingredients and dishes. Each course will also be paired with a Patrón cocktail, including Fearing’s Patrón Barrel Select Añejo tequila.

The inspiration for this special dinner, paired with Patrón cocktails, can be traced back to Fearing’s trip to our distillery, Hacienda Patrón, last year. It was there that he visited the agave fields, watched pinas being steam-baked in small brick ovens and tasted a variety of tequila.

Fearing played a pivotal role in developing his restaurant’s unique Patrón Barrel Select Añejo, choosing tequila that was aged for more than a year in a hybrid barrel with French heads and American staves, imparting a distinct vanilla flavor. The tequila from this barrel is bottled and labeled just for him, and available only at his restaurant (with a certificate of authenticity signed by Patrón’s Master Distiller Francisco Alcaraz).

A seasonal Meyer Lemon Margarita made with Fearing’s Patrón Barrel Select Añejo will also debut at the Cinco de Mayo dinner. The citrus-forward notes of this cocktail will be paired with Arróyave’s dishes, including a ceviche de pozole verde and traditional Mexican carne asada.

If you can’t make the dinner, here’s the recipe for the night’s featured Patrón margarita.