Mark Wahlberg Appears At Big Smoke Brunch

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Mark Wahlberg Appears At Big Smoke Brunch

Oliva Cigars and Flecha Azul sponsor a kick-off meal with cigars and spirits

Nov 6, 2024 - By Jack Bettridge

Mark Wahlberg, one of the owners of Flecha Azul Tequila, surprised the crowd with his appearance at brunch.

 

Guests at the opening brunch for the Big Smoke Las Vegas Saturday seminar program may have been pleased to sit down to a menu that included Wagyu steak and eggs as well as a Paloma cocktail, but the real surprise came when the provider of the drink’s Tequila component—actor Mark Wahlberg—walked on stage that morning.

Kicking off the event, which was sponsorsed by Flecha Azul Tequila and Oliva Cigars, Cigar Aficionado executive editor David Savona said, “We’re going to do the Tequila first. Now I could stand up here and tell you about Flecha Azul Tequila, but we thought we could do a little better than that. So, we got somebody here who knows a lot more about it than I do. He’s an owner of the brand but you might know him a little bit more from such movies as The Departed, The Perfect Storm and The Fighter.”

Mark Wahlberg during his Q&A with executive editor David Savona.

Out strode the actor wearing a hoodie, sneakers and his trademark baseball cap turned backwards. Sitting with Savona, Wahlberg discussed the attributes of the Tequila brand, such as limiting the ingredients to three basics—agave, volcanic water and yeast—with no additives. The agave, responsible for Tequila’s flavor, is grown in the lowlands of Jalisco, Mexico. “It’s about taking the time [six to eight years] for the agave to mature,” Wahlberg said.

Wahlberg joined Mexican PGA golfer Abraham Ancer and entrepreneur Aron Marquez in 2021 to become a principal investor in the Tequila company, which has roots back to 1840, and uses traditional artisanal methods. 

Describing himself as a “serial entrepreneur,” he said his investments “have to be something I’m comfortable with. I hired very serious people.” Mentioning that he started his own studio, the former rapper and fitness icon added, “Why not be in control of your own destiny?” 

José Oliva, an adviser to Oliva Cigar Co., came up onstage after Wahlberg’s presentation, and after people had tucked into their meals. He jokingly opined that it was “entirely unfair that I had to come here after Mark Wahlberg.” But not to be cowed by his fellow speaker, he added, “We have something in common. I happen to have starred in my high school’s production of West Side Story.”

José Oliva of Oliva Cigar Co., describing his cigar at brunch.

Olivia, a former speaker of the Florida state legislature as well as an importer of frozen foods, supplied the guests with Cigar Aficionado’s No. 3 Cigar of the Year, the Oliva Serie V Melanio Toro. (He would go on to further discuss the Nicaraguan cigar with an Ecuador wrapper in an appearance later in the day.) Just as Flecha Azul has deep roots into the heartland of Tequila making, Oliva referenced his own family’s long history in the traditions of tobacco. Melanio Oliva, for whom the award-winning cigar is named, first grew tobacco in Cuba in 1886. 

The signature cocktail for the event was a soda-topped drink made from grapefruit juice and Flecha Azul’s Blanco Tequila (one of the company’s four variants, including Reposado, Añejo, Cristalino and Extra Añejo.)

For those interested in recreating the mood—if not the celebrity dazzle—of the event, here’s the recipe for the Paloma. 

Ingredients
2 oz Flecha Azul Blanco Tequila
1 oz Grapefruit Juice
1/2 oz Fresh Lime Juice
1/2 oz Cane Syrup
Top off with Soda

Preparation
Pour ingredients over ice into a glass of your choice. Add a squeeze of lime. Garnish with a fresh rosemary sprig.

After brunch, the sold-out crowd moved into the seminar conference room, getting ready for far more cigars and presentations by some of the biggest cigar stars in the world. 

Source: https://www.cigaraficionado.com/article/mark-wahlberg-appears-at-big-smoke-brunch