Gilbert Marquez is a well known Los Angeles based mixologist and Ilegal Mezcal brand ambassador. Here he tells us a little about himself and his personal style:
I started out my career wanting to become a chef; I soon realized that the education I wanted was too expensive, so I began bartending in Orange County at 320 Main in Seal Beach. During my time as a bartender, I ended up running a couple of successful bar programs in L.A. and Atlanta. One of the many great people I met while mixing cocktails was John Rexer (founder of Ilegal Mezcal). It was an instant friendship. Now I find myself as a Brand Ambassador and a key player on the Ilegal Mezcal Team.
My style I would say is a mix of vaquero, cholo and punk rocker. I like putting on fitted suits and a cowboy hat. Other days, I slide into a vintage flannel and a lowrider hat. Sometimes, I wear band tees, skinny jeans, a felt hat I bought in the East Village, and some worn boots that I had custom-made in Guatemala.
The key to my style is my tattoos. The duality of having a tattoo of GG Allin on my arm and tattoos of agaves on my neck while wearing a nice suit is amusing to me.
Mr. Marquez was nice enough to provide us with one of his latest cocktail recipes too:
My idea of a perfect cocktail is one that is so balanced that you can taste all of the ingredients. Nothing should outshine anything else. It’s all about balance. When creating a cocktail I like to look back at classic cocktails and create something more to my liking. My favorite cocktail that I am making now is a riff on a Negroni with Ilegal Mezcal as the base spirit.
1 1/2 oz Ilegal Mezcal Joven
3/4 oz Campari
3/4 oz Sweet Vermouth
Stirred and poured over a large cube
Garnish with an orange peel
See below for the brands he likes to rock:
Jeans: Black skinny jeans by John Varvatos.
Shirts: Small print shirts from TOPMAN
Pants: TOPMAN
Suits: Hugo Boss
Shoes: Black loafers by Salvatore Ferragamo or dirty work boots
Accessories: My best and only accessories are my hair, my tattoos and my hats. I get my hair cut at The Proper Barbershop on 3rd Street in Los Angeles. Tattoos at Illuminati Tattoo Lounge in Orange County. Hats from Pork Pie Hatters in NYC.
Outerwear: Leather jacket from Zara
Your favorite App: what’s app for international texting
Favorite piece of technology: Galaxy S5
Next tech purchase: Not sure but probably an SLR camera to better document my travels through Oaxaca.
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