First came the delicious burgers, and then the delectable barbecued pork, and now there are distinctive tequilas to top it all off. Guy Fieri, the chef and Food Network celebrity who’s a restaurant partner with Carnival Cruise Line, has added Guy and Sammy’s Santo Tequilas to his mix of onboard delights.
A Fieri-Hagar Brand
Carnival Cruise Line and food partner Guy Fieri announced an expansion of shipboard offerings by the celebrity chef with the addition of Santo Tequilas in every bar on all of the line’s ships.
Santo Tequilas is a brand partnership between Fieri and rock star Sammy Hagar, formerly of the band Van Halen.
Fieri said, “When Sammy Hagar and I partnered up to bring our real deal, 100% Blue Weber Agave Santo to the tequila-loving masses, we worked hard to make it available coast to coast. But something just seemed to be missing…Santo at sea! So, we joined forces with my longtime partners at Carnival Cruise Line to bring our old world-style Blanco and Reposado tequilas to every ship in the fleet.”
An Expanding Partnership
The celebrity chef’s partnership with Carnival Cruise Line began in 2011, when his Guy’s Burger Joint was introduced on Carnival Liberty as part of the ship’s FUN 2.0 upgrades. Since then it’s been added to many more ships during dry dock renovations and to new-builds.
The burger joint made a name for itself with Fieri’s secret donkey sauce, and with burgers like The Ringer, with his bourbon and brown sugar barbecue sauce topped with a spicy onion ring. In 2017, Guy’s Burger Joint on Carnival Cruise Line won the best burger venue at sea by Cruise Hive readers.
Five years after the burger venue launched, the line celebrated the grand opening of a second Fieri eatery, Guy’s Pig & Anchor Bar-B-Que Smokehouse, which debuted on Carnival Magic and has since been added to several other ships.
Cruiser favorites include Fieri’s bone-in, dry-rubbed, slow-smoked and pulled Championship Pork Butt, dry-rubbed and grilled Blue Ribbon Chicken, and smoked Andouille sausage.
Three vessels, Carnival Horizon, Carnival Panorama, and Mardi Gras, boast Guy’s Pig & Anchor Smokehouse Brewhouses, which feature signature, exclusively brewed ales that enhance the menu.
National Margarita Day
The launch of the tequila brand onboard Carnival ships came on February 22, which also happened to be National Margarita Day. Onboard all of the line’s ships cruisers now can enjoy the brand’s old world-style Santo Blanco Tequila and oak-aged Santo Reposado Tequila.
The Guy’s Pig & Anchor Smokehouse Brewhouse venues also will serve Guy Fieri’s Caliente Margarita, made with Santo Blanco Tequila, triple sec, cilantro, jalapeno, lemonade, and lime, according to the line.
Hagar teamed up with Fieri and the two founded their tequila business in 2017. It wasn’t Hagar’s first go-round with the liquor. Years earlier he founded the tequila brand Cabo Wabo, a company he sold back in 2007.
