There’s something magnetic about a chef like Michael Voltaggio.
He’s the kind of guy who doesn’t just make food— he tells a story on a plate. The kind of guy who can hold his own in a kitchen full of gladiators and walk away as a Top Chef.
You’ve seen him on your screen commanding culinary chaos and plating Michelin-starred masterpieces as the winner of Top Chef season 6. But when he rolled into ABC Fine Wine & Spirits recently, it wasn’t about searing scallops or perfecting a beurre blanc. It was about tequila. Specifically, Marcado 28, a tequila brand co-founded by Voltaggio in 2024 that pays homage to rebellious tattoo culture in its packaging and good hospitality in its incredible taste.
Voltaggio’s no stranger to collaboration, but this time he partnered with a legend of another kind: Bruno Barba, a 10th-generation distiller whose family legacy reads like a tequila-making epic. Barba’s not just about tradition for tradition’s sake—he’s about honoring the old ways while letting them breathe in the modern world. Together, they created Marcado 28 and its blanco and reposado expressions.
Marcado 28’s additive-free tequilas are the result of a meticulous process. Made with just agave, yeast, deep well water and love. Marcado 28 Tequila is born when the agave is slow-baked (none of that rushed industrial nonsense here) to coax out the piña’s bold, nuanced flavors. The blanco is crisp and vibrant; it would be best at home in a flute glass, sipped neat or mixed into a cocktail that actually deserves it. And the reposado? It’s got depth. Think caramel, oak and all the rich complexity that makes it the perfect companion to a charred ribeye.
When asked about his favorite pairing, Voltaggio said, “The pairing of food and beverage and people is more important than the food and tequila pairing.” But he couldn’t resist adding, “Steak and reposado all day.”
Marcado 28 is a premium tequila at an approachable price point, but here’s the kicker: it’s not just about what’s in the bottle, it’s about who put it there. The idea of a Michelin-starred chef handpicking the flavors of your tequila? That’s not just luxury, it’s a promise that every sip has been scrutinized, balanced and perfected, all the way from the fields of Jalisco to your bar cart or kitchen table.
So grab a bottle, a glass and maybe that steak Voltaggio mentioned. Because if you’re drinking Marcado 28, you’re drinking what the Top Chefs drink.
2 ounces Marcado 28 Blanco Tequila
4 ounces orange juice, freshly squeezed
¼ ounce grenadine
Blood orange slice
Add tequila and orange juice to a highball glass filled with ice. Top with grenadine. Garnish with a blood orange slice, orange peel cut into the shape of a volt and a cherry.
1 ¼ ounces Marcado 28 Blanco Tequila
1 ¼ ounces Campari Aperitivo
1 ¼ ounces Martini Sweet Vermouth
Add tequila, Campari and sweet vermouth into a mixing glass with ice. Stir until chilled. Strain into a rocks glass filled with ice. Garnish with an orange peel cut into the shape of a volt.
2 ounces Marcado 28 Reposado Tequila
¾ ounces honey ginger syrup*
1 ¾ ounces lemon juice, freshly squeezed
2 dashes aromatic bitters
*Honey Ginger Syrup
4 cubes of fresh ginger, peeled
1 cup honey
1 cup water
For honey ginger syrup: Add ginger, honey and water to a sauce pan over medium heat and stir until honey dissolves. Turn off heat, steep for 30 minutes and then strain into a container.
For cocktail: Add tequila, honey ginger syrup, lemon juice and bitters to a shaker with ice. Shake for 30 to 45 seconds. Pour into a cocktail glass filled with ice. Garnish with candied ginger and a lemon peel cut into the shape of a volt.
½ ounce agave nectar
1 dash chocolate bitters
3 ounces Marcado 28 Reposado Tequila
In a mixing glass, muddle the agave, bitters and orange peel. Add the tequila, then fill with ice and stir until well chilled. Strain into a rocks glass over fresh ice. Garnish with cocktail cherry and an orange peel cut into the shape of a volt.
1 fresh Fresno chili sliver
¾ ounce lime juice, freshly squeezed
2 ½ ounces Marcado 28 Blanco Tequila
½ ounce agave nectar
In a mixing glass, muddle the chili and lime juice. Add tequila, agave and ice to the shaker. Shake vigorously. Strain over fresh ice into a coupe glass. Garnish with a dehydrated lime and lime peel cut into the shape of a volt.
1 ½ ounce Marcado 28 Reposado Tequila
1 ounce Licor 43
1 ½ ounces espresso
Mexican coffee bean zest
Fresno chili
Add tequila, Licor 43 and espresso to a shaker filled with ice. Shake vigorously. Double strain into a chilled coffee cup. Garnish with Mexican coffee bean zest and Fresno chili cut into the shape of a volt.
3 sprigs fresh mint
½ ounce agave nectar
1 ½ ounces Marcado 28 Blanco Tequila
¾ ounce lime juice, freshly squeezed
1 ounce sparkling water
Mint sprigs
In a mixing glass, muddle the mint and agave. Add tequila, lime juice, agave and ice to the shaker. Shake and strain over fresh ice in a tall glass. Top with sparkling water. Garnish with mint sprigs and a lime peel cut into the shape of a volt.
Hibiscus powder
Cane sugar
2 ounces Marcado 28 Blanco Tequila
1 ounce lemon juice, freshly squeezed
½ ounce agave nectar
2 ½ ounces freshly brewed hibiscus tea
Rim a rocks glass with agave nectar. Dip the rim in hibiscus powder and cane sugar. Fill with ice and set aside. Add tequila, lemon juice, agave and tea to a shaker filled with ice. Shake vigorously. Strain into the prepared glass. Garnish with dehydrated lime and lime rind volt.
Grapefruit wedge
Black lava salt
2 ounces Marcado 28 Blanco Tequila
½ ounce grapefruit juice, freshly squeezed
2 ½ ounces grapefruit soda
2 ounces sparkling water
Grapefruit peel
Rub the rim of a highball glass with a grapefruit wedge. Dip glass in black lava salt. Fill with ice. Add tequila and grapefruit juice to a shaker filled with ice and shake for 20 seconds. Strain into highball glass. Top with grapefruit soda and sparkling water. Garnish with a grapefruit wedge and a grapefruit peel cut into the shape of a volt.
1 slice Fresno chili
10 cilantro leaves
2 ounces Marcado 28 Blanco Tequila
2 ounces fresh blood orange juice or blood orange purée
1 ounce lime juice, freshly squeezed
¾ ounce agave nectar
In a mixing glass, muddle the chili and cilantro. Add tequila, blood orange juice or puree, lime juice and agave to a shaker with ice. Shake and double strain into a cocktail glass over ice. Garnish with a dehydrated blood orange slice and a Fresno chili cut into the shape of a volt.
