Nationwide Tequila Day falls on July 24, which is a good time to hoist a cocktail and maybe to refresh your information about agave-based spirits.
For starters, what precisely is tequila? Many individuals assume that mezcal is a tequila, however tequila is definitely a sort of mezcal. That’s as a result of mezcal is the over-arching class of Mexican spirits fermented and distilled from a number of styles of the agave plant.
It’s produced throughout Mexico beneath varied names and designations, together with tequila. Bottles labeled “mezcal” are often from the state of Oaxaca and infrequently have a smoky taste because of the manufacturing course of, through which the agave hearts are roasted in rock-lined pits fired by mesquite.
Bacanora is a mezcal variant made out of wild crops of agave Pacifica. Raicilla is made in Jalisco state from two styles of agave — lechuguilla and puta de mula. Sotol is one other Mexican spirit that’s rising in popularity within the U.S. but it surely’s made with one other succulent plant referred to as Desert Spoon fairly than agave.
Again to tequila: It’s a sort of mezcal produced beneath strict rules as to how and the place it may be made. Tequila is fermented and distilled from a single sort of agave plant, Agave tequilana Weber blue.
The spirit can solely be produced in Jalisco, and designated areas in 4 different Mexican states. One of the best tequilas come from 100% blue agave, which is famous on the label.
Commercial
Tequila types and expressions
The principle types of tequila embody are blanco, reposado, añejo, joven and cristalino.
Blanco (silver tequila) has not been aged. The flavour is agave-forward, with notes of pepper and citrus with a spicy end.
Reposado have to be aged two to 12 months in oak barrels (reposado means “rested” in Spanish). It has a clean taste and notes of oak, vanilla and caramel.
Añejo is aged one to 4 years in oak barrels (in Spanish añejo means “outdated” or “classic”). It tastes richer because of the ageing, with notes of vanilla and cinnamon. “Additional añejo” is tequila aged over three years.
Joven is a mixture of unaged and aged tequila. It tastes just like tequila blanco.
Cristalino, a brand new type that started hitting the market a couple of decade in the past, is tequila añejo that’s filtered to take away tannins, which creates a crystal clear shade. The flavour has each the complexity of aged tequila and the intense notes of a tequila blanco.
Tequila manufacturers have been capitalizing on the curiosity within the spirit and coming to the market with revolutionary new expressions. As an illustration, Don Julio not too long ago launched Tequila Don Julio Rosado, aged no less than 4 months in ruby port wine casks from the Douro wine area of Portugal, whereas Proximo Spirits got here out with Cuervo Tradicional Cristalino in 2022.
Patrón unveiled Patrón El Alto, an additional añejo aged for 4 years with añejo and reposado, in November 2022. The corporate this previous April then launched Patrón El Cielo, a silver tequila that undergoes a fourth distillation.
Campari Group this previous April launched Mayenda Tequila. The brand new model’s manufacturing course of consists of macerating the roasted agave hearts within the base distillate and likewise mixing with the agave “honey” launched from the cooking.
Movie star manufacturers and trade offers abound
Simply how scorching is tequila today? The class’s quantity consumption grew 11.6% in 2022, reaching 28.9 million 9-liter instances, in line with the 2023 Liquor Handbook. Tequila has been rising at a median price of 10.9% previously 5 years, and now claims a ten% share of the complete distilled spirits market.
Celebrities need in on the agave motion: Kendall Jenner (818 Tequila), Eva Longoria (Casa Del Sol) and Kevin Hart (Gran Coramino) are among the many newest to hitch Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson (Teremana), Michael Jordan (Cincoro), Rita Ora (Próspero) and George Clooney (Casamigos) and others with tequila manufacturers.
It was actually Diageo’s 2017 acquisition of Casamigos for about $1 billion that received the eye of many trade watchers. Bacardi’s multi-billion-dollar buy of Patron Spirits Worldwide adopted in 2018.
Pernod Ricard, which in 2018 finalized its acquisition of Avión Spirits, took a majority stake in Código 1530 in October 2022. Codigo was cofounded by American nation music singer George Strait in 2016.
Heaven Hill Manufacturers in 2022 acquired Samson & Surrey’s portfolio of super-premium manufacturers, which included Tequila Ocho, whereas Diageo purchased 21Seeds, a fast-growing flavored tequila infused with actual fruit juice, in 2022. We’ve additionally seen a flurry of mezcal model acquisitions lately.
Cocktail cred
Whereas higher-end tequila has emerged as a sipping spirit lately, tequila cocktails dominate the bar scene. That’s as a result of the Margarita isn’t solely the highest tequila cocktail on-premise, it’s the main cocktail total, in line with most surveys.
Hospitality engagement platform Union’s OnPrem Insights report ranked the highest tequila cocktails ordered at high-volume bars and eating places throughout the nation. The analysis discovered that each one different tequila cocktails path the Margarita by 20%.
The Mexican Sweet shot, made with tequila, watermelon schnapps and scorching sauce, is the second most-ordered tequila drink, in line with Union’s analysis. That’s pushed partly by the shot’s recognition throughout Texas.
Palomas are available because the third most-popular tequila cocktail. The combination of tequila, lime and grapefruit (historically grapefruit soda) reveals a gentle consumption throughout all dayparts, Union says.
And Ranch Water is a newcomer, however gaining momentum. The mixture of tequila, lime juice and glowing mineral water (typically Topo Chico) simply arrived on the U.S. bar scene a couple of years in the past, and takes the number-four spot for on the record of top-ordered tequila cocktails.
Listed here are a couple of cocktail recipes that use tequila, mezcal and a few of the different spirits of Mexico.
