Rethinking Tequila: Premium Brands Aim to Change Perception | Entertainment

“Please forgive me for the old memories of poor quality tequila!” Patron Tequila production director Antonio Rodriguez jokes. “Usually, we can’t hide that tequila comes from a history that wasn’t as premium as it is today.”

Deano Moncrieffe, founder of London’s Tequila and Mezcal bar Hacha, laments: Let’s eat tequila, someone said, at 2 or 3 in the morning! “

Steffin Oghene, Global Marketing and Sales Vice President of El Tequileño Tequila, also agrees that tequila was considered a “party, smash it down, wasted spirit.”

But he says: “Over the last decade, tequila has put a lot of effort into educating and understanding people that it’s not just the spirit of shooting. It’s a really complex spirit,” said the production time and expertise. Is required.

These re-education efforts seem to be working. According to IWSR Drink Market Analysis, tequila is one of the fastest growing alcoholic beverages in the United States, with consumption increasing by 40% over the last five years.

Hamish Smith, editor of the bartender magazine Class and bar editor of Drinks International, has a better understanding of the different qualities of tequila, with “100% agave” playing the leading role, as if the single malt was Scotch. It states.

“This perception is set for the craft spirit movement, reputation for history, celebrity support, and the cocktail industry, which has been showing off high-quality tequila for years,” Smith says. International growth year-on-year. “

Despite its old reputation, experts say tequila is not a great choice for those who are really looking to get drunk. Many spirits contain glucose, which causes blood sugar levels to rise sharply, then crash and cause a hangover, while tequila contains fructose from the agave plant.

Nitzan Podoswa, founder of Satryna Tequila, says don’t use shot glasses for premium tequila.

“Your nose is so close to the liquid that you can’t really smell the notes. It just makes it easier to drink. But if you’re eating a very nice tequila, you need a flute cup,” she said. Says.

And instead of putting it all together, she suggests stirring and tasting the liquid around the mouth.

There are three types of tequila based on the time spent in oak barrels before bottling. Swings are 0 to 2 months old, reposados ​​are 2 to 11 months old, Anyejo is 1 to 3 years old, and additional Anyejo is more than 3 years old.

Moncrieffe starts by asking the customer what they usually drink. If it’s a white spirit, he leads them to a swing. For those who drink bourbon or whiskey, we recommend Reposado. For those who drink cognac, it’s more complicated, like Anyejo or Extra Anyejo.

Agave plants take about 7 years to mature. After harvest, there are many ways to cook plants and ferment and distill alcohol.

“What you are drinking is actually very, very special. How many years a plant has existed on Earth is very special, involving how many people and how many agents are involved in the process. It ’s very special, ”says Podoswa.

According to Rodriguez, the current trend is focused on aging, experimenting with time, temperature and barrel type.

“The main flavors aren’t talking about whiskey coming from trees,” he says. “The swing expression tequila itself already has a great personality. Therefore, when aging tequila, you don’t want to get over it. You’re trying to complement it.”

“There is also a category of Cristalino that has been controversial for tequila purists,” Oghene adds. Popular in the United States and Mexico, Cristalino is a crystal-clear aged tequila that has been filtered to remove color and tannins.

According to Rodriguez, sales growth in the United States has increased interest in other countries.

“Most of the rest of the world had some sort of bad, cheap tequila,” says Jenna Fagnen, co-founder of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Telemana Tequila.

“For him, when I was growing up, if something great happened to our family, we would get together and people would eat tequila, he said, but something bad. Even if this happens, we get together and eat tequila, “Fagnan said.

Johnson has joined the list of celebrities such as George Clooney, Nick Jonas and Kendall Jenner with his own tequila brand. It is greeted with mixed feelings in the industry.

“Almost every week, a new celebrity tequila brand comes out,” says Rodriguez. “There are about 160 distilleries that produce thousands of brands of tequila.”

This means that multiple brands can be produced in the same place. While many do it right, he says others just buy the liquid and put it in another bottle.

Podoswa advises consumers to research the brand before making a purchase.

“Are they making good products? Are they taking care of agave? Are they doing it the traditional way of craftsmanship?”

Fagnen says she and Johnson work at one of the few family-owned distilleries left in Mexico. She says Johnson “cares about people, stories, and sustainability.”

Paul Hayes, UK founder of Vivir Tequila, says that for the new brand, star support draws positive attention and casts consumers on old assumptions about tequila.

“If these people are willing to drink tequila, these major celebrities, they’re not just taking a shot of it at the bar. They must be drinking differently. Which of them are they? And why are they drinking it? “He says.

And Rodriguez welcomes the competition. “The way I see things is not that we are fighting among tequila. We are fighting to show the world what tequila is.”