Sunday, July 24, is National Tequila Day, and Corvallis retailers and bartenders want you to stop drinking the cheap stuff when it comes to these fine spirits from the agave plant.
“It’s a craft beverage/liquor that has different tasting notes and quality from top to bottom” said Jeff Sawyer, Owner of Bombs Away Cafe, while showing off his restaurant’s Tequila Club – featuring 32 varieties to try. “Tequila is not something to shoot. It’s best enjoyed sipped, without lime or salt.”
Gone are the days of cheap tequila best drunk quickly, masked by other flavors or hidden in sugar-laden drinks. What’s trending now is appreciating the wide range of flavor profiles provided by commercial, celebrity, and craft spirits made to suit your taste buds.
Enter the Tequila Connoisseur
There’s a lot of information about tequila, so Corvallis is lucky enough to have a life-long resident who has delved deeply into learning about it. Michele Colomb, owner and consultant of Corvallis Culinary Connections, could be described as an agave spirits aficionado.
“As a foodie, I was invited to a dinner in Portland, Oregon at a restaurant called Xico,” said Colomb of the adventure which led her into exploring more about the elixir. “They were having a special tequila tasting the next day. I decided to attend out of curiosity. That experience opened my eyes to a culture of people and spirit that they’re very proud of. It was inspiring.”
Although she won’t call herself an expert, Colomb has taken a training program with the Consejo Regulador del Tequila (CRT) – an organization that enforces the laws governing Mexico’s tequila industry. She also writes for Cocktail Media, including Mezcalitas and the U.S. Bartenders Guild blog, and is often attending educational cocktail industry conferences.
“The biggest thing I look for is 100% agave,” she said. “If the bottle doesn’t say that, in my opinion it could have all sorts of additives that cause headaches. Learn how to properly taste tequilas and mezcals. Think of taking your time, like you would experience a fine whiskey or glass of excellent wine. Swirl the agave spirit in an appropriate glass, inhale the aromas, and slowly enjoy the first sip, coating your tongue.”
The Tequila Basics
There are several categories of tequila, plus mezcal. Colomb offered quick, basic explanations of each type, adding that it’s easier to dive deeper once you start to know your flavor preferences:
Blanco – also known as white, plata or silver, this tequila is unaged, usually coming right off the distillation. Very good for mixed drinks.
Joven – translates to “young.” This type is usually blanco blended with a little bit of aged tequilas to add richer flavors. Usually good for mixed cocktails.
Reposado – this tequila is aged in American or European oak barrels between two months to a year, giving it a subtle gold hue and a more unique flavor profile than the younger tequilas.
Añejo/Extra Añejo – “añejo” translates to “old.” These varieties have been aged from a year to three years. Give it a day over three years, and it becomes Extra Añejo. The longer barrel-time intensifies the color and richness of the flavor profiles. If you appreciate a well-aged scotch, you’ll appreciate these well-aged tequilas.
Mixto – if the label doesn’t say 100% agave, then it’s a mixto or mixture of tequila and up to 49% additives. These additives can be things like artificial sugars, oak flavors, caramel colors or even glycerin. “Those additives are often what gives you headaches,” said Colomb.
Mezcal – tequila is technically a mezcal, but mezcal is not a tequila. Tequila only comes from the blue Weber agave, while mezcal can be made from a number of agaves. Also, mezcal is processed differently; made from the piña or heart of the agave plant, it is cooked inside earthen pits in a way that often gives the tequila a smoky flavor.
When it comes to discovering a good tequila, there is no wrong or right. What tastes great to you may not to someone else.
“You have to try a lot to find what you like,” said Eduardo Mendoza, Manager at El Palenque Mexican Restaurant and Cantina, where they are building their options of quality tequilas.
Mendoza enjoys introducing people to better tequilas, and hopes to turn the former speakeasy part of the restaurant into a cantina where guests may sit and sip the Mexican spirits.
“There is so much more than Jose Cuervo,” he said.
The Clooney Effect
Don’t be fooled into thinking that because a celebrity owns or represents a tequila brand, it’s good. Just like any other tequila brand, they have their ups and downs, said Colomb.
The number of celebrities jumping into the tequila game skyrocketed when George Clooney sold his brand, Casamigos, for around $1 billion. Besides Clooney, other distillery-owning celebrities include Arnold Schwarzenegger, LeBron James, Michael Jordan, Nick Jonas, Justin Timberlake, Dwayne Johnson, Kendall Jenner, as well as partners Guy Fieri and Sammy Hagar. Former Breaking Bad co-stars Aaron Paul and Bryan Cranston even created a mezcal brand.
While all these stars may have shone a light on tequila and sales of the spirit have skyrocketed, they have also had negative impacts on the traditional Mexican culture behind the craft, as well as on the environment. The rise in popularity of tequila has farmers razing forests to build agave fields and harvesting too soon.
These environmental impacts are one of the reasons Colomb decided to get involved in the reforestation project of planting wild agave down near Oaxaca, Mexico.
The More You Know
Colomb said there is still so much more to know about how and where tequila is grown and produced, as well as the differing distillation methods – traditional, good, and not-so-good. Her own knowledge is the reason why local restaurants bring her in to consult on the spirits, but she did impart one handy informational tool that anyone can use: the Tequila Matchmaker app.
Alternatively, walking into Cork & Bottle Shoppe on NW 9th St. to check out the different tequilas (and their varying prices) can be a little overwhelming. Eric Miner, whose job is to help guide people to finding what liquor to buy, says the number one question he gets from a majority of customers looking for tequila is what the different types or varieties mean. His goal is to then help people find their preferred flavor profile.
“While I know about why I prefer 100% agave, certain distillation methods and the finer details that make a good agave spirit, not everyone is as aware. Especially beginners,” she said. “This app brings greater clarity to what’s on the label, in the bottle and community opinions.”
Colomb said that while many restaurants have a decent tequila selection, she suggests trying her personal favorites:
- El Palenque, located on 1845 NW Circle Blvd., is growing their high-end tequila and mezcal options and has plans for creating a special tequila and taco cantina room.
- Taco Vino, located by the riverfront at 151 NW Monroe Ave., makes unique margaritas – often offering new versions – and the bartenders are also big agave spirit fans.
- Bombs Away Cafe, located near the OSU campus at 2527 NW Monroe Ave., has their Tequila Club and will be offering a flight of mezcals.
“There’s a new place in Albany, Blue Agave, that I want to try because it has a full tequila bar,” said Colomb. “It’s owned by the same people who own Tacos El Machin on 4th [St].”
Colomb offered some additional advice: “There are good and bad tequilas at every price point, so don’t use that as a parameter when deciding what to drink. Start with one labeled 100% agave, and experiment with what tastes good to you.”
By Stacey Newman Weldon
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