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Lots of us consider tequila an exotic Mexican firewater that’s great for slamming during adolescent rites of passage. Some of us even get queasy with hangover flashbacks at its very mention. The liquor is believed to contain certain properties that can act as an aphrodisiac, purify the blood and cure or arrest the effects of syphilis. It is used medicinally as an astringent for cuts and bruises, as after-shave lotion, insect repellent and lighter fluid for charcoal fires.
Today, tequila has entered an upscale phase, with new pricey brands lining bars and liquor store shelves. Sophisticates have discovered that it is suitable for sipping and savoring in much the same way as single malt scotch and small barrel bourbons. After single malt scotches, it is the largest growth category in distilled spirits. Consumers are discovering a top grade tequila can be as satisfying as a fine cognac.
The premium tequilas are richer, with darker colors, bigger bouquets and smoother tastes like whiskey or cognac. Bars are lined with expensive bottles of tequila that are status symbols. Befitting their new- found snob appeal, the premium tequilas are savored straight in fancy glasses.
If the tequila is not 100 percent agave, it’s a good rule of thumb it will carry a 110 percent chance of delivering a hangover that will make your eyes ache. The purer the drink, the lighter the hangover. The varying flavors of tequila are interesting without becoming complicated, and do not require the myriad of adjectives that wine drinkers seem compelled to use.
On The Restaurant Front
Here's what’s happening on the tequila front at some of San Diego’s watering holes:
El Agave Restaurant & Tequileria in Old Town offers more than 130 kinds of tequila. The shelves are filled with tequilas in hand blown bottles, from the Two Finger White at $3.75 a shot to Herradura Supremo at $25 a shot. The food is billed as cocina nouvelle mexicana, a mixture of Mexican, French, Italian and Spanish influences. This white tablecloth restaurant is truly different from the typical chips and salsa cantinas; the food is to be savored while sipping tequila.
John Kerr, bartender at St. James Bar and Restaurant (formerly Triangles) in La Jolla says tequila's popularity has exploded. There is a huge influx of añejo (aged) tequilas. Having been aged in oak, they have a smoother, woodier flavor with the traditional burn softened. Kerr seeks out the sleepers, those tequilas that do not have a huge marketing campaign behind them but are made with quality in mind. Real Hacienda, aged for two years, and Rio de la Plata are two he has found.
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At Downtown’s Laurel Restaurant & Bar, Bill Spain is receiving requests for sipping tequilas like El Tesoro and Patrón. Today, many new tequilas are on the market, some exquisitely bottled, such as Lapiz in a blue triangular bottle, and selling at Laurel for $12 a shot. Some premium varieties are hard to stock because they come in numbered batches and bottles. For example, only 2,000 cases a year are made of La Familia Reserva from Cuervo, and it retails for about $80 a bottle. Laurel tries to stock upscale tequilas, but they go very fast. For something a little different, try tequila martinis served in elegant, chilled glasses with just a little bit of lime juice, or the "Tequilatini," a traditional margarita with blue Curacao for color, Patrón, Cointreau and a float of Grand Marnier ($8).
Bar managers are capitalizing on the wider availability and popularity of super premium tequilas by promoting high-end margaritas made with Sauza Conmemorativo, Patrón and Cuervo 1800.
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Tequila bottles come in all sizes, shapes and colors.
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To create a unique margarita, Rockin' Baja Lobster Bar & Grill in Old Town uses José Cuervo Gold, Cointreau, a special sweet and sour mix, floats it with lime juice and finishes it with a special hand shaking method. Manager Patrick Armstrong says he hires only the best professional margarita shakers in town. Patróns can shake their own margaritas for a marginal $8.50. Over the course of summer, the restaurant serves between 4,000 and 6,000 margaritas. Their other famous margarita is "Rockin' Baja Rita." Add a splash of orange juice to Cuervo Gold, a little bit of Grand Marnier, hand shake it, of course, and pour it over the rocks ($6).
At the new Aviara Four Seasons Hotel in Carlsbad, the menu includes specialty margaritas such as "Las Frisas," made with El Tesoro Añejo, Cointreau and fresh strawberries ($9), and the "Midas Touch" with Chinaco Añejo, Grand Marnier, fresh lime and a splash of orange juice. The "Batiquitini," named after the lagoon on which the hotel sits, is made with Herradura Añejo, Midori, lime juice and a sugared rim. Traditional margaritas served in oversized specialty glasses are $6.50. For sipping, try the Porfidio single barrel at $16.
At Cafe Japengo in La Jolla, both regular and premium margaritas are made with a special mix of fresh-squeezed lemon and lime juices, orange liqueur, Grand Marnier or Cointreau, and a choice of tequila. Served with 1800 José Cuervo Gold, the cocktail costs $5.75. Adding a premium brand such as Tres Generaciones, Patrón or Herradura raises the price.
Although the Hard Rock Cafe in La Jolla carries only a few tequilas, it sells many margaritas. Its top shelf offering is the lovely "Rita," a mixture of Cointreau, Cuervo Gold and a touch of sweet and sour and lime juice, blended or on the rocks at $5.25. During happy hour (Monday through Friday from 4-7 p.m.), well tequila, triple sec and lime juice margaritas are a special $2.50. Patrón, the best tequila, is only served in margaritas if requested, or by the 2-ounce shot at $5.75.
Milligans in La Jolla features "Mexican Madness" on Wednesday nights. Milligans offers 16 different types of margaritas and tequila drinks. Starting at $4.25 for a "Mexican Martini," tequila, dry vermouth, and lime, to the $5 "La Perfecta Margarita" made with tequila, Cointreau, Grand Marnier, sweet & sour and Rose's Lime Juice.
The Retail Front
For those who prefer to sip their tequila at home, liquor stores and supermarkets are obliging by selling more of the upscale varieties. Offering one of the most extensive selections is Beverages & More. At the store, José Cuervo La Familia Reserva, the top of the Cuervo line, is priced at $75 a bottle, while the José Cuervo 1800 sells for $18. Tequilas around the $40 price point include Sauza Tres Generaciones, (aged for eight years), Chinaco Añejo, El Tesoro Reposado and Cazadores Reposado (aged in used Kentucky bourbon barrels). Less costly are Los Valientes Reposado, from Mexico's oldest tequila hacienda and Herradura Blanco Tequila, which is a favorite in Mexico.
Tequila comes in all shapes, sizes and colors. Margaritas satisfy every taste from very sweet to very tart. It is all up to you. Salud! Amor! Y dinero, y tiempo para gastarlos! (Health! Love! And money and time to enjoy them!)
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Tequila's Tale
Tequila's origins can be traced back to the Tiquilas, a Nahuatl-speaking tribe of Aztecs (200 AD). They established the settlement of Tequila, about 45 miles northwest of Guadalajara, Jalisco, at the foot of a dormant volcano. True tequila can be created only from the blue agave plant grown in just one place in the world, the rich volcanic soils surrounding its namesake town.
According to legend, a lightning bolt was sent down by the gods. It struck the blue agave, a spiny cactus-like plant, splitting the heart open and cooking the sap. Believing this was a message from the gods, the Aztecs drank the sap and discovered a sweet, milky drink now known as pulque.
To be called tequila, the agave must be grown and processed in the state of Jalisco, and be fermented from at least 51 percent of the fermented sugars of the blue agave with the aging process taking place in this defined area. Fine tequilas use only 100 percent blue agave, a fact that is always proudly displayed on the labels. To save money, the lower quality tequilas (blended) rarely exceed the 51 percent threshold, and the caramel coloring usually is derived from sugar and other ingredients.
Aging tequila in oak barrels softens the tequila's bite and lends it a golden tint. It is during the aging process that tequilas begin to develop their own distinctive taste, aroma and color. Gold tequila is aged in white oak casks for two to four years. Tequila añejo (old) must be aged for a minimum of one year in government sealed barrels (not tanks). Wax-lined vats are used to age silver tequila, which is mellower than ordinary (white) tequila but still has no color. Longer aging periods in oak barrels, stringent quality controls and packaging in fancy bottles has generated a new class of premium tequilas that are smooth and even silky.
Once the city of Tequila was home to more than 90 distilleries. The leading tequila companies originated at least a century ago with village gentry families. Guillermo Romo de la Pena, head of the 225-year-old Tequila Herradura, considers tequila the Mexican equivalent of cognac. In 1983, Tequila Sauza, a relative newcomer with an 1873 founding date, was bought by Grupo Domecq Mexico. Sauza maintains a small museum in the town of Tequila, tracing the industry's history. In 1989, 45 percent of Jose Cuervo y Compania, a 200-year-old company, was sold by the Beckmann family to Heublein.
Today, although there are fewer than 20 distilleries, these remaining fabricas produce more than 55 million liters of tequila annually. Sauza and Jose Cuervo together account for 85 percent of all exports. More than 90,000 acres of blue agave (100 million plants) cover the hills of the Sierra Madre region, lined up in rows of roughly 1,000 to an acre. Every ounce of tequila found in the world is produced there.
To control production, aging and labeling of tequila, the Norma Oficial Mexicana was established in 1978. It regulates the production of tequila similar to the French Appellation Controller that governs the production of cognac.
Tequila has become synonymous with Mexican culture. The pre-Conquest Indians did not drink high proof alcohol. It was the Spaniards who, after consuming their own limited supply, began looking for local raw materials to ferment. They distilled the sap into alcohol. Curiously, they ignored the generous supply of corn, or bourbon might have been linked with Mexico rather than Kentucky.
— Marilynn Boeskey
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Margarita Hopping Downtown
House specialties presented by some nearly randomly selected watering holes in the 92101 ZIP code Dakota Grill & Spirits
901 Fifth Ave.
The "Cowboy Margarita" featuring cactus or pineapple-orange juice, sweet and sour and Cuervo Gold; $7.
Buffalo Joe's
600 Fifth Ave.
The "Bloody Maria," a Bloody Mary revamped with tequila instead of vodka; $3.50.
Moose McGillycuddy's
535 Fifth Ave.
The "Ultimate Margarita," a mix of Cuervo, Triple Sec and iced lime, finished off with Grand Marnier; $4.95.
Baja Brewing Co.
203 Fifth Ave.
"El Capitan's Favorite," a blend of Conmenmorativo, Cointreau and freshly squeezed lime juice; $5.50.
Jimmy Love's
672 Fifth Ave.
The "Cadillac Margarita" featuring Cuervo 1800, Cointreau, sweet and sour, orange juice, a splash of Rose's lime juice and float of Grand Marnier; $4.50.
Planet Hollywood
197 Horton Plaza
The "Gold Margarita," a blend of Cuervo Gold, Cointreau and Grand Marnier; $5.
Dick's Last Resort
345 Fifth Ave.
The "Tequila Popper," a mix of tequila and soda, served in a souvenir glass with a gummy worm; $4.25.
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