Cheers

www.cheersonline.com 23 APRIL 2014 | About 75% of the drinks business at Iron Cactus comes from specialty cocktails, Manley estimates. e best seller is the 100% El Agave Margarita ($8.75), with Herradura silver tequila and Cointreau. e El Perfecto Margarita ($9.75) combines Patron silver tequila and Patrón Citrónge liqueur; it sells well because of Patron's marketing, says Manley. A strong local connection contributes to the popularity of Z Best Express Margarita ($8.50) because it features Pepe Z Silver Tequila, whose Austin-based owner is a local character. LIVELY PROMOTIONS A few cocktail-related publicity ploys have garnered Iron Cactus some good ink in the press and play on Facebook and blogs. A photog's shot of Latin actress Soa Vergara downing a Margarita in a glass rimmed with ve limes led to the chain oering the Soa Vergara-style Margaritas. "We give Soa Vergara all the credit for what we believe will be a new trend in drinking tequila," says Manley, who adds that people did come in looking for the cocktail. Dire predictions of the end of the world forewarned on the Mayan calendar inspired a Mayan Margarita to celebrate the apocalypse. e superpremium drink made with DeLeon tequila and 100-year-old Gran Marnier sold for $99, with the promise that if the world didn't end, customers could come back for a second one—an unusual two-fer. Of course, the world did not end, and Manley got customers returning to the Iron Cactus to celebrate their reprieve. omas Henry Strenk is a Brooklyn-based freelancer who crafts his own homebrew and writes about all things drinkable. Rockin' the Blanco From rock stars to movie actors, a number of celebrities have hitched their stars—and names—to tequila brands. Started in 1996, rocker Sammy Hagar's Cabo Wabo was one of the earliest and most successful ventures. Legendary guitarist Carlos Santana is a part owner and on the board of Casa Noble. Justin Timberlake created 901 Tequila (a reference to his hometown area code) in 2009, and now brand is being relaunched by Beam as Sauza 901. Sean P. Diddy Combs, who catapulted Ciroc vodka to success, is trying a similar strategy with superpremium DeLeon tequila. Film star George Clooney is getting into the act too, with the 2012 launch of Casamigos. Do connections with the stars really sell tequila? They do provide some traction, say operators. "When a celebrity endorses a brand, there's more consumer recognition and better market support," says says Safa Zaraga, owner of Huerto Restaurant & Tequila Bar in West Bloomfield, MI. "So those brands do sell a little better." Consider the motives, says Sergio Ramos, managing partner of New England restaurants Zapoteca Restaurante Y Tequileria and Mixteca Mexican Food & Margaritas. Some celebrities get involved with tequila because they like the product, he says, and some endorse brands for the money. That said, Ramos offers a few celeb brands at Zapoteca, such as Cabo Wabo, Casa Noble and Casamigos. "I think they are doing a good job and offer quality tequila," he notes. "People hear about the celebrity tequilas, and some come in and want to try them," says Gary Manley, general partner of the Austin, TX-based Iron Cactus Grill & Margarita Bar chain, which stocks a few celeb brands. George Clooney actually launched Casamigos at the Iron Cactus in Dallas with his partner, bar/lounge operator and former model Rande Gerber, Manely says. With little fanfare, the two came into the restaurant on a Monday night in January 2013 for sampling, photos and autographs. Casamigos is a good seller at the restaurants. "Gerber knows the spirits business, and the brand is growing," points out Manley. —THS CLICK FOR MORE For more information about Mescal, please visit www.cheersonline.com/more, or use your smart phone to activate this QR Code. The CucumberLoco cocktail at The Smith in New York. 18-23 tequila CH0414.indd 23 4/4/2014 11:07:31 AM

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