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www.cheersonline.com 13 April 2015 • ow popular has tequila become in the past decade? Adelitas Cocina Y Cantina in Denver, which has grown its collection to more than 155 tequilas, has run out of shelf space for all the new expressions, says co- owner Brian Rossi. Adelitas is now expanding those shelves to make more room and satisfy the demand for tequila, a spirit that's been gaining respect in the past 10 years, Rossi says. "Now people are more educated about agave distillates, and we are seeing a rise in hand-crafted artisanal brands." Adelitas prices its tequilas from $5 to $125. Indeed, artisanal spirits like high-end tequilas are cited as the top trend in beverage alcohol by the National Restaurant Association in its 2015 Culinary Forecast. The spirit has benefi ted from crossover interest in barrel-aged spirits. Tequila has become a growth driver of the spirits industry in the U.S., not only as the base for America's favorite cocktail, the Margarita, but also achieving a reputation for sipping quality. Tequila volumes were up a healthy 5.2% in 2014, according to the Beverage Information & Insights Group, the research unit of Cheers' company. Most of that growth occurred in the superpremium arena. NEW AND NOTABLE "I rely upon my distributors to keep me up to date on all new tequilas coming onto the market," says Greg Clements, bar manager at Alegria Mexican Restaurant & Tequila Bar in Nashville, TN. For example, he was recently sold on Patron's new ultrapremium Roca line after an extensive tasting. Alegria currently carries more than 100 tequilas, but Clements plans on cutting back the list by half to better focus on the brands that move. Prices range from $5 a shot up to $70 for top-shelf sippers such as Gran Patron Burdeos and Don Julio 1942. "I sold three of those high-end tequilas to a table just last night," Clements says. "We're seeing more artisanal producers highlighting the use of the tahona, the volcanic roca [rock] used to crush agave pinas," says Bill Fairbanks, vice president of operations for the three-unit Barrio Restaurant Group in Minneapolis. The restaurants offer a core list of 126 tequilas, priced from $5 up to $96. Popular call brands are Maestro Dobel, which debuted silver, reposado and añejo expressions, and Clase Azul, whose hand-painted bottles show off well on the restaurant's mirrored backbar, aka the "Tequila Library." "We are seeing more sipping of tequila," says Fairbanks, noting that the sweet spot for sampling is in the $14 to $26 per glass range. He makes a point to stock all three or four expressions of every brand. "When customers fi nd a label they like, they are more willing to step up, from the blanco to the reposado or from repo to añejo or extra añejo," Fairbanks explains. They are interested in experiencing how additional aging affects the spirit. MEZCAL MYSTIQUE These days you can't talk about tequila without mentioning its fast-rising agave brother mezcal. Tequila itself is a type of mezcal, but with delimited agave growing areas and strictly regulated production methods. Mezcal has a smoky fl avor profi le because the agave is fi re-roasted rather than kilned as CONSUMERS ARE CULTIVATING A TASTE FOR HIGH-END, AGED TEQUILAS, AND DEVELOPING AN INTEREST IN MORE ESOTERIC ASPECTS OF AGAVE By Thomas Henry Strenk Of Masa Azul's 14 cocktails, several are Margarita variations, while others are agave variants of classic drinks. H