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Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/490399
www.cheersonline.com 15 April 2015 • draw. Operators say that a well-made drink is the best way to encourage exploration of the category. "While we do sell a lot of neat pours and flights of tequila and mezcal, our cocktails are the biggest avenue by which we showcase these spirits and introduce people to them," says Lerner at Masa Azul. There is a comfort zone in tasting a new spirit in a mixed drink, he explains. And customers who enjoy a cocktail often go on to try the liquor on its own. Of Masa Azul's 14 cocktails, priced $8 to $12, several are Margarita variations, including the Primero, which substitutes damiana herbal liqueur for triple sec, as called for in the original recipe. Other drinks are agave variants of classics, such as the Oaxacan Negroni and an Old Fashioned with mezcal, which encourage trial, says Lerner. Perhaps the most interesting drink is the Tour de Mexico, which showcases five examples of the agave: tequila, mezcal, sotol, pulque (a beer-like drink) and agave nectar. Mezcal Cantinas also recommend a Mezcal Old Fashioned to guests. "You get a little bit of smoke, but balanced, not overpowering," says Filo. Often customers will then try the mezcal on its own. "It helps us get the conversation going with guests." At Alegria, a popular cocktail is a twist on a classic called the Tijuana Mule, made with blanco tequila, lime juice and ginger beer. But Clements admits that most tequila sales are from Margaritas. The house standard is $5 at Happy Hour, with the premium version ringing in at $15. "We are known for our Margaritas and sell a lot of them," says Marino at Dos Segundos and Caballitos, explaining that the majority of tequila sales come from cocktails. The popular El Burro Rosado is a Moscow Mule variant, and an Old Fashioned substitutes Siembra Azul anejo tequila for whiskey. Top-selling drinks at Adelitas, Rossi says, include the Mezcal-rita, made with Del Maguey Vida mezcal, agave nectar and fresh lime juice. The classic Paloma is a tequila-based cocktail made with fresh red grapefruit juice topped with a splash of Squirt citrus soda. "We've been selling more mezcal-based cocktails," says Fairbanks at Barrio, who notes that the spirit's smoky flavor often appeals to Scotch drinkers. An example is Up In Smoke, a cocktail of Del Maguey Vida mezcal, pineapple and lime juice and serrano pepper. Another innovation is a cocktail that pairs whiskey and aged tequila: The High Plains Drifter mixes Gran Centenario Anejo with Bulleit rye and ancho chile- infused syrup. FLIGHT PATTERNS With so many new tequila brands and expressions now available, flights have become key for on-premise operators. AGAVE SPIRITS AND COUSINS The agave is not a cactus but rather a member of the lily family, and there are several hundred species of this perennial desert plant. Mezcal is the fermented and distilled product of the agave plant. All tequilas are mezcals, but tequila is made exclusively from the Weber blue agave variety, grown only in five Mexican states, chiefly Jalisco, but also Michoacán, Guanajuato, Nayarit and Tamaulipas. Mezcal can be and is made all over Mexico, but primarily in Oaxaca. It can be produced from a number of different agave types. The biggest difference between tequila and mezcal is production processes. For tequila, the heart of the agave, called the pina, is shredded mechanically and then cooked in closed-kiln ovens. For mezcal, the pina is crushed by a volcanic millstone towed by burros, then baked in ember-lined pits that give the spirit its characteristic smokiness. Whereas many tequilas are produced in quantity at large distilleries, mezcal is still made primarily by small independent artisans. As agave geeks have latched onto mezcal as a new interest, they are now being intrigued by related sister and cousin spirits, bacanora, raicilla and sotol. Bacanora is produced from the Agave Pacifico plant in the Mexican state of Sonora. Illegal until 1992, bacanora now has its own denomination of origin. Raicilla is sort of a moonshine mezcal, also produced in Jalisco—usually along the coastline—from wild agave. Legal varieties of this liquor are now available in the U.S. Sotol is not agave-based but distilled from a plant called Desert Spoon and is made in the Mexican state of Chihuahua. All of these different spirits from Mexico are produced, like tequila and mezcal, in various expressions according to maturation: blanco (white or unaged), reposado (rested or slightly aged) and añejo (old).—TS AGAVE GROWS UP