Following last week’s look at the Australian brewing icon, Coopers Brewery, in our first post looking at a range of unique Bibendum producers, we focus on one of Mexico’s finest exports, tequila, and the renowned El Tesoro de Don Felipe Tequila,  part of the Bibendum portfolio of boutique spirit brands. El Tesoro is not your average tequila, but 100% handcrafted and has won no less than eight Double Gold Medals at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition since 2005!

History -

Born into a family that had distilled tequila since the early 1800s, Don Felipe Camarena began his career by growing and selling Agave plants to other distillers, following the family’s original distillery being destroyed and abandoned during the Mexican Revolution.

In 1937 Don Felipe opened La Alteña Distillery in the mountainous region of Jalisco Mexico, known for producing the best blue agave. Here he started distilling his own tequila, selecting only the ripest plants and using equipment from his family’s original distillery. Don Felipe became known for his passion for producing handcrafted tequila, carrying on his long family traditions of producing one of the World’s finest tequilas.

Production -

Through the entire production process, El Tesoro de Don Felipe Tequilas are still made by hand. With the family having over 200 years of tequila experience, they are devoted to upholding the tradition of creating a product based on quality, not quantity, and all created by hand, using exactly the same process Don Felipe Camarena used over 70 years ago.

The Harvest -

All of the agave here is estate grown, allowing close monitoring of quality from planting through to maturity. Once the agave is ripe and ready to be harvested, jimadors harvest each agave by hand using a coa de jima, a hoe with a flat metal head and razor-sharp edge. Here the jimador separates the piña, the large, juicy core of the blue agave, from the rest of the plant.

Cutting the Piñas

The next step in the process will see the piñas cut the into halves to prepare them for baking. Cutting the piñas by hand is the only way to remove the waxy stem from inside the agave, which can give the tequila a bitter taste if left to cook with the agave. The hand cutting proces is not often seen in tequila production today, with many producers using machines to carry out much of the cutting.

Baking the Piñas

Next up comes the baking of the piñas. Many distilleries cook the agave for just 6 hours in autoclaves, while El Tesoro use the traditional method of slowly steaming the agave in huge brick and stone ovens called a horno, for a much superior flavour. The piñas are baked here for 36 hours, and cooled for another 36 hours. This steam method cooks the piñas slowly, maintaining the strong agave taste without caramelizing the piñas, which can add bitter flavours.

Crushing the Piñas

Following the cooking, El Tesoro crush the cooked piñas the authentic way — using a tahona, a one-ton stone wheel. Originally pulled by a mule, the tahona is now pulled by a tractor, however this is still a labour intensive process, requiring four men. One man drives the tractor pulling the tahona, while another rides alongside to guide it around the basin. Two men work hard to keep the piñas from getting matted down.

Fermentation -

While other tequilas will often ferment just the juice, El Tesoro keeps the piñas throughout each stage of the process, enhancing the flavour in the final product. The juices and pulp of the agave are fermented naturally in large wood vats. During fermentation, which can take 7-10 days, the agave juice boils and bubbles, forming a foamy crust of bubbles and matter on the surface of the juice, now called “fermented must” or mosto. After the sugar has been converted to alcohol, the reaction ceases and the mosto is emptied into a holding tank to await the first distillation.

Distillation -

El Tesoro Tequila is distilled in copper kettles, first with the agave fibers, which allows the tequila to retain more agave flavour. During the first 12 hours of distillation, the liquid is run off to remove any trace of wax or dust from the original plant, creating a liquid alcohol called ordinario. Then distillation takes place a second time, turning the ordinario into tequila. El Tesoro is the only 100% blue Agave tequila double-distilled to exactly 80 proof, and bottled without adding water, another traditional process carried out to preserve the tequila’s fine agave flavour.

Ageing & Bottling -

The spicy, peppery El Tesoro de Don Felipe Platinum is bottled immediately, while the other tequila’s are aged in oak barrels to add varying degrees of sweetness. El Tesoro Reposado is aged between 8 and 11 months to add a little sweetness, El Tesoro Añejo is aged for 2 to 3 years for an even sweeter, aromatic spirit. And El Tesoro Paradiso is aged for up to 5 years in cognac barrels, for a rare and remarkably smooth tequila.

Every bottle of El Tesoro is bottled by hand. If you look at the bottom of a bottle of El Tesoro, you’ll even see a sticker with the name of the person who bottled the tequila.

Tasting Notes -

Blanco, 40% ABV
Crystal clear and exceptionally smooth, this tequila is great on its own or served in a cocktail, perfect for mixing. El Tesoro Blanco is bottled within 24 hours of distillation to capture the fresh agave flavours.

Reposado, 40% ABV
Mellow and rich, with subtle wood tones. Reposado or ‘rested’ tequila, has to be aged for at least two months. While El Tesoro Reposado Tequila is rested longer, at around 11 months. Aged in oak barrels the tequila has a hint of sweetness without overpowering the agave flavours. Great on the rocks!

Anejo, 40% ABV
A full and balanced flavour, some tequila connoisseurs call El Tesoro Añejo one of the world’s finest sipping tequilas. Mexican law requires Añejo (“year”) tequilas to age for at least 12 months. El Tesoro Añejo is aged two to three years in oak barrels for an amazing, long finish.

Paradiso, 40% ABV
Created by Don Felipe Camarena and Alain Royer of A. de Fussigny Cognac, this unique, handcrafted blend of 100% blue Agave tequila, has a real elegance from its Cognac barrel aging process. Aged for 5 years, Paradiso is a stunning, extremely smooth tequila.

Check out the video below, as Carlos Camarena takes us through the handmade process at El Tesoro -

What happens when you get a load of London bartenders together in a room, then fill it up with Tequila? Well, probably not quite what you are expecting. This would be due, in part, to the bad reputation which still lingers (undeservedly) around the tequila category. And, to be fair, the reputation which continues to thrive regarding London’s bartenders!

February 1st saw the launch of the El Tesoro Tequila competition, in which competitors can win themselves a trip to Mexico to visit the ‘La Altena’ distillery, home of not only El Tesoro, but also Ocho and Tapatio. Gathering in Covent Garden’s Cafe Pacifico were bartenders and managers from some of the most easily identifiable ’key’ Tequila venues in the country: Crazy Homies, Green & Red, Navajo Joe’s and, naturally, Cafe Pacifo itself, as well as a host of other influential cocktail bars. The competition kicked off with a tutored tasting, hosted by Tomas Estes, the European Tequila Ambassador, followed by discussion of what the future holds for Tequila. Having won the Imbibe Ice Awards taste competition by a Mexican mile, as well as being the proud winner of more awards than any other Tequila on the planet, I need not go into the details which came out of the tasting here (but will do so separately).

Instead, the focus of this blog entry will be the ideas and comments of the group regarding the past decade of trends in the Tequila market, and where they see this leading in the coming decade. Interestingly, Tom Estes pointed out that the UK (and London in particular) is really not a large market forTequila, in global terms. It is, however, one of great kudos within the Tequilaros of Mexico, giving great status to those brands successful within the city. This apparent incongruity seems to stem from the high regard in which bartenders from our capitol are held worldwide. It is fair to say that, in this country at least, Tequila still suffers in the eye of the public from a relatively negative perception (see my previous article from a Tom Estes talk). Slowly but surely, this appears to be changing. 100% agave tequila is now the fastest growing spirit category in the country (although the agave itself isn’t growing much quicker).

Evidence of this can be seen quite easily: there are now many venues dedicated to all things Mexican. And not just
in a kitsch, 80’s kind of way, either. The likes of El Camino, La Perla, Cafe Pacifico, Green and Red, Wahaca, and Cafe Sol are bringing serious quality to the market.

Furthermore, in Westbourne Park Road’s Crazy Homies we now find a dedicated tequila bar!   That’s right, a venue which serves exclusively Tequila, and no other spirits. The public’s increasing interest in the Tequila category can be seen here on a daily basis.The team were keen to point out that articles in mainstream publications such as the Guardian and Observer (oddly, willlowe.com seems to have passed them by…) are engaging the middle classes, bringing them through the doors actively seeking to know more about the spirit. And Homies are delivering, in a big way. They bought along for discussion a proof of their new, soon-to-be-launched menu / bible. In this mighty tome, we see a full four pages dedicated solely to Tequila; a full menu including tasting notes for each tequila on their shelf. It is very hard to imagine this happening ten years ago.

And it’s not just happening in London. Leeds has a strong following emerging, with the likes of Azucar and Neon Cactus. Further afield, Glen Morgan (of Soho’s Lab), recently back from Tokyo commented on the aptly named ’Agave’ there, stocking more than 360 Tequilas and Mezcals.

All of this attention, and increased sophistication, is a far cry from the standard serve of a dirty shot glass, salt and lime of years ago. But how is it happening? The marketing machine behind Patron Tequila has been credited with influencing the market to a large degree, especially when it comes to American customers. Many bartenders are also actively selling tequila, educating their customers, and passing on a passion for this much mis-understood spirit. Order a rum and coke in Crazy Homies, for example, and you’ll likely walk away with a Batanga, a little bit more knowledge, and a smile on your face. And that, we all agreed, is where the future lies. Tom Estes may be the Tequila Ambassador, but everywhere he goes he seems to create small armies of ambassadors in their own right, each carrying the passion, and passing it on wherever, and whenever, they can.

By the way, if you’re interested in joining the competition to win a trip to the distillery, it is running in February, March and April of 2010. You need to be a bar / restaurant/ club in the UK, and be prepared to share some Tequila love! Contact wlowe@bibendum-wine.co.uk for more details.

Dale in Agave fields

It’s October 2nd 2009 and I’m booked on BA 243 to Mexico City, flying out five days later, when I get a telephone call from an old friend, a Mexican Ambassador…  “Dale, I strongly recommend you delay your visit, my sister tells me there’s an outbreak of Dengue fever…”. I cancelled my tickets and all my appointments, and moved them to the dry season.  Two days later the diplomat called me back to say, “…the fears are exaggerated – just spray plenty of anti mosquito repellant, you should be OK! ” With a healthy supply of repellent in my bag, I re-booked the tickets & flew out.

In Mexico City I have booked Hotel Tapatio, where I have stayed for the last 18 years. The hotel is perched on the top of a hill overlooking Guadalajara, and so at night, it looks like the view from an airplane over the city, with millions of twinkling lights.

I was in town to visit El Tesoro, the world’s best tequila. The Master Distiller and present owner Carlos was supposed to collect me from the hotel at 10am. At 11am, after allowing for ‘Mexican time’, I phoned the distillery just to check he is turning up. In past years I have made this journey to find Carlos was ‘not available’, but instead had left three bottles of his finest and rarest were in my hotel room as ‘compensation’! This year I got the lift not the tequila.

The La Altena, or Lady of the Highlands, distillery was opened in its current site in 1937 by Don Felipe Camarena,  Carlos’ grandfather. I was particularly keen to see how El Tesoro differed from Tapatio, another great tequila that Carlos produces. He explained that while all his tequila is handcrafted using agave from their own fields, El Tesoro is made in homage to his grandfather, with absolute attention to detail and using only ultra-traditional methods.

Hand selected Agave

The agave plants are individually hand selected only when they are completely ripe. Then, the pina (the hearts of the agave plants) are meticulously stripped of any waxy out layer, even removing the male ‘cebolla’. One of the most important differences between El Tesoro and Tapatio is that Carlos uses a traditional tahona stone to crush the agave after it has been steamed when he makes El Tesoro. With Tapatio he uses modern, cheaper shredders. His grandfather may have one complaint though – 30 years ago they stopped using a donkey to pull the tahona stone instead, replacing it with a tractor for hygiene reasons. At La Altena this passes for technology.

Another reason El Tesoro is unique is that the second distillation is carried out to exactly 40% abv. Carlos is able to achieve this low strength by carefully controlled distillation in the very small stills that his grandfather used. The quality controls are very strict. Carlos does not use pesticides or fertilizers on his agave plants, and relies on airborne wild yeasts to kick off the fermentation in his old open topped wooden vats. The production is not without its dangers though. As I wandered round the agave plants I was told they had captured 20 rattlesnakes in the same field the day before!

Given the meticulous attention to detail, it is hardly surprisingly that El Tesoro is the most highly rated tequila in America, earning seven Double Gold’s in the San Francisco World Spirits Competition over the last three years. All four styles were rated No. 1 in their class at the Chicago Beverage Testing Institute in 2009.

The 75th anniversary of La Altena will take place in the summer of 2012, and judging by the scale of the 70th anniversary a few years back is guaranteed to be a huge celebration.

Salt rim or no salt rim?

This debate has divided the Lowe household for quite some time. For years, the most obvious answer has been the classic “half-salt rim” solution. Half salted, half not, and everybody’s happy. Except they’re not, are they?

Everybody’s half happy.

A new approach was clearly required. Enter the Cocktail Chemist. Molecular Gastronomy has been quietly working it’s way into the mainstream for some time now, spearheaded by names such as Heston Blumenthal. Molecular Mixology, its far more excitingly named cousin, has been lagging somewhat behind, but is definitely starting to emerge. So what’s the answer then? Well, it’s air. Obviously.

Using a solution of lecitihin, salt and mineral water, and mixing up a froth with a hand blender, it’s possible to make a very stable salt flavoured froth which will maintain its form for hours, and float rather attractively on the top of your drink (a margarita in this case). Simply skimming the foam with a slotted spoon allows the excess liquid to drain away, allowing the ‘air’ to be added to the drink (see below).

The result is a very light suggestion of salt with every sip – not large lumps which cling to your lips (worst case scenario for me), or eventually run out before your drink does (worst case scenario for Mrs Lowe).

Of course, there is little or no point in going to this effort unless the margarita itself is top notch. Using absolutely the best ingredients money can buy is essential. Scrimping and saving on cheap tequila is false economy, and will protest loudly from your glass, no matter how much you try to drown it out with a cacophony of sugar and lime.

For this occasion, I opted for El Tesoro Blanco. It’s fragrant, floral, highland 100% agave flavours are perfect for creating the delicate nuances I required in the margarita. There was an article about the fantastic quality of El Tesoro in the Metro just last week. Having been voted ‘Best Tequila In The World’ seven years running, it gets a lot of praise from the trade press, but is woefully absent from far too many bars. Not mine, I hasten to add. The tequila was sweetened using an organic agave syrup (a la Tommy’s Margarita), and shaken hard over ice with freshly squeezed lime juice. Delicious.

Almost finished, but something was missing. I wanted a citrus edge to come through right at the end of the drink, so created a citrus caviar which could be sunk to the bottom of the cocktail. This is a basic caviar concoction of sodium alginate, sugar, water and an orange liqueur. Once formed and strained, they are ready for adding to the freshly double-strained margarita.

Next, we add the salt air and we’re ready to serve. I was very pleased with the end result of this drink. More importantly, so was my long suffering drinks guinea-pig, Mrs Lowe. The best margarita she’s ever had, she proclaimed. Praise if ever I heard it.

My great thanks to Myles Cunliffe for his inspiration on this, and all things molecular.