On the Tequila trail in NYC

Words: Tomas Estes

I’m cruising easily down this avenue in the shadows of trees under the street lamps. The air is soft and mellow, even fluid - as am I. I half expect to pass young Bob Dylan, lurking, smoking along the sidewalk. Next moment it seems Jack Kerouac might come along, slouching in his Zen funkiness. My timeframe-perception switches between 60s hippy revolution to 50s Beat non-conformity. What the hell’s happening to me? Does anyone else feel this in the Lower East Side of NYC when they haven’t been here for more than 20 years?

I’ve come to town to check out the tequila scene and see what kind of fun can be stirred up. How many others have presented themselves to this magic city and for how many different reasons? Naren Young - young Aussie, all round cool dude and bar maven and Kelley Slagle - younger still and up-and-coming bartender and artist have helped me by preparing a rather impromptu tequila happening at Naren’s then place of work, Bobo’s.

Here in NY not only do I have my decades shuffled around in my reality but my geographical point of reference is playing ‘mix-up’, ‘stir-up’ and ‘shake-up’ with me. Passing various N.Y. corners in a cab I sense Guadalajara, Paris and London at each turn. At Bobo with its ‘bel etage’, half a floor up from sidewalk level and its ‘souterrain’ - half down from the sidewalk - I could easily mistake being in Amsterdam, and no, I wasn’t smoking anything.

The day I arrived, Kelley met me and took me to what I was to later make out as the "Cradle of Contemporary Bar Civilization in NYC”. This being Audrey Saunders’ Pegu Club. Having heard numerous stories of who had trained, worked and been inspired in and around her place – her ‘home’ - I likened Audrey’s seminal bar to my own in Amsterdam. Steve Olsen who joined us at the tequila happening at Bobo stated that according to his perception, my Cafe Pacifico in Amsterdam was the first bar of its kind devoted to tequila . We started in 1976. Since that time so much energy and ideas flowed from that place outward into the culture mix that we put a sign by the front door calling it, ‘’Madre Pacifico’’.

Behind the bar at Pegu I noticed some of Audrey’s awards and accolades placed among the carefully chosen bottles, glasses and mirrors. I love back bars with drama, with fantasy where a comfortable drinker can lose oneself in sweet reverie. As both the day outside and the lights inside dim, I realize the class of the place. It is discreet; the service, the style, the ambience.

Kenta, the bar manager at Pegu is looking after us. He is attentive and friendly, present without being invasive. He is a pro. I check out the tequila selection, Sauza Blanco, Partida, Herradura, Hornitos, Don Julio, Tesoro and Patron, the ultra-premium market heavy-weight. I’m told that for the first two years they didn’t carry it and then gave in to customer demand. It’s hard to resist giving the customer what they want.

I ask Kenta for a ‘Mexican 55’ - my latest amusement. To his immediate question I answer, “It’s a French 75 with tequila instead of gin and do anything else creative with it that you fancy.”

Kenta’s drink:

Glass: Champagne flute
1 ½ shots Tesoro reposado [damn good start]
½ shot Freshly squeezed lemon juice
½ shot Sugar syrup
¼ shot Liqor 43
Top up with Perrier Jouet Gran Brut

The reason that I’m so enamoured with the Mexican 55 is because I find tequila’s flavour profiles compliment and accentuate those of champagne. Also the classy image of champagne elevates the image of tequila by a few bubbly notches.

There is, and has been for some time, the fashion to mix tequila with lime juice. I myself, in most cases prefer to use lemon juice. In Amsterdam when I started my first bar in 1976, limes were bloody hard to find and pay for since they were very expensive so I started off using lemon juice for my tequila drinks, notably the margarita. As a result, my tequila mixing and drinking taste is pretty well fixed to lemon rather than lime. I find the flavour elements of the lemon and tequila match up better. Surprisingly lemons have overtaken limes in price for the last few years, why - I have no idea. The Meyer lemon is my current favourite as it has a distinctive flavour all of its own.

Next Kelley takes me to a hot dog joint to get our next drink. We walk since everything seems close. We enter this brightly lit, old-fashioned fast food eatery and go directly to the telephone booth. Remember how many of those used to be around before the advent of the cell phone? We close the phone booth door and pick up the phone. On the other end of the line is a female voice - what’s next, something kinky? She asks if I want to enter to which I reply, “Yes” in my best ‘please let me in’ voice. The wall opposite the phone booth door swings open revealing a dark, hidden, seemingly forbidden pleasure room inside. I enter in awe. This is “Contemporary Speakeasy” – for me a world filled with mystery and intrigue.

James Meehan is at the bar. He and his business partner, Brian Sebairo set up P.D.T. (Please Don’t Tell) - the perfect name for this neo-speakeasy hideaway. Brian had the idea of the hot dog eatery ‘cover-up’ and the genius phone booth passage. Jim says they’re like yin and yang. Brian is the ‘creative nut’ (Jim’s terms) and Jim is the ‘straight guy’ - also his words. They compliment each other. Brian is a risk taker. He runs the administration and the physical plant. Jim does the operational part, bar, service and ambience. Jim is a natural at PR too.

David Slape behind the bar made me a Mexican 55. The last one at Pegu was a bit sweet for my taste and this one too. We talk about the sweetness factor of cocktails. Jim tells me that the ‘mix’ used to be ¾ sour , 1 sweet and 1 ½ parts spirit in a cocktail. This has changed presently to ¾ sour, ¾ sweet and 2 spirit. This I am told is the general trend - to make cocktails that are stronger and drier. My general rule is to mix a margarita with 1 sour, 1 sweet and 2 spirit. This has grown around me during my 30 plus years mixing and drinking in Europe.

David’s take on the Mexican 55:

Glass: Champagne flute
1 ½ shots Partida blanco
¾ shot Freshly squeezed lemon juice
½ shot Agave syrup
2 dashes Fees Brothers grapefruit bitters
Top up with Moet Chandon champagne

Agave syrup can be very, very sweet. I’m going to state something controversial and wake some of you up that may have been put to sleep by any of the foregoing. While I respect agave syrup for its health benefits and flavour, I do not think it mixes that well with tequila. Many feel that because the agave syrup and tequila come from the same raw material that they naturally compliment each other. I do not find this to be the case with my taste. I find that the agave syrup can easily overpower the delicate nuances of a fine tequila. To each his own.

It is snug and dark and the low ceiling holds the ambience intimate and cozy. We speak with another guest at the bar who knows David Kaplan of Death & Co. David recommended that this guy come to P.D.T. The N.Y. bar scene seems to me to be a close-knit circle of kindred spirits. I am told that the P.D.T. and Death & Co founders are from Pegu Club, Madre Pegu, which reinforces my impression of one big NYC bar family.

I try a spirit called Agave Azul produced in Alameda, California made from 100% blue agave. According to Mexican law this is not allowed to be called ‘tequila’ since it is not produced within the strictly demarcated tequila region in Mexico. This spirit is different to most tequila flavour profiles I have experienced. It has almost no nose but the palate is complex and concentrated, smoky like a mezcal with mint and menthol elements.

Next drink I have is offered to me and I try it ‘blind’ as I’m not told what is in it and I’m guessing. I say that it is a mezcal drink understanding that the bar knows my preference for Mexican agave spirits. I am fooled, the smoky flavour that I sense which is so characteristic of mezcal comes instead from 2 oz of the house-made Benton’s bacon bourbon. Cooked bacon fat is actually put into the bourbon to give it a smoky flavour. After enough ‘steeping’ time the fat is skimmed off the top. Added to the bourbon is ¼ oz maple syrup (grade B since it’s flavour profile mixes best), 2 dashes Angostura bitters. This is stirred and strained and an orange twist is added. Now catch this, I hope to again awaken the slumbering, the ice cube is crystal clear, is 2 inches cubed and costs 69 cents apiece. That is dedication to getting a unique product. Don Lee of P.D.T. is the creator of this innovative drink.

Back to tequila we go with an “El Fuente”, blanco tequila, fresh grapefruit and lime juices, St-Germain, mezcal and bianco sweet vermouth. The selection of tequila is Siembra Azul, Don Julio, Tesoro, Traditional, Partida, Gran Centenario and Reserva de la Familia. Siembra Azul is the house pour at P.D.T. It has a nose of anise and spearmint and that hard to describe aroma of agave. The nose develops as it sits. It goes to powered sugar and then to overripe tropical fruits. The yeast leads, this one I’m told coming from the Champagne region in France. Ah, the link of tequila to Champagne again.

David Suro the owner of Siembra Azul uses French oak for ageing. The palate is creamy, sweet and smooth and turns into citrus (orange and orange blossom) and violets. The Siembra Azul reposado has a nose of red candied fruits, yeast, honey and is strongly wood led. As we sit at the bar, Jim asks me what I’m getting in three words only from the nose and palate of the Siembra Azul. I tell him and he puts together a cocktail of tequila, pineapple juice, lime, simple syrup, shiso and absinthe. The drink reflects the three words I’d given to Jim from my impressions. Jim gets this three word creative process from a Gary Regan workshop he’d attended in the N.Y. countryside. Jim says, “We are all imitating each other” in the cocktail community. I completely agree and realize this is the creative process for all fields. The neo cocktail scene has been going four years. Pegu was fundamental in the renaissance and Audrey ran it like a family.

Next Kelley and I stroll over to Mayahuel, a new Mexican restaurant and bar. I keep an eye out in the shadows for Bob or Jack along the way. At the entrance we are greeted by the doorman, who Kelley convinces that we belong inside. Before we even order our first drinks a small glass of water is served. I saw water with my drinks in all the bars I visited. I realized that this practice was significant in that it is socially responsible to the possible detriment of alcohol sales since customers may drink the water instead of a second or third alcoholic drink.

I meet Phil Ward the owner of Mayahuel who is engaging with his intense see-all, know-all eyes. He focuses on Kelley and I despite the fact that he’s got a bar/restaurant that is a volcano in its early stages of big time eruption. Phil likes to mix tequila and mezcal, he says its like tequila on steroids. He also likes to mix spicy and savoury. Phil tells me he has been offered a quadruple distilled tequila. Tequila distilled enough would become agave vodka. What an incredible variety of taste experiences that the current tequila market now affords.

As soon as I described the Mexican 55, Phil was off towards the bar with that ironic, mirthful look he can get on his face. I had said, “Do as you wish with it”. He said back at me over his departing shoulder, “I already have it” and ran off.

His ‘Raspberry Charade’ is:

Glass: Wine goblet
1 ½ shots blanco tequila infused with Raspberry Nectar Tea (from Tea Forte)
¾ shot Freshly squeezed lemon juice
¾ shot Sugar syrup
Top up with Cava (sparkling Spanish wine)

The result is tart and yummy like a dessert. We agree that the sparkling wine amplifies the flavours the tequila.

Next Kelley and I are joined by a band of merry makers from this close feeling bar community. We go to ELO, which is a top class place with an Old-European feel. Their tequila selection was Gran Centenario, Tesoro, Patron, 1800, Partida, Herradura, Chinaco, Don Julio, Jose Cuervo Reserva de la Familia, Herradura Selecion Suprema and one ‘single village’ mezcal. Patron was on the drinks list but was placed away from the other bottles of tequila on the back bar. Bar owners and bartenders have mixed feelings about Patron. It is necessary to stock for those millions of customers who ask for it and yet there is a resistance to it also due perhaps to its mass appeal. ELO was in the process of doubling its tequila selection.

ELO’s version of the Mexican 55:

Glass: Champagne flute
Garnish: 3 brandy soaked cherries
2 shots Don Julio anejo
¼ shot freshly squeezed lemon
¼ shot Sugar syrup
Top up with Dry Prosecco
The brandied cherries added rich depth to the taste without overpowering the other ingredients and upsetting the balance.

At ELO we order an assortment of dishes to give more strength to our drinking. I am surprised at the high quality food that this bar serves and how well cocktails and fine food go together.

The merry crowd next moves on to Death & Co. Along the way I am trailing behind the rest, lost in my New York fantasies, reveries. By this time it is late night and across the street I eye a sort of apparition glowing under the streetlight. It is a curbed, stripped-down 1964 Triumph motorcycle. This is the sort of bike Marlon Brando, James Dean, Warren Beatty, Steve McQueen and yes, Bob Dylan have all ridden. My heart races, as I haven’t seen one of these wild rebellious symbols for decades. This expands New York’s appeal 1000 times for me. I too have ridden such a bike and remain longing to have another.

Outside the door of Death & Co are 3 girls that look to be about 15 years old. They are lolling on the sidewalk, backs against the facade and I’m reminded again of the hippy days, the 60s when cities like San Francisco and New York were magnets to searchers and seekers as well as avoiders and drop outs. I hope to see David Kaplan, one of the owners and a friend. He’s not there and we get well taken care of. We sink down into a plush booth and I ask for my Mexican 55. What I get - it is explained to me – is a play on a “Dark and Stormy” which is:

Glass: Champagne flute
1 ½ oz Siete Leguas reposado tequila
¼ oz Freshly squeezed lime juice
½ ginger syrup
Top up with Cremant d’Alsace (sparkling wine)

Naren shows up at Death & Co later than the rest of us, having sworn earlier that he was going home. He talks about the spirituality of tequila and the land from which it comes. He chronicles his time in Tequila Country and what it’s done to him. I was lost in both places with him; in his stories of Tequila Country and of NYC - both simultaneously, geography and chronologically all mixed, stirred and well shaken. Timeless.




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Tony Conigliaro

by Tomas Estes

Talking to Tony I think of D.H. Lawrence, maybe it’s Tony’s Laurencesque beard or maybe it’s because he has a an unconventional creativity with drinks that reminds me of Laurence’s literature. As Tony starts telling me about his latest creations I know the world at large would delight in what I’m hearing.

Imagine a drink in front of you. It is a champagne flute with the bubbles ascending to the surface bringing with each one an aroma of perfume. Each of those hundreds of sublime spheres are bursting open at the surface recreating all the sensory memories and associations of the famous perfume, opening out of and with these little explosions of perfumed essence.

The source of this ethereal sensation is a sugar cube at the bottom of the flute which has been doused, with Tony’s creation, his drinkable essence of perfume. How did this idea ever get conceived?

Tony had been studying the work of Heston Blumenthal, the British chef who has become world renowned for his unconventional ways with pushing the boundaries of what food is and can be. Blumenthal has achieved top accolades for his restaurant, the Fat Duck which has earned three Michelin stars. Tony had experienced first-hand Blumenthal’s pervasive, inquisitive nature around food. Under Blumenthal’s influence the mind is so freed that there is no ‘box’ outside of which to work as described by Tony. Tony noticed this approach of experimentation and enquiry with food and thought, “No one is doing this with drink”.

Tony was also studying perfumes. After all, up to 80% of taste can come from smell. Tony says that perfumiers combine essences to create a harmony of aromas to smell compared to bartenders who combine spirits and ingredients to create a harmony of flavours to drink. Tony’s curious mind followed this perfume stimulus. He wanted to marry the idea of perfume and cocktails.

Tony took the ‘aroma notes’ of a iconic brand of perfume, found food grade equivalent elements, combined them and recreated his version of it into a consumable liquid. This is what he douses on the sugar cube.

Once the drinkable ‘perfume’ was created, Tony tried it out in a Martini. Why the Martini? Tony tells me because it’s the quintessential cocktail. [What did Lawrence drink?] The temperature of the Martini was too low, too cold and the essence of Tony’s version of the perfume did not come out the way Tony wanted. Next try was with Champagne and the sugar cube. The temperature was right and the essence rode on the elevators of the CO2 bubbles. The sensory result is an aroma of ‘that’ iconic perfume and a taste of flowers, rose, jasmine and ylang ylang which Tony says amplifies other flowers’ aromas. Tony’s choice of Champagne is Perrier Jouet Gran Brut. The name of the drink is “Mille Fleur Champagne Cocktail”.

This cocktail amongst other exotic concoctions is on the menu of Tony’s new bar in London, ‘69 Colebrooke Row’. The bar has a ‘film noir’ theme, décor and feel to it. It is down a side street and is not easy to find. It doesn’t help that there is no sign outside. At night there is a shadowy effect outside the bar. Above the bar Tony has his own lab, his own playground in which to experiment and mess around. Tony has the office of his business, the “Drink Factory,” on the same floor as the lab. This business is about “how drinks work”, how the ingredients work together or not. It is not about the history of or presenting of spirits.

For years Tony has been collecting the apparatuses he has in his lab. He has the following: a two liter vacuum still, a soxhetlet which is a continuous type of still which leaves a liquid with a high intensity of flavour, almost like a reduction in a kitchen with a sauce. Tony looks on-line, checks out chemists’ and scientists’ offerings and figures out if he can apply these to his experiments.

Some wine and some spirits are aged to see what evolves. This is an art based on science that has been toyed with for centuries. What about doing this same thing with cocktails and mixed drinks? This is what Tony’s inquisitive mind came up with. He started with a Manhattan: bourbon, sweet vermouth and bitters in the proper proportions. Giving this adventure a proper chance of succeeding, Tony made twenty Manhattans. He put them away in his cellar and at three months he tried one. He didn’t like the result. It was not palatable, nothing good had happened. Next time Tony revisited his cellar one year later he thought he would throw the samples out. He tried one as a last chance. This one gave Tony what he was looking for. This one had fused flavours; it was smoother and more velvety than the original.

Try and dare, don’t give up. This is Tony’s story. He believes in patience. Mimicking the perfume ‘took him two years to develop and the Manhattans have seen four years since inception. Tony now has a cellar of 2006, 2007 and 2008 ‘vintage’ Manhattans maturing. He really does not have any semblance of a ‘box’ around this kind of thinking. He has done some aged Martinis, it IS his favorite drink. The aging works up to six months and then the flavours, “fall off the edge.” Look for other aged cocktails from Tony, since he remains as much as ever the inquisitor.

Have you been shaking your head at Tony’s weirdness or, should I say, ‘unconventional creativity’? How about this for a novel approach: Tony has been working on the quality of ‘dryness’ in drinks especially the - here it is again - Martini. To do this Tony has studied saliva and how it works in the mouth and has come up with an ingredient to put into vermouth to make it and its Martini extra dry. It has to do with how this element affects the tongue.

Here’s another head shaker. Tony worked with a chocolatier to see how tastes develop in the mouth and, as in a journey, how some taste sensations arrive earlier than others. This is pure Tony, looking at the ‘’how” beyond the “what”. He says that the size of the taste molecules in things we eat or drink affects the rate of when they release in the mouth, tongue and palate. Does this sound like the Cabinet of Dr. Caligari? Tony reminds me how sensitive the mouth is to taste and also about the mouth being erogenous [Lawrence revisits]. I can see Alan Bates in Ken Russell’s film, “Women in Love” opening and slowly eating a fresh fig.

I asked Tony specifically to speak about tequila, not being a fan of martinis myself. In 2000 he created a drink for the Isola Bar. It is made with griddled lemons. The cooking removes some acidity and gives a carmelized quality to the lemon flavour. Present day this process has evolved to include cold smoking the lemons and then griddling them. Tony uses the juice of these lemons to make a margarita. He does all this to accentuate the flavour elements inherent in the tequila.

For Tony tequila is an enormously fun spirit to play with because it has such a huge spectrum of flavours. The “Armundo Torres Gonzales” is one of Tony’s creations which is tequila with caramel flavouring. His friend, when served this drink, told Tony that it reminded her of an earlier lover’s smell. What was the name of Lady Chatterley’s gardener?

HEAD II HEAD

For Mixto Tequila: Thomas Estes

Industry leaders ask those who will listen to use the following terms when naming the two categories of tequila: 'Tequila', that spirit which must have a minimum of 51% agave sugars and allows the maximum of 49% other sugars to be added at the point of fermentation. 'Tequila 100% agave', is self explanatory.

There are both well made [mixto] tequilas and well made 100% agave tequilas. I have drunk many examples of both categories over a long period of time and have come to the conclusion that the quality of the tequila of either category is more important than which category it is.

I have been at numerous blind tastings where the participants cannot tell examples of one category from the other. Apart from the preceding, I would add that many prefer [mixto] tequilas over 100% agave tequilas.

The taste of the two categories can differ. Some argue that the mildness of the sugar added [to mixto] makes a more palatable drink for them. This may give value to the whole category as being a ‘starter tequila’?

One of my favourite bars in the world, and that of others I know is La Capilla bar in the town of Tequila in Mexico. One of the reasons I like it so much is that there is zero snobbery or pretence in this legendary tequila mecca. The owner, Don Javier Delgado has been bartending for 62 years. Don Javier’s house pour tequila is 'Tequileña' made about 2-3 hundred meters from his bar entrance. It is a [mixto] ‘tequila', not 100% agave. It is robust, full of agave flavour and does not hurt the drinker the next day because it is well made. The fact that the most revered tequila bar in the world for tequila 'insiders' serves this particular [mixto] tequila makes one hell of a convincing endorsement in my book.

One of the outstanding strong points of tequila is its versatility. It can be drunk in wide and far ranging manners. This distinguishes it from all or most other spirits. By having two categories increases the variety of tequilas to drink and mix and results in a grander field of versatility for the consumer, therefore expanding its appeal.
Footnote: I added [Mixto] to the above text to make clearer. SD

Against Mixto Tequila: Simon Difford

While I hate the fact that tequila’s distillation process itself is not more tightly regulated (i.e. no maximum distillation strength or still specifications), by far my biggest gripe with tequila’s lax rules is the continued existence of mixto.

During the fermentation of mixto tequila, sugar (cane or corn) is added to the aguamiel (agave juice) prior to fermentation. Such mixto tequilas can be, and usually are, made from as much as 49% of added sugar. In my book that makes them almost half rum. Thankfully, ‘real tequila’, a.k.a. 100% agave tequila is only fermented from aguamiel. To label a mixto tequila without reference to the fact that practically half of it was distilled from sugar seems a contravention of the trade descriptions act.

All 100% agave tequilas are labelled as such but presently it is only the lack of a mention of 100% agave that identifies a mixto tequila as being such. Perhaps the producers are rightly ashamed to draw attention to all that added sugar? Surely it is only right that each mixto is labelled with the proportion of added sugar used in its production? Most of the people buying mixto tequila are ignorant to how much sugar is being added and I feel they are being cheated.

I certainly don’t expect the Consejo Regulador del Tequila (CRT) to agree with me and legislate to immediately end mixto. Such a move would obviously be damaging to the category. However, I would like to see a period set for its phasing out, say ten years. Along the way, perhaps five years, mixto tequilas could be required to be labelled as such.

Most of the developed world recognises and respects tequila as being an Appellation of Origin (AOC). Now tequila has the opportunity to leave the frat boy shooter image behind and join the hallowed ranks of AOC categories such as Scotch whisky, cognac and champagne. To attain such premier status I believe a tightening of NOM rules, to include the outlawing of mixto, is necessary.




www.classbar.com

Is you glass half full?

By Jonh S. Pomeroy


A focus on artisanal ingredients, a meticulous attention to the processes of construction and presentation, and an insistence on balance of flavors are all ideals that have always been cornerstones for chefs. Those ideals were once prevalent in the spirits world, as well, but were abandoned for convenience, mass production, and increased profit. The return to those standards is welcomed by distinguishing imbibers, and with it comes the need for proper glassware.

Anyone serious about wine, for example, would never serve an exquisite selection in an inappropriate glass. Imagine ordering a $5,000 bottle of Bordeaux and having it served in a 98-cent glass. No self-respecting sommelier would ever dream of committing such an act. Every varietal of wine has an ideally shaped glass in which it should be served, and it is this philosophy that has influenced spirits aficionados to develop spirit-specific glassware.

With a long history in fine dining, I am slightly embarrassed to say that I had never put much thought into the vessel in which I served my cocktails, never really thinking more about it than this: an old-fashioned or highball glass for drinks served tall or on the rocks, a cocktail glass or a coupe for drinks served up, and perhaps a snifter for a nice brandy or single-malt Scotch. That said, my first introduction to a spirit-specific glass came in the form of The Glencairn Glass (www.glencairn.co.uk/glass), which I encountered attending my first Whisky Fest two years ago.

The Glencairn Company has been producing whisky-specific glasses since 2001. In 2006, the glass was given the Queen's Award for innovation, and after about five million Glencairn glasses had been produced, a partnership was fostered with the German company, Stölzle. According to Edward Artidiello, President of Stölzle-USA, this was done to celebrate the award and re-brand the glass to "better reflect its unique positioning, while at the same time move to a crystal glass to give a finer and more premium presentation." While Stölzle also makes other spirits-specific glasses, their presence in the market is most readily seen in the Glencairn glass, and I had a chance to speak to Evan Cattanach, Master Distiller Emeritus of the Classic Malts Selection, about its evolution.

Cattanach informed me that, while Raymond Davidson originally designed the Glencairn glass over twenty years ago, it wasn't until his sons Paul and Scott took the design to the master blenders for approval that the glass saw production. Its roots lie in the traditional graduated nosing glasses used by blenders the world over. The shape is designed to allow the bouquet to expand in the glass without the influx of alcohol in the nose, and "the wide bowl allows for the fullest appreciation of the whisky's color, while the solid base is designed to be easy on the hand," said Cattanach. "Drinking Scotch out of this fine crystal vessel is akin to drinking tea out of a fine china. After having done so, drinking it out of anything else just doesn't
feel civilized."

Not surprisingly, Riedel (www.riedel. com) -the same company that produced the first wine-specific glasses to come to my attention- also produced the first spirit- specific versions. I bridged this gap during a recent tequila tasting, when I was served a plata, a reposado, and an añejo in what I (mistakenly) determined to be a champagne flute. Similarly shaped, Riedel's Tequila glass made quite an impression on me. Immediately, I was brought back to my roots in fine dining, holding the spirit in higher regard by default-because it was sampled from fine crystal it must be a higher-quality spirit.

According to the company Web site, "In 2002, Riedel Crystal introduced the Official Tequila Glass, designed to highlight the finest characteristics of Mexico's national drink.

The glass, designated the Official Tequila Glass by the Consejo Regulador del Tequila, was designed to enhance Mexico's finest Reposados, Añejos and Reservas de Casa Tequilas. The elegant, slender glass is 8¼" high, with a capacity of 6¾ ounces, and, is part of the Riedel Ouverture collection (Ouverture Tequila 408/18). The glass has a tall stem, meant to lift fine Tequila to the level it deserves, to accord it the appreciation and respect of which it is worthy."

Perhaps it was the introduction of this glass that inspired the Camarena family to produce the first-ever vintage tequila, Tequila Ocho. While for centuries winemakers have talked about terroir (the complete natural environment in which a product is produced, including factors such as soil, topography, and climate), only recently has that topic been associated with tequila.

Once again, spirits experts are emulating the trends in the wine making world. With agave spirits leading the way in the discussion of terroir in spirits, it should come as no surprise that they are also responsible for taking the lead in spirit-specific glassware.

With such a strong focus on spirit specific glassware, those who are serious about their cocktails should have the same approach to the vessels in which their artisinal creations are served. The Modern Mixologist, Tony Abou-Ganim, had this to say about the trend: "We are finally paying attention to what goes into a great drink; now it's time to pay attention to what a great drink goes into." Dale "King Cocktail" DeGroff has been talking about the importance of glassware for decades, and will be doing so again during a seminar at the Manhattan Cocktail Classic (www.manhattancocktailclassic.com) this May.

Long-time advocates for the importance of glassware in cocktails, both Dale and Tony predicted the current trend by watching the availability of different glass styles increase in number. Many high-end cocktail bars around the country are beginning to focus on glassware. It is not uncommon, especially in metropolitan areas like New York City, to find drinks served in antique glasses (or replicas of them). Companies like Minner's (www.minners.com) specialize in reproductions, and custom-produce glassware in bulk from molds or user-specified designs. Establishments like Employees Only in New York have glassware custom-designed specifically for them, complete with their logo etched into the side.

Remember: Two versions of the same cocktail -one presented in an inexpensive glass and another in a crystal vessel- communicate very different messages about their respective establishments. In much the same way that a fine wine should never be served in an inexpensive glass, neither should a fine cocktail.




www.barbizmag.com

Tequila Plant May Help Fight Bone Loss

Artichokes, garlic and onions also contain beneficial fructans, researchers say
by Robert Preidt

Content provided by HealthDay -- An ingredient in agave -- the plant used to make tequila -- may help fight bone-weakening osteoporosis and other diseases, Mexican researchers say.

Agave, artichokes, garlic, onions and chicory are rich, natural sources of fructans -- nondigestible carbohydrates consisting of molecules of fructose linked together into chains, according to background information in a news release from the American Chemical Society.

"Experimental studies suggest that fructans may be beneficial in diabetes, obesity, stimulating the immune system of the body, decreasing levels of disease-causing bacteria in the intestine, relieving constipation and reducing the risk of colon cancer," Mercedes Lopez, of the National Polytechnic Institute in Guanajuato, said in the news release.

Previous research has also suggested that fructans stimulate the growth of beneficial bacteria in the large intestine in a way that increases the body's absorption of minerals, including calcium and magnesium, which are needed for bone growth.

In this study, Lopez and colleagues tested the effects of agave fructans on bone growth in mice. Compared to other mice, those fed agave fructans absorbed more calcium from food, excreted less calcium in their feces, and had a 50 percent increase in levels of a protein associated with the build-up of new bone tissue.

"These results suggest that the supplementation of the standard diet with agave fructans prevented bone loss and improved bone formation, indicating the important role of agave fructans on the maintenance of healthy bone," Lopez said. "They can be used in many products for children and infants to help prevent various diseases, and can even be used in ice cream as a sugar substitute."

But drinking tequila won't help, the study authors noted. The fructans turn into alcohol when agave is processed into tequila, they said.

The study was to be presented Tuesday at the national meeting of the American Chemical Society in San Francisco.

More information

The National Osteoporosis Foundation has more about osteoporosis prevention.
SOURCE: American Chemical Society, news release, March 23, 2010

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