"This pale, straw-colored spirit offers complex aromas mingling lemon, rosemary and pineapple. On the palate, it has a hint of sweetness and lemony brisk flavors." The preceding description may call to mind the taste of a fine wine or an aged whiskey. But those vivid, sensual words were actually taken from the Old Town Tortilla Factory’s Connoisseurs Guide to Tequila. The Scottsdale, Arizona, restaurant now boasts 110 varieties of the Mexican liquor, including El Tesoro de Don Felipe Añejo, the aged tequila described above.

Tequila has become chic. It’s now not uncommon for upscale eateries to host glamorous tequila tastings or, like the Old Town Tortilla Factory, have their own tequila connoisseurs clubs. Some diners now sip tequila from snifters, savoring the different types of tequila as aficionados of single-malt scotch do — but at a greatly reduced price. The tequila trend is not such a big a surprise considering that the so-called white spirits — like vodka — have recently come into vogue among younger consumers, says Cheers magazine editor Jack Robertiello. Tequila "has a certain mystique," he says. "Many of the well-made and well-distilled tequilas are wonderful sipped chilled or warm."

A matter of taste

Today’s tequilas are very complex, and whether you choose one that tastes more "vanilla-like," more "peppery" or more "citrusy" is a matter of taste, says Christina Casteneda, owner of Cafe Frida in New York City. Casteneda, who is from the state of Jalisco, Mexico, says she prefers her tequila as pure as possible.

"People have the idea that if you have Mexican food, you have to drink a margarita," Casteneda says. However, in Mexico, people usually drink wine or beer with food. After lunch, they’ll typically sip a quality tequila, she says. The "margaritas" of Mexico are made of lime juice, water and sugar. When the weather is extremely hot, Mexicans add ice and tequila, but the actual margarita mix is an American creation, says Casteneda.

"Tequila’s come a long way, no question about it," says Old Town Tortilla Factory owner Dave Andrea. According to Adams Business Media research, which publishes Cheers, tequila still constitutes a small — about 4.7 percent — portion of total distilled-spirits sales in the United States. But since 1987, tequila consumption has jumped more than 55 percent. During this period, only Irish whiskey among all other spirits showed any appreciable growth. In 1998 tequila was the only category with double-digit growth — up 10 percent. When all the 1998 data are compiled, tequila is expected to pass blended whiskey to become the ninth-largest spirit category in the United States.

Although much of tequila’s growth is in mixto tequilas, which are used primarily in mixed drinks and shooters, there’s also been growth in the higher-end sipping tequilas. It is difficult to know what percentage accounts for the higher-end or boutique tequilas, because the prevalence of the mixto tequilas has had much to do with the popularity of the boutique tequilas, says Robertiello.

A juicy trend

Tequila comes from the juices of the blue agave plant that grows in the town of Tequila in the state of Jalisco, Mexico. There are four kinds of tequila. According to the Old Town Tortilla Factory’s Connoisseurs Guide to Tequila, white or silver tequilas are fresh from the still. Reposado, or rested, tequilas must be aged for two months to one year in oak tanks or barrels. Coloring agents may be added to the rested tequilas.

Añejo, or aged, tequilas must be allowed to mature for at least one year in Mexican-government-sealed oak barrels. Color may also be added to anejo tequila. White, reposado and añejo tequilas are allowed to include demineralized water to bring them to commercial proof.

One hundred percent blue agave tequila is produced from only the fermented and distilled juices of the blue agave plant. Distilleries producing 100 percent agave tequila must adhere to set standards established by the Mexican government. The tequila must be bottled in Mexico in the region in which it was produced.

Mescal is derived from a different species of agave, primarily agave angustifolia, which is grown in the warmer semiarid regions of Mexico. It has a characteristically smoky flavor and is commonly sweetened with fruit, herbs and nuts to make it more palatable.

Want a lime with that?

Many diners associate tequila with Mexican restaurants, but that doesn’t mean that only restaurants serving Mexican or Southwestern cuisine can benefit from the trend. The high-end sipping tequilas can be sold in almost any type of foodservice operation as long as servers and bar staff are well informed enough about the beverages to be able to in turn educate diners, says Robertiello. "If you have a staff that can really sell spirits, you can really win some converts, because tequila is unique," he says.

"We basically saw the trend and we planned on being the definitive place for margaritas, and that’s what started it," says Andrea. Members of the Tortilla Factory’s Connoisseurs Club mark off cards as they try each of the varieties. To educate himself about the different varieties, Andrea tasted as many tequilas as he could and spoke with distributors.

To cultivate a more informed tequila-drinking clientele, the restaurant places a Connoisseurs Guide on each table. Descriptions like "Light and clean in style, this white tequila offers a bright, herbaceous and perfumed note with spicy flavors and a peppery finish," for Chinaco Blanco, a 100 percent blue agave tequila, can practically bring the liquor’s bite to a diner’s palate before he or she even takes a sip of the clear alcohol from a snifter.

Andrea, who is also a wine connoisseur, says the tequila descriptions are inspired by the sensory descriptions that wine connoisseurs use. "The nuances [of tequila flavors] are a lot slimmer than what you see in wines, so some of it is pretty subjective," he says. "We try to get it close. What we found pretty quickly is, people were interested in being educated in tequilas, how they’re produced and the differences in the quality level," he continues, adding that when people know the differences, they’ll gladly pay $9 for a shot. "It’s our best chance to up our check average." The establishment even sells a T-shirt imprinted with the saying, "Friends don’t let friends drink cheap tequila."

The Tortilla Factory serves tequila either in margaritas or in a snifter to sip with a shot of sangrita — a traditional palate cleanser of tomato, lime and cayenne pepper. Servers are asked to be prepared to tell diners about six to eight of their personal favorites, in low, medium and high price ranges. The restaurant also hosts informal tastings for the waitstaff, so they will know which tequilas they prefer and then be able to make recommendations to customers. "It’s a lot more convincing that way, when they’re personally involved," says Andrea.

At the Mesa Grill restaurant in New York City, co-owner Lawrence Kretchmer carries 35 to 40 varieties of carefully chosen, high-end tequilas. Customers at the upscale American-Southwestern restaurant often order their tequila straight, but the restaurant also has a few special margarita recipes, including one flavored margarita, the "Mesa City Prickly Pear Margarita." "Tequila has so much flavor all by itself that we really don’t believe it needs to be augmented," says Kretchmer.

The Mesa Grill also holds tastings for its servers, so they will know how to describe the different tequila varieties and brands to customers. Kretchmer says he prefers to recommend silver or reposado tequilas with food and añejo tequila with desserts.

Patrons at the Big Bar at the Hyatt Hotel in Chicago can also choose from 20 to 30 varieties of tequila, says Beverage Manager Jeff Schenkel. To educate customers and help them narrow down their choices, the bar offers flights, or samples, of three varieties of tequila for $6.04. "It’s just something new that we’ve started — given the popularity of the tequilas," he says.

Lot 61, a New York City restaurant with food that ranges from Asian influenced to steaks, offers nine high-end brands of tequila, says General Manager Ben Pundole. The restaurant promotes tequila sales by creating unconventional margaritas and adding the liquor to cocktails that traditionally have not included tequila. For example, in "Tequila Mockingbird" — an alternative "Cosmopolitan" — Lot 61 combines tequila, fresh ginger, sugar syrup, cranberry juice, lime and triple sec. The "Fun-Loving Criminal" includes tequila, lime juice and sugar syrup with a splash of soda.

Ramon’s Jalapeño Grill in St. Louis now stocks about 45 tequilas — double the number it offered when it opened seven years ago. The restaurant’s menu includes words of wisdom for the amateur tequila-drinker, describing the different brands and how they are aged. "Over the last couple years, it’s been kind of an educational process for our guests," says General Manager Rob Gallardo.

A perfect pairing

The tequila trend has traveled from behind the bar to the menu. The Tortilla Factory has hosted several prix-fixe dinners in which different entrees are paired with a specific brand of tequila. The "Ultimate Marriage of Food, Wine, Tequila and Cigars" event featured pairings such as a chips, salsa and black-bean hummus appetizer with the "House Special Margarita," which includes Centinela Blanco Tequila, fresh-squeezed citrus juice, Grand Marnier and Cointreau. Another pairing was the "Red Chili Pork Chop" served with a specialty margarita.

For dessert, guests were served "Orange Pecan and Chocolate Cake" with Cafe Español (a Sumatra blend coffee), Centinela Añejo Tequila, Kahlua and amaretto, with a snifter of Centinela Añejo Tres Años on the side. At the Mesa Grill, co-owner/chef Bobby Flay has created a variety of menu items that incorporate tequila. "Bobby Flay’s Tequila-Cured Salmon" is a particular favorite with customers, says Kretchmer, but other inventive dishes at the restaurant include "Gazpacho With Tequila-Pickled Onion" and "Tequila-and-Lime-Steamed Mussels." The restaurant’s tequila-spiked beverages and dishes are included in Kretchmer’s book The Mesa Grill Guide to Tequila.

Ramon’s is also tempting diners with tequila-spiked dishes. One of the restaurant’s most popular desserts is the "Ibarra," a dense chocolate cheesecake served over strawberry-tequila sauce. Specials such as "Margarita Adobe Chicken" (chicken marinated in Ramon’s margarita) have also met with success. "That was a little different, and people thought that was pretty cool," says Gallardo. Another special is the "Margarita Chicken Salad," featuring margarita-marinated chicken served over mixed field greens.

The Tortilla Factory offers a "Tequila Lime Vinaigrette" salad dressing. At Lot 61, the "Grilled Jumbo Shrimp With Cilantro Pesto" appetizer includes a hint of tequila in the pesto sauce.

A beverage with bite

Consumers thirst for the Mexican liquor with a punch seems to be growing — much to the delight of operators already enamored of the blue agave beverage. If the trend continues, there will be nothing to be blue about as bar sales remain in the black, and tequila-inspired tastes make menu offerings red hot.

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