Cheers is dedicated to delivering hospitality professionals the information, insights and data necessary to drive their beverage business by covering trends and innovations in operations, merchandising, service and training.
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/808089
www.cheersonline.com 19 March/April 2017 • www.cheersonline.com www.cheersonline.com www.cheersonline.com says David Shenaut, director of operations at Raven & Rose, a gastropub in Portland, OR. The restaurant carries 12 bottles in the agave category, priced $7 to $30 for a 1½-oz. pour, but none of the major brands. It also offers a few off-list rare bottlings. For customers who call for the well-known premium brands, Shenaut and his staff are ready with alternative suggestions. Because it is housed in an historic carriage house, the British-themed Raven & Rose also trades on the historic drinking cultures in 1800s Portland, when what was then known as "Mexican brandy" had a place behind the bar, notes Shenaut. "I would love for us to focus on agave spirits more." Estero is another bar that doesn't carry any of the heavily marketed tequila call brands, says general manager Michael Rubel. The Latin- American- and Caribbean-themed bar, part of the Chicago-based Heisler Hospitality restaurant group, offers about 20 tequilas, 40 mezcals and a few agave cousins such as sotol, bacanora and raicilla. "So customers are forced to branch out and almost always appreciate the fl avor they get from smaller brands with more ethical production methods," says Rubel. "There are many really good tequilas on the market," says Livesay at The Matador. "But there are also some overpriced tequilas, where you are paying for the fancy bottle and a multi-million dollar advertising campaign." The chain offers 1 ½-oz. pours for $7 all the way up to $300. The sweet spot that offers the biggest bang for the buck is the $10 to $30 price range, says the bar manager. SMOKIN' HOT MEZCAL Tequila's smoky cousin is showing up on more backbars these days. An analogy can be drawn between rye's rise on the coattails of bourbon's popularity. "A lot of people start with tequila and then move into mezcal, which has a more aggressive and interesting fl avor profi le," says Livesay. The Matador restaurants offer a dozen or more mezcals as well as a few sotols. "People seem more interested in mezcal than tequila, [and are] asking more questions about it," says Noor Shikari, co-owner with husband Luis Davila of Citrico, a southern Mexican restaurant in Brooklyn. Citrico currently offers three mezcals: one made with espadin agave, another with barril agave and a pechuga (mezcal distilled with turkey or chicken breast, or fruit and nuts). Shikari plans to add more mezcals to her list, especially the pechuga varieties. Back in 2009, agave afi cionados in Oregon had access to just two brands of mezcal, recalls Shenaut, who helped rally a "March for Mezcal" in 2010 to persuade the state liquor board to remedy that. "Today, the landscape in Portland has really changed—nearly every bar A g av e P r i m e r MEZCAL. Mezcal is the over-arching category of Mexican spirits fermented and distilled from several varieties of the agave plant. It is produced all over Mexico under various names and designations, including tequila. Bottles labeled "mezcal" are usually from the state of Oaxaca and often have a smoky fl avor because during production the agave hearts are roasted in rock-lined pits fi red by mesquite. TEQUILA. Tequila is a type of mezcal produced under strict regulations as to how and where it can be made. Tequila is fermented and distilled from a single type of agave plant, Agave tequilana Weber blue. Tequila is not smoky because the agave hearts are steamed or kilned during production; it can only be produced in Jalisco, and designated areas in four other Mexican states. The best tequilas are 100% blue agave, which is noted on the label. Distinctions are often made between tequila made from blue agave grown in highland regions, which tend to be fruitier, and from lowlands, which are earthier. BACANORA. Named for the eponymous town in Sonora, this mezcal variant is made from wild plants of agave Pacifi ca. Bacanora is often lighter and less smoky than most mezcals, even though the agaves are also pit roasted. RAICILLA. Like tequila, raicilla is made in Jalisco state; unlike tequila, it is made from two varieties of agave—lechuguilla and puta de mula. Raicilla tends to be sweeter and fruitier than most other mezcals. SOTOL. Although a gringo might mistake it for agave, sotol is made from another succulent plant called Desert Spoon. Produced mainly in the Mexican states of Chihuahua, Durango and Coahuila, the process is similar to mezcal, with roasting of the hearts of Desert Spoon in volcanic rock-lined pits. Flavor varies according to the terroir, say afi cionados; predominately herbal notes, as well as eucalyptus, pepper and cocoa, with lighter smoke accents. —THS March/April 2017 • www.cheersonline.com March/April 2017 • www.cheersonline.com 19 March/April 2017 • another with barril agave and a pechuga (mezcal distilled with turkey another with barril agave and a pechuga (mezcal distilled with turkey another with barril agave and a pechuga (mezcal distilled with turkey another with barril agave and a pechuga (mezcal distilled with turkey another with barril agave and a pechuga (mezcal distilled with turkey or chicken breast, or fruit and nuts). Shikari plans to add more mezcals or chicken breast, or fruit and nuts). Shikari plans to add more mezcals or chicken breast, or fruit and nuts). Shikari plans to add more mezcals or chicken breast, or fruit and nuts). Shikari plans to add more mezcals or chicken breast, or fruit and nuts). Shikari plans to add more mezcals or chicken breast, or fruit and nuts). Shikari plans to add more mezcals to her list, especially the pechuga varieties. to her list, especially the pechuga varieties. to her list, especially the pechuga varieties. Back in 2009, agave afi cionados in Oregon had access to just two Back in 2009, agave afi cionados in Oregon had access to just two brands of mezcal, recalls Shenaut, who helped rally a "March for brands of mezcal, recalls Shenaut, who helped rally a "March for Mezcal" in 2010 to persuade the state liquor board to remedy that. Mezcal" in 2010 to persuade the state liquor board to remedy that. "Today, the landscape in Portland has really changed—nearly every bar "Today, the landscape in Portland has really changed—nearly every bar "Today, the landscape in Portland has really changed—nearly every bar to the terroir, say afi cionados; predominately herbal notes, as well as eucalyptus, pepper and herbal notes, as well as eucalyptus, pepper and herbal notes, as well as eucalyptus, pepper and cocoa, with lighter smoke accents. cocoa, with lighter smoke accents. cocoa, with lighter smoke accents. cocoa, with lighter smoke accents. —THS —THS "A lot of people start with tequila and then move into mezcal, which has a more aggressive and interesting flavor profile." — Brian Livesay, agave expert and bar manager at the Matador