entertaining

salud!
to tequila

So you want to throw a

sexy tasting party?
Rebecca Field Jager says ...

Fruit Platter Forget the lemons and

limes and set out a tray of different
types of fruits, including oranges,
pineapple, figs, starfruit, grapefruit and
pomegranate. Offer a sprinkle of chili
powder for guests seeking an extra kick!

88

photography, colleen nicholson

ntil recently, I wouldnt

have suggested tequila
as the star Ive always
thought of it as a nasty
drink that brings back vague memories of my younger self perched on a
bar stool with a group of gal pals, all of
us licking our paws like nave kittens
before downing a shot and then shoving a lemon wedge in our mouths.
But then a couple of years ago, I visited Reposado on Torontos trendy
Ossington strip for the first time.
When I glanced at the menu, I didnt
recognize a single dish and was surprised when the waitress patiently
explained that the menu was comprised of different types and brands
of tequilas.
All of this is tequila? I asked, flipping through the pages. Who knew?
According to the Liquor Control
Board of Ontario (LCBO), lots of
people. Recent stats reveal that tequilas share of the spirits market has
risen in the province over the last five
years with sales in 2012-2013 reaching
$41.7 million, or 9.3 per cent over the
previous year. Since 2008, tequila has
been the top-selling spirit category by
volume, beating out even vodka.
To find out why, I headed down to
Mexico to hang out with a tequila
sommelier.
Of the 52 acres that make up the
Four Seasons Resort in Punta Mita,
tequila expert Alfredo Sanchez
and I took up only a few square feet
of space. Huddled together at the
Aramara Bar one sultry evening, the
29-year-old native of Mexico City and
man at the helm of the resorts bever-

age program, gave me the low-down

on his countrys national spirit.
His dark eyes danced as he boasted
about the more than 200 tequila labels
his resort carries. Good tequila is to
be sipped and savoured. Although it
still suffers a bad reputation as a party
shot leading to horrific hangovers, in
recent years, it has gained the interest
and respect of people who appreciate
more traditional sipping spirits such
as cognac and Scotch.
Whats driving the interest?
People are looking for a new experience but one that is organic, artisanal and has heart and soul. Did you
know that a single bottle of tequila
could have passed through 60 hands
in its production?
Tell me more, I begged.
It turns out tequila is a highly
regulated, Mexico-only spirit with a
denomination of origin like cognac
and champagne. To meet the approval of its governing body, the Consejo
Regulador del Tequila (CRT), the spirit must be comprised solely of blue
agave plants grown and harvested
when they are eight to 12 years old
by jimadores in the states of Jalisco,
Nayarit, Guanajuato, Michoacan
and Tamaulipas. Generally, tequilas
produced in the highland regions
(Patron, Don Julio) have a more floral, fruity flavour, whereas those from
the valleys (Cuervo, Sauza) impart
more spicy, earthy notes.
Aging influences taste in terms of
length of time stored and the characteristics of the storage vessel. It
also determines the four different
categories of tequila.
Blanco (Silver): The youngest of the
four, Blanco is bottled directly after
distillation or aged no more than 60
days in stainless steel tanks. Clear,
generally vegetal and somewhat peppery with intense agave flavours.
Reposado: Meaning rested, Reposado is aged in wooden barrels (usually American or French oak) or storage tanks from two to 11 months.

Sometimes aged in barrels formerly

used to store other spirits (whisky,
bourbon, etc.), where it picks up those
flavours. Golden hue.
Aejo: Meaning old, aejo must be
aged from one to three years in wooden barrels not exceeding 600 litres in
size. Spirit darkens to amber with less
agave and alcohol flavours present.
Rich, smooth finish often with caramel, cinnamon and vanilla notes.
Extra Aejo: Classification added
in 2006 denoting tequila aged more
than three years that has followed
the storage rules of aejo. Leaning
toward mahogany with taste so complex some sippers cant distinguish

it from other quality, aged spirits

such as Scotch.
Shortly after I returned from
Mexico, I went back to Reposado to
meet Sandy MacFadyen, who owns
the establishment along with his wife,
Katherine. Interestingly, Sandy, too,
had once thought of tequila as a fromhammered-to-hungover drink responsible for a few terrible morningafters back in the 80s. But then, while
honeymooning in Mexico, he and
Katherine fell in love with the spirit.
There was a hurricane that left us
stranded in a half-demolished hotel.
With not much to do, we decided

The lineup A vertical flight tasting should

include different categories of tequilas.
Three to try: (left to right) Los Arango
Reposado, Patron Aejo and Espolon Blanco

6 Steps to
Tasting

See Tilt glass away

and hold it up to white
background. Note
clarity (if blanco), or
luminosity and colour.
Swirl Swirl to release
aromas and allow you
to check out viscosity. How are the legs?
Runny or slow?
Sniff Take a few little

sniffs so as not to
oversaturate your
nose. Close your
eyes so your brain
can focus. Open
your mouth a little
to avoid nasal burn
from alcohol. Identify
various aromas.
Sip Take a small sip
and roll around on
your tongue to hit
the different flavour

receptors. Take a
bigger sip to see
what you get. Note
texture and flavours.
Swallow Breathe with
your mouth slightly
open and swallow.
Identify back-end
flavour notes and
mouth-feel.
Score Jot down
your thoughts.
Compare notes.

89

to head to the bar. It was the first

time we ever sipped good tequila.
After many return visits to Mexico
and much research, in 2007 the
couple opened the doors to Reposado.
Now, be inspired to open your doors
and host a sultry tequila-tasting party.
You will be serving each guest a
flight, the term used to describe
tasting samples generally composed
of three to one-ounce pours. You
can choose to do a vertical flight,
which means different categories of
tequilas blanco, reposado and aejo,
say all of the same brand; or a horizontal flight one type, aejo, for example but of different brands.
Although traditionally tequila is
served in a tall, narrow shot glass
called a caballito, many aficionados use glasses with mouths that
taper from the bowls, as it allows for
proper aeration. Small-bowled wine
glasses work, as do small brandy
snifters. In Mexico, blanco and reposado tequilas are chased with a
non-alcoholic citrus beverage called
sangrita (recipe at right) to bring
out the spirits agave flavour, whereas aejo is co-sipped with a piece of
dark chocolate pairing their similar
cocoa and caramel notes. Food-wise,
go easy with just a few appetizers
a platter of the more exotic fruits
and Salsa Pico de Gallo with tortilla
chips. This way, instead of spending
the day in the kitchen, you can go
out and treat yourself to something
that, well, puts you in the mood.
Decor-wise, nothing about a piata
is sexy, so resist the urge to head to
your nearest party store. Keep it rustic and simple, lights dim, music low.
Think down and dirty.
Keep in mind, too, that one of the
sexiest things about tequila is its
slow, sensorial tasting process. Let
guests linger over each of the six
steps: see-swirl-sniff-sip-swallowand-score, the latter of which need
not only refer to the scorecards.
Salud!

90

What Youll Need

3 bottles of tequila (look for CRT

stamp-of-approval logo). To serve vertical flights, choose a blanco, reposado
and aejo of the same brand; to serve
horizontal flights choose 3 different
brands of one of the above types
3 small-bowled wine glasses or
brandy snifters per guest
2 shot glasses per guest (for sangrita
if serving blanco and reposado)
Pieces of high-quality dark
chocolate (if serving aejo)
White table cloth (so tequila
colour is easier to discern)
1 scorecard/pen per guest (download PDF from www.everything
zoomer.com/tag/tasting-party)
Pitcher of sangrita if serving
blanco, reposado (see recipe)
Water and tortilla chips (or plain
crackers) for palate-cleansing

Set Up and Ambience

Hold the party in a room free of

strong aromas so guests can use
their nose, a big part of a tasting.
Keep it simple: a white tablecloth, perhaps with Mexican runners at each end, and snacks in
simple earthenware and baskets.
Create a playlist of authentic Mexican
artists Carlos Santana, who was
born in tequila-producing Jalisco.
In front of each guest, line up
3 glasses and pour -ounce to 1
ounce of each tequila into each glass,
youngest to oldest, left to right.
Line up two shot glasses of
sangrita per guest, placed next to
blanco and reposado, and a piece
of chocolate next to aejo.
Instruct guests to use water
and/or tortilla chips to cleanse
palate between tastings.
Take guests through the proper
way to taste (see 6 steps to tasting, previous page), giving them
time to jot down notes on their
scorecards after each step.
After each tequila tasting, give
everyone a chance to compare notes.

Sangrita
Roja

Salsa
Pico de
Gallo

Sangrita Roja

(recipes courtesy of Four Seasons

Resort Punta Mita, Mexico)
3 tsp Maggie seasoning sauce
3 tsp
Worcestershire sauce
1- to 3 tsp  Tabasco sauce
(to taste)
cup fresh squeezed
lime juice
cup fresh squeezed
orange juice
cup
grenadine
4 cups
tomato juice

Salt and pepper
Combine all ingredients in blender
and blend until smooth. Taste and
adjust seasoning. Chill until serving.

Salsa Pico de Gallo

Make 3 servings

2 cups
chopped tomatoes
1 cup
chopped white onion

chopped Serrano chili
2 tsp
chopped cilantro

Lime juice
Salt
In large bowl, combine tomatoes,
onion, chili and cilantro. Season
with lime juice and salt to taste.
Chill. Serve with tortilla chips.