With World Tequila Day fast approaching, we spoke to Hayley Dixon, Proximo Australia’s Tequila Specialist, about how bars can take advantage of the day that celebrates all things agave on 24 July.
If you ask Hayley, she will tell you that tequila should be at the forefront every day of the year, but with a day in the calendar that recognises just how amazing the spirit is, she says it’s the perfect excuse to get your customers more involved.
“Tequila has seen such a renaissance in recent years thanks to good quality, 100% agave products. It’s no longer a struggle recommending a tequila cocktail to a consumer and bartenders aren’t afraid to experiment with it a little more. As a result of this I am constantly seeing new, dynamic and complex drinks created specifically to highlight the flavours already present.
“On the other side of that, simple drinks are also starting to find a use for tequila. 1800 Silver Tequila with soda and lime is growing rapidly and creating an ever so subtle, more exciting version of the well-known vodka, lime and soda.
“If you’re looking to play around with a cocktail that would seemingly suit a dark spirit, head towards your Añejo tequilas. I tend to use 1800 Añejo as my ‘stepping-stone’ tequila to first introduce people to the category, but there is also no denying it’s mixability in cocktails. With strong notes of oak, vanilla, cinnamon and clove it works perfectly in drinks like an Old Fashioned, Manhattan or something simple such as with ginger beer, Angostura bitters and a squeeze of lime.
“For World Tequila Day I took a pretty simplistic but flavoursome approach. We have Jose Cuervo Tradicional Silver, Branca Menta and Dom Benedictine. It’s a stir down, sipping style drink that works perfectly as a winter warmer, has zero house-made ingredients and utilises beautiful, in season strawberries.
“We actually ran an 1800 Tequila Winter Warmers Cocktail Competition in Melbourne recently and the styles of drinks were impressive! From different styles of teas to layered latte styles, I think bartenders are really embracing tequila as a spirit to experiment with for cocktails.”
Mint To Be
- 30 ml Jose Cuervo Tradicional Silver
- 15 ml Dom Benedictine
- 10 ml Branca Menta
- Add all ingredients to a mixing glass and stir down over ice until chilled.
- Strain into a double rocks glass over block ice.
- Garnish with a strawberry slice and serve.
Note: Using proper ice is a must – Hayley used Bare Bones ice to create this serve.