To Canadians, the mention of tequila inspires flashbacks of an all-inclusive vacation in Mexico with a delicious agave induced hangover. To others itâs simply a shot that gets thrown back with a lick of salt and a squeeze of citrus fruit to kill the after taste. One way or the other, this spirit has consolidated its place within our drinking culture. Nonetheless, the knowledge about it, itâs poor at best. Well, that is about to change, just keep on reading
Tequila is one of the more versatile spirits. Itâs diverse and its great depth of flavour makes it a natural ingredient for cocktails. Despite a massive worldwide tequila shortage in 2000 and the resulting increase in price as supplies diminished, tequila remains one of the premier spirits on any bar south of the border. While vodka still reigns supreme as the number one spirit sold, the cosmopolitan falls light years away to the margarita which has been one of the the worldâs most popular cocktails for years now.
Tequila is such a phenomenon that there are upscale tequila around the globe: from New York City to London, to Hong Kong you will find  bars boasting tequila lists with 300-400 brands,  priced in the stratospheric range of a great single-malt scotch. As a rule of thumb, a good tequila venue should have a decent collection of quality tequilas, in particular those of the 100% agave variety and a staff trained accordingly to assist the customers with their choice, as well as to delight them with the top tequila cocktails every time.
In Canada, the presence of government controlled liquor stores limits the selection of tequilas on offer, which results in most provinces having  only a few dozen tequilas available for sale.
To simplify things, here are a few tequila facts to dispel the rumours.
Tequila is usually bottled in one of five categories. Only the first two should be used to mix cocktails
- Blanco “white” or plata “silver” â not aged white spirit.
- Oro “gold” â unaged or young, which means that caramel, fructose, glycerin and wood flavoring can be added to resemble aged tequila.
- Reposado “rested” â aged a minimum of 2 months but less than a year in oak barrels.
- Añejo “aged” or “vintage” â aged minimum one year, but less than three years in oak barrels.
- Extra añejo “extra aged”â aged minimum three year in oak barrels
One reason margaritas may have never enjoyed the same success in Canada as they have in the south is due to the fact that most bartenders rim the glass with table salt and the three tiered rimmer âdip and dunkâ method. When youâre rimming a margarita glass remember that the rimming ingredient belongs only on the outside edge of the glass, not on the inside, where it will likely become part of the cocktail. Moisten the outside of the glass with a lime and roll the moistened surface in coarse sea salt or kosher salt for your glass rimmer. Itâs the easiest way to ensure that your glass is not overloaded with salt. If you must use the dip and dunk method, please do yourself and your guest a favour and wipe the excess off of the inside of the glass with a beverage napkin before you pour the cocktail in and inadvertently create a salt water margarita.
To get you into the world of Tequila and Margaritas here is the following recipe using Kaban, tangerine infused tequila. The synergy of tangerine with the larahas orange flavour of Blue Curacao is a natural match that is appealing to both the eye and the palate.
Made correctly, the tangerine-infused azure margarita will sell itself. With guests rightly demanding more from their bartenders and their dining and drinking experience, itâs important to make sure your staff is well trained.
Until next time keep âraising the barâ in your establishment, because if you donât, someone else will!
More tips on bar etiquette (a.k.a how not to get on your bartender’s bad side)
Continuing our series about proper manners at the bar, here go a few more tips on how to get your bartender’s heart by not driving him crazy by D. Jennings, one of the top bartenders you will find in TO
… Iâve been bartending for over 10 years now, working at numerous venues and  different concepts along the way. During this time, Iâve been trained in many different steps of service to offer my  guests great service, in a timely fashion.
However, the skill and speed of a bartender is only half of the equation when it comes to getting served promptly at any bar. The actions of the guests have as much to do with the speed of service as the bartender does.
Much like bartending schools teach people how to be a bartender, I think there should be schools on how to be a proper guest.
For example, lesson number 1 would be bring cash to the bar, not plastic. The average cash transaction takes roughly 7 seconds to complete, whereas a credit card or debit transactions takes an average of 45 seconds from start to finish. This extra time can really cause a backlog of guests trying to flag the bartender down wondering why it takes so long to get served a cocktail.
Lesson number 2 would be to make sure you have your drink order ready. If you are at a busy bar, when the bartender comes over to you, you should be ready to order. This is not the opportunity to ask everyone what they want.
A side note would be to give the ENTIRE order all at once. Donât place an order, then when the bartender comes back with your drinks, you say, âoh and I need one more of theseâŠâ. All this does is cause a line up of unhappy guests who are still waiting. If  you were waiting in line for a while, itâs probably because someone in front of you has broken rules 1 and or 2.
There are many other rules that I will get into next time, but the one that will help you get faster service, is to be polite to your bartender. If they greet you by saying âhi how are you today?â, ârum and Cokeâ is not the correct response.
Maybe Iâm old school, please and thank you goes a long way.
Remember, the bartender controls the alcohol.
Until next time,
DJ