Within the bustling world of New York’s cocktail scene, the place tendencies shift as shortly as town’s rhythm, bar administrators like Tristan Brunel of The Tusk Bar & Brass are always searching for spirits that supply each high quality and authenticity. When Tequila El Mexicano arrived on the U.S. market this yr, it didn’t take lengthy for this family-crafted spirit to earn its place on Brunel’s fastidiously curated again bar.
“One of many reps got here in and tasted me on it, and I used to be like, ‘That is nice,’” remembers Brunel, who has been immersed within the spirits business for 20 years. “I ended up selecting up one bottle every [Blanco and Reposado] instantly, simply to mess around with it on the bar. Now I believe I’ve a number of circumstances of every, as a result of it’s certainly one of our particular again bar bartender’s alternative tequilas.”
Connecting Patrons to Heritage
For Brunel, who has witnessed the evolution of tequila appreciation over his 13 years in New York Metropolis, Tequila El Mexicano represents one thing more and more uncommon in immediately’s market: genuine craftsmanship with out pointless components. At The Tusk Bar & Brass, the place friends usually search suggestions reasonably than calling for particular manufacturers, this dynamic creates the proper alternative for training.
“More often than not, what occurs is somebody’s ordering a cocktail, and we ask if they’ve a tequila choice,” explains Brunel. “That’s whenever you get to have that dialog with them and lead them towards one thing you’re keen about. It’s a good way for friends to go away with one thing new — whether or not it’s a cocktail they will order at one other bar or a model they’ll ask for subsequent time.”
This instructional strategy has confirmed notably efficient with El Mexicano, particularly when Brunel can even share the story behind the model with bar friends. The Bañuelos household legacy started in 1973 when Leon Bañuelos and his father Don Felix Bañuelos began a small distillery that may go on to supply the extremely awarded Cazadores tequila. El Mexicano was created to maintain that household legacy alive by means of three generations of experience, with Leon nonetheless dwelling on the property to supervise manufacturing and guarantee his excessive requirements are met.
High quality Over Movie star
In an period when the tequila market has been flooded with movie star manufacturers, El Mexicano stands aside by means of its dedication to conventional manufacturing strategies. The model is 100% additive-free, and each bottle is crafted with 100% Mexican arms on the Hacienda El Mexicano distillery, which seamlessly blends modernity with custom within the highlands of Jalisco.
“We’re getting away from these vanilla-bomb-style ones,” notes Brunel. “As folks turn into extra educated about tequila, they’re undoubtedly asking for additive-free choices. That’s turn into a a lot greater name than it was once. Persons are asking the way it was made, which is a superb factor.”
When friends inquire a few model The Tusk doesn’t carry, Brunel makes use of it as a possibility to introduce El Mexicano’s story. “I inform them it’s three generations within the making, it’s 100% Mexican arms, fully additive-free, with a really restricted ingredient record. These promoting factors make it nearly a no brainer state of affairs. I’ve by no means met anybody who wasn’t keen to strive it after listening to that.”
The Candy Spot
Whereas Brunel shares each the Blanco and Reposado expressions, he’s observed one thing fascinating about buyer preferences. “We undergo much more Reposado, particularly for [neat] pours,” he observes. “I believe it’s that candy spot as a result of it’s not as expensive as Añejo, however they’re nonetheless getting some age on it. They’re getting nuances they wouldn’t get from a Blanco.”
El Mexicano’s Reposado, aged for 90 days in a mixture of American and French white oak barrels, presents one thing distinctive that catches Brunel’s consideration. “There’s solely a pair spirits I’ve ever had which have each European and American oak affect,” he says, “and I believe that’s a very cool, distinctive factor that isn’t tremendous frequent to seek out. That Reposado is unquestionably one which I’d select personally.”
The twin-oak getting old course of creates complexity that appeals to whiskey drinkers who additionally admire aged tequilas, whereas nonetheless sustaining the clear, unadulterated character that defines high quality tequila. “It actually does present all that wooden interplay and the mixture of the 2 oaks,” Brunel explains. “You get these superb nuances that individuals could not even know they need, however they expertise this actually intense, flavor-driven second.”
Cocktail Versatility
Past sipping, the Blanco serves as Brunel’s go-to for traditional cocktails, whereas the Reposado opens up potentialities for stirred drinks and seasonal differences. “I’ve by no means gotten a ‘no’ on the Blanco,” he says. “I’ve put it in quite a few several types of cocktails.”
One in every of Brunel’s favourite purposes is the El Diablo, a barely obscure traditional that showcases the Blanco’s character. The cocktail combines tequila with lime juice, crème de cassis, and ginger beer. “It’s fruity, refreshing, spicy — you get this entire wave of flavors, particularly for summertime. It’s very berry-driven, like a spicy Margarita riff, however you’re solely getting that ginger spice, not any warmth.”
For the Reposado, Brunel enjoys crafting stirred cocktails that spotlight the aged character. “I’m a giant fan of a tequila Manhattan with Reposado as a result of I really like vermouth in any format” he says. “It’s enjoyable to have a stirred tequila cocktail since you simply don’t get that tremendous usually.”
The Way forward for Genuine Tequila
Because the cocktail scene continues to evolve, Brunel sees rising demand for genuine tequilas like El Mexicano. “Each bar individual I do know is in the identical camp, actually caring about the truth that it’s truly artisanal, multi-generational, and made by Mexican arms,” he notes. “All of the patrons are leaning into that, and because of this, it’s lastly reaching the final clientele.”
For Brunel, who got here to New York figuring out town represented one of many prime cocktail markets on this planet, Tequila El Mexicano represents precisely what discerning bartenders and their friends are searching for: a product with real heritage, uncompromising high quality, and the flexibility to shine in each traditional cocktails and neat pours.
This text is sponsored by Tequila El Mexicano.
