Craft Tequila: Small Producers Bring Value and Originality
The Chicago Tribune - Food - Wednesday July 4, 2012
Not too long ago, tequila was a second-class spirit in America. On my first-ever trip to Mexico — an early 1990s college jaunt to Tijuana — a waiter grabbed my friend Eric’s head, tipped it back and poured tequila straight down his throat before shaking him by the shoulders and popping a lime wedge in his mouth.
That was par for the course for America’s perception of Mexico’s national spirit. Flash-forward to the present day, however, and tequila’s major labels have brought about an overhaul, a strong and steady rise in quality and image.
Some say the better products from big producers like Cuervo and Patron have been polished to the point that they’ve rubbed off a bit of tequila’s soul. Their progress, however, has paved the way for the little guy — lower-volume producers unafraid to push the envelope and make stuff that is worth the extra effort it takes to find a bottle of it.
Read more here in The Chicago Tribune
