Latest Tequila News
Marketer Betting That For Women, Tequila Is The New Vodka
by Sarah Mahoney, Tuesday, for Marketing Daily
IN THE BLACK BEVERAGE CORP. (ITBBC) is betting it can help young women shake off all the unfortunate tequila moments of their past and embrace the agave-based beverage as the other white liquor. With the $3 million launch of Inocente, the company plans to position tequila as an upscale alternative to vodka for women ages 21 to 34.
"Tequila has always been marketed as this bastion of maleness," says Bruce Rekant, president of ITBBC. "But our research found that 49% of tequila drinkers are women, who are totally ignored by tequila marketers." So Inocente, sold in a "sexy bottle that looks like a vase," will be marketed like an upscale fashion or fragrance brand, he says, using out-of-home ads located outside strategic stores, such as Dolce & Gabbana.
He estimates that women probably consume between 75 and 80% of their tequila in mixed, margarita-like drinks, "but there are plenty of young, affluent women out there doing tequila shots, too. It's just a fun, celebratory drink." Inocente is all natural--hence the name--and triple-distilled, which makes it smoother.
Tequila consumption has more than doubled in the last five years, with sales topping 9 million cases in 2006, he says; the high end of the market is growing more quickly.
If you're wondering just how many upscale club gals will warm up to a beverage famous for its association with dead worms and the frat boys who eat them, relax. Turns out the worm is only in bottles of mescal, a much stronger drink, also made from the agave plant. While there are many beverages made from agave plants (which is actually a lily, Rekant says, and not a cactus), tequila may only be made from blue agave plants grown in a certain area of Mexico.
Depending on whose story you believe, Rekant says, the worm idea was either invented by a clever marketer or as a demonstration of quality--the idea is that the high proof of mescal should be enough to kill and preserve the worm.
"We think we can win back the women who swore off the stuff back in college, and I believe tequila can grow as fast as vodka," he says. Depending on the success of Inocente, Rekant isn't ruling out a ladies' mezcal, either; he says the company is also considering introducing special gins and flavored sake.
Blanco, oro, reposado and añejo: This stuff isn't just for giving margaritas their kick!
Judging by Joe Horrigan's collection of tequila bottles - and not to mention his nickname, Tequila Joe - it's safe to say he's an expert on the Mexican liquor.
The 28-year-old Davis native has an array of tequila bottles, a few that are empty ... and some that he doesn't dare open.
Some are novelty containers, like the rifle- and handgun-shaped bottles. Some are conversation topics, telling stories of competition and suspicious business practices, or of the rise and fall of a tequila maker.
Some are rare. Some were expensive.
Some were very expensive.
For one, he drove to Walnut Creek, after learning that it was available (and that he wouldn't be able to get it anywhere else). He stumbled upon another in a Los Angeles store.
One was rarer than he realized, when he drank it at a barbecue.
“I polished off this bottle, and I've been kicking myself ever since,” he said recently, while rattling off the history, art, style and technique of the tequilas in his collection.
An easily drawn conclusion from his collection: Tequila isn't just for margaritas and cheap college drunkenness.
Davis is host to a rising club, Tequila Joe's Tasting Aficionados. Horrigan created it six months ago, and today it has 82 members who are becoming more knowledgeable all the time.
Those looking to increase their tequila knowledge can e-mail
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
or visit www.tastingaficionados.com.
Horrigan's stance is that there's a lot more to tequila than most people realize, and he'd like that to change. He also wants to break the bad stigma of this liquor; teach people about its history, technique and variety; and expose them to its finer side.
That concept wasn't new to Tasting Aficionado member Wes Morgan, when he began tasting tequilas after meeting Horrigan a year ago. His family has had vineyards in Napa and St. Helena since the 1800s, and he grew up knowing how to appreciate wine.
Some of that carries over into tequila tasting, he said. But on the other hand, it's a different substance, and he must learn how to apply what he already knew to this type of alcohol.
Morgan imagines that the pride he feels - when looking out over his family's vineyard - probably is like that of a kid somewhere in Mexico, who is part of generations of agave growers.
Mexico has five states where distilleries can make tequila and call it by that name. Just as the drink's packaging and presentation are nearly infinitely varied, so too are its style and technique.
Some tequilas are aged for months or years; others are not. As with wine, aromas, tastes, brands and features vary.
Horrigan got into wine tasting a couple of years ago, before a friend bought him a book on tequila as a birthday gift.
That ended Horrigan's wine hobby and converted him to a tequila connoisseur. He began collecting books - and bottles - and learning about tequila. He recruited friends and hosted a Cinco de Mayo tequila tasting in 2006; he created the Tasting Aficionados in December.
Today, his life is wrapped up in the club: organizing tastings, recruiting sponsors and designing a glass, a T-shirt and other prizes that members can get for surpassing benchmarks in the number of tequilas tasted.
Officially, the group is a nonprofit; some of the proceeds from tasting events go to charities. Horrigan hopes to continue this practice, as a means to help reverse tequila's bad reputation.
Tastings have been held at Davis bars, including The Davis Graduate - the group's host bar - members' houses and out-of-town restaurants. In September, the group will spend a weekend at tequila festivals in Las Vegas and San Diego, then will take a trip to Mexico before returning to Davis after the three days of tastings.
Horrigan has become an expert in tequila. Getting wrapped up in a hobby is, he admitted, a tendency with him. Before he began wine tasting, he was a frequent buyer of the Vera Wang home collection.
“They loved me at Macy's; I had my own personal shopper. Now they probably wonder what happened to me.”
The tequila enthusiasm has been his longest-running fixation, though.
Horrigan spends countless hours researching tequila and creating a Web site for the club. He keeps track of members and the tequilas they have tasted, and pours much of his own money into hosting events and helping people learn to enjoy tequila. He is also an active member at TEQUILA.net, a Tequila aficionado web site, and has submitted over 75 Tequila reviews.
Often, club member Emily Fry said, Jose Cuervo and Patron are all people know, when it comes to tequila.
“But there's more out there,” she said, “and Joe wants people to know there's more out there.”
The social and educational aspects of the Tasting Aficionados appeal to members Fry and Adrian Blanco.
Neither was interested in tequila upon joining the club. Indeed, Horrigan has had to do a fair amount of dragging people into the idea, persuading them to just trust him and give it a chance.
“Joe totally changed my mind about tequila,” Fry said. She was talked into it despite her bad college experience with the liquor.
“And, I mean, I work at a tequila bar now,” said the employee of Zocalo restaurant in Sacramento. “I love tequila. And it's because of the club, that I love tequila.”
Blanco thinks his background in the jewelry industry makes him appreciate tequila because, with the hard work and years it takes to grow and age the alcohol, “it's almost like gemstones.
“That, and the fact that there's nothing else like it.”
Morgan, too, had to allow some changes in his way of thinking early on. He had to let go of his pride in whiskeys and scotches, he explained, and accept the idea that tequila has character and diversity that he hadn't realized.
He thinks people enjoy learning about good wines or tequilas - or other alcohols - because of a sense of accomplishment they feel upon achieving a certain level of experience.
Good alcohol is used in the extremes of emotion, Morgan said: weddings, funerals and other emotional life events. It can make a bad situation easier, or a good situation more of a celebration.
“Nothing else can really do that,” he said, “and the diversity of the product is really amazing.
“It's not something I can ever see myself getting bored with.”
By Beth Curda/Enterprise staff writer
- Reach Beth Curda at
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
or 747-8045.
With Soarin', Turtle Talk and Nemo and Friends attractions successfully lining up visitors at Epcot, Walt Disney World planners are turning attention to the park's other lineup of attractions - involving sushi, tequila and pasta.
Numerous culinary changes are under way at Epcot, which might be the only theme park in the world where food and drink compete with shows and rides. The Walt Disney World theme park has its share of attractions, but it also features a dozen full-service restaurants where average checks run $20 to $40 a person or more.
From 1998 through last year, the dining lineup at Epcot's World Showcase went almost unchanged. Now, three new restaurants are on the way, several others are being expanded or renovated, and menus are being rewritten throughout the park to encourage more healthful cooking styles.
The more extensive renovations are bringing some of the restaurants in line with the latest concept in the theme-park business - creating "immersive experiences." Epcot Vice President Jim MacPhee said the park is seeking more "interactive dining" experiences that can provide more show-style cooking in the dining room, such as the Japanese teppanyaki style, or more interaction with Epcot's other attractions. "I think this is what guests expect now, with more of the interactive experiences in our restaurants," MacPhee said.
Among the changes are new restaurants in Italy and Japan, and changes at the eatery in China. Mexico's restaurant has already been expanded with a new menu. Next, Mexico will get a tequila bar and outdoor waterfront seating so visitors can see the nighttime Illuminations show on the lagoon, MacPhee said.
Source: Herald Wire
This year, the Riviera Maya Tequila Expo is being held on August 16-18, 2007 at the corner of Fifth Avenue and Calle 16 Bis in downtown Playa del Carmen (one north block south of Constituyentes, five short blocks from the Luna Blue Hotel & Garden !). Admission is free, and there will be over 500 different tequila products available for tasting, along with a celebration of Mexican culture and traditions. This year’s event also will feature a special tribute to legendary Mexican singer/actor Pedro Infante. A new tequila bearing his name will be released on the 50th anniversary of his death.
The best news is that at this year’s Expo there will be an attempt to make the world’s largest margarita as determined by the Guinness Book of World Records. The goal is to make a margarita bigger than 250 liters (more than 66 gallons!).
Tequila is no longer just the liquor of choice for spring breakers. Good tequila stands with any of the great whiskeys and liquors of the world. You’ll find many tequilas that are complex in flavor–meant for sipping, not shooting. The Tequila Expo will be a great place to learn about this Mexican tradition.
Traditional brands such as Herradura, Patron and other top quality distilleries were represented, but the majority of displays were for small high quality distilleries whose tequila is only available in Mexico. And of course, it being Mexico, there were also mariachis, music, crafts and even a best bartender contest.
http://www.100expotequilaplayadelcarmen.com/main.htm
Source: Wordpress.com, Tony & Cheri's Blog
Blog Link
www.267.com
Tuesday, July 24, is National Tequila Day. This year, tequila enthusiasts have another reason to celebrate: now there is an ultra-premium tequila that turns the party up a notch. 267 Infusions Tequila Chili Pepper is the first, all-natural, fruit-infused, ultra-premium tequila!
267 Infusions takes three-times distilled smooth platinum, Blue Agave Mexican Tequila and infuses it with perfectly ripened chili peppers for a spicy taste unlike anything else out there.
Just chill and pour – tastes great straight. Or mix it into your favorite margarita, sunrise, or other tequila cocktail. For a hotter Bloody Mary, try the 267 Bloody Maria – using 267 Infusions Tequila Chili Pepper instead of vodka.
267 Infusions Tequila Chili Pepper adds another dimension to the tequila experience. The colorful chilis are suspended in the beautiful bottle – no worms here – gorgeous on your bar! And the chilis can be eaten straight (tastier than any worm, too) used as garnish and even cooked with. (See the incredibly easy 267 Infusions Tequila Kabobs recipe below.)
Happy National Tequila Day!
267 Infusions Tequila Kabobs Recipe:
Ingredients:
1 bottle (750 ml) of 267 Infusion – Tequila Chili Pepper
6 lbs. chicken breasts
12 chicken leg drumsticks
4 bell peppers (red, green, or yellow), washed and sliced
4 white onions, washed and sliced
3 medium-size limes
Salt and pepper
Worcestershire sauce (to taste)
Soy sauce (to taste)
Skewer sticks
Clean chicken breasts and cut in 2” cubes. Marinate cubed chicken and whole drumsticks with whole bottle of 267 Infusion – Tequila Chili Pepper, Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, freshly squeezed limes, and salt and pepper for 2-3 hours. Chop bell peppers and onions into small enough pieces to fit on a skewer stick. Once the chicken is done marinating, string the chicken pieces, bell peppers, and onions on the skewer sticks. Grill kabobs and drumsticks over medium heat until brown. Next, remove the chili peppers from the bottle of 267 Infusion – Tequila Chili Pepper and finely chop. Once they are done grilling, sprinkle the chili pepper over the kabobs and drumsticks for a spicy garnish. Serves 4-6 hungry summer party guests.
For more information about 267 Infusions or to book an interview, please contact Audrey Scolny at S3 Public Relations: 973-257-5533 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
More Articles...
Page 21 of 37
