Because of my passion for cooking, I have been subscribing to food magazines many years now. Sometimes, I renew them, others I discard and get new sources. It’s in these magazines where I get new ideas, new recipes, people to watch and events to go to. And that is just what happened .
Most of the events easily sold out many months before the festival. I was disappointed when I couldn’t get those that my favorite chefs were on. But then, new events were added as the festival was nearing. To avail of the book signing with the celebrity chefs, I had to attend at least one paid event.
They had tours around the meatpacking district, symposiums on a particular produce like heirloom tomatoes, designing restaurants, and even a talk on the experiences of a waiter. There were also several wine tasting events, and many restaurants were featured on their specialties . Parties were held for a fee with the “who’s who” in the food industry. Every hour of the festival, there was an event. I got tickets for 2 events, one of which was the “Tequila Tasting and Food Pairing Event”.
So, what’s so special about tequila aside from having a high alcohol content and gives you hangovers like no other alcoholic drink can? Unless you‘re just in it for those purposes, you‘re missing a lot of information, so I learned.
Chef Sue Torres of Los Dados, NY was the speaker for that event. As a chef for Mexican cusine and owner of two restaurants, Chef explained very well the history and make of tequila. Tequila shouldn‘t be confused with mescal- which tries to imitate itself to the real drink. There is a criteria that has to be met before a drink can be called tequila. First, tequila is made only in designated areas, primarily in Jalisco, Mexico and it has to be made from the blue Weber agave plant. Both these criteria are not met by mescal. Mescal can be made from other types of agave and in other parts of Mexico, often in Oaxaca. So check your tequila when you purchase one, it might just be mescal
We were given 3 shot glasses with 3 different kinds of tequila. These were situated on a paper placemat which we also used for note taking As chef said, there are over 130 types of tequilas in the U.S. (and even more in Mexico). There are more restaurants serving a range of fine sipping tequilas made from 100% blue Weber agave
The first shot glass we had was the tequila blanco (white/ silver) or the unaged tequila. This type is processed from the plant straight to the bottle kind , thus its clear color. But before we could take a sip, Chef instructed us just how to drink it.
“To taste Tequila is just how you would taste wine. Check out the nose, see what you find, then look at the color while you let it sit for a minute to breathe. Take a sip and roll it around with your tongue and let it sit in your moth for a while, don’t swallow right away! Pucker your lips like you would do when you’re about to kiss. Let your drink mix well with your saliva. Aerate it in your mouth, and then swallow. Then, think about what you’re tasting after it’s left your mouth, and for how long and what flavors are staying in your mouth. If you taste right, there is a before, during and an aftertaste.”
I did just what she told me. And frankly, my amusement overwhelmed my taste buds. A bisdak like me trying to be sophisticated when in days of yore we would just gulp down any alcoholic beverage we could get a hold of. But, there’s always room for improvement. And I had to concentrate on what we were doing.
After I sipped my first taste, I immediately ate the first hors d’ oeuvres which were served.
The next shot was the the reposado or rested. After the tequilla is distilled, it is left to rest in a vat of some sort for about 6 months. The change takes on a lighter yellow-gold color and an there was a tinge of added flavor. The food paired for this drink had a citrus, spicy taste to go with the nuttiness of the drink.
And finally, the anejo (old) which is aged for one year and adds on a golden flavor. It is usually this kind that is served with sweets or dessert. And this one really had that nice taste especially paired with churros and chocolate/cream sauce.
.When making your margarita, Chef Sue suggests that it is often best made with real tequilla rather than what others call the mixto or (mixes). When going for the high scale mescals or the real tequilla, it is better savored slowly, rather than downed as a shot so that you can revel in the complexity of the spirit.
So , what did I learn from all this. A lot. But am thinking?!..How can Mexico be so famous for its liquor when we can very well also market our own lambanog and tuba? Then my mind is racing again to these coconut farmers who farm coconut, ferment them and turn them into sweet tuba.
If we were to go to the country and educate our farmers into becoming sommeliers---Call Manoy Mangtutuba into a master sommalier and teach him the art of puckering his lips while he sips the tuba in his mouth and lets him mix his drink with his saliva before drinking it, maybe we wouldn’t have too many drunkards. We probably will end up having quality tuba for the export market…And farmers will be earning dollars. Who knows, it only takes one real, excellent, doable concept before it becomes into an industry. Any takers?
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