THIS Is The Reason Everyone’s Drinking Tequila RN | InStyle.co.uk

Published on InStyle.co.uk, 28th July 2017

Tequila and mezcal are having an incredibly chic moment. Here's where to drink it and how to make it at home.

Once deemed as shot to shoot while wincing at its taste and standing on a sticky floored bar at 3am, tequila's reputation is getting somewhat of a makeover. With everyone from foodies to fashion gals Instagramming themselves on one of Tulum's white sandy beaches or from one of its secret cenotes, Londoner's are returning from Mexico not only with an enviable tan but tales of not only delicious tacos but tequila too.

It didn't take long for the capital's chefs and food truckers to cotton onto this with numerous Mexican pop-ups announced on a monthly basis, but now its bartenders and drinks experts are also jumping on the bandwagon. According to the IWSR, a group that analyses the drinks market, last year tequila grew 18 per cent, even outperforming gin, with premium tequila brands leading the growth. '

I think this is driven by bartenders who are knowledgable about the category,' explains Stuart Fritz, brand manager of Mangrove, an independent spirits agency.  'In the past drinks menus were made up of mainly vodka, gin, rum and you'd struggle to find a tequila. Now consumers are beginning to trust bartenders and ask their advice on what to drink.'

At Mestizo, in Hampstead you'll find over 260 varieties of tequila with tasting menus and masterclasses also offered. At Southwark's secret dive bar Call Me Mr. Lucky, they serve it with fig liqueur, ginger and watermelon for a fruity kick while at Hackney's Bad Sports it comes with lime, agave and achiote paste for a spicy kick. But it's also becoming increasingly popular to be drunk in its natural state. 'It's one of the few spirits you can drink white,' says Stuart. 'I prefer to drink it like this, neat and at room temperature. Drinking it with lime is an American drinking game and tequila is growing in popularity because we're educating people that you don't need to down it like that.'

Once consumers have got their head around this, another trend the market is seeing is more demand for mezcal. Like tequila, mezcal is made from the heart of the agave plant but whilst tequila is made from any blue agave plant, mezcal is produced mainly in southern Mexico using any one of 30 varieties.

'Europeans go to places of cultural significance in Mexico rather than just going on a cheap package deal to Cancun. So they're enjoying better quality spirits and mezcal tasting is the natural progression on from tequila,' says Stuart. 'If I was to be bold and compare the category to whiskey, mezcal would be like an Islay whereas tequila is like a Highland. They're from the same plant but their profiles are very different.'

At El Pastor, in London Bridge you'll find a whole menu dedicated to mezcals, each which is served in a traditional wooden containers along with worm salt and orange. Meanwhile, the Langham Hotel's Artesian Bar combines mezcal in a sour and at Mayfair's MNKY HSE you'll find it in a 'Foamy Negroni' with passionfruit.

For those still in need of some persuasion head to London Mezcal Week, taking during September for the UK's biggest ever mezcal tasting plus masterclasses and food pairings. And if you're still in doubt start with a Paloma which is equivalent of a Mexican gin and tonic. With grapefruit soda and plenty of fresh lime and ice we're calling it the first recovery step for those who have been scarred by one two many student nights on group shots. Check out the recipe below...

The el Jimador Paloma

Ingredients...

50ml el Jimador Blanco

10ml lime juice

150ml grapefruit soda (Ting in the UK)

Optional pinch of sea salt

Method...

Prepare by filling a tall tumbler with cubed ice to the top.

Add ingredients in order as above.

Garnish with a slice of red grapefruit, or zest.