Good Morning! Life’s been hectic to say the least the last few weeks. Haven’t been able to do as much editing as I had hoped. I am in the process of getting everything ready to rebrand my restaurant, which has taken a lot of my time. We are launching a new cocktail menu as well as a new food menu, so developing recipes has taken up most of my time, as well as doing all of the design work myself. So new logos, new menus, new website, new everything, really.

Needless to say, I am incredibly excited for this next step in our evolution, so as a sneak peak here is the new logo. Please let me know what you think!

I’ll share more info on all of this in the coming weeks.

Blanco, Reposado, Anejo & Extra Anejo: WTF is the difference?

Whether you're a tequila newbie or a seasoned enthusiast, understanding the difference between Blanco, Reposado, and Añejo, Extra Anejo & Still Strength unlocks a whole new world of flavor and understanding.

Why Age Any Spirit at All?

Aging a spirit is the process of placing it in a wooden barrel for a period of time, allowing it to take on some of the flavors from the wood inside. Unaged spirits can be quite harsh, so aging was initially used to smoothen the raw taste. However, this isn't necessarily the case with tequila, as unaged tequila is quite popular and delicious.

Blanco: The Raw Truth
Blanco tequila is the most raw and honest expression of what the master distiller wanted to achieve with the tequila. It's unaged, meaning it hasn't been in contact with wood (usually) and is a clear, “blanco”-looking liquid. It has a clear or "blanco" appearance, and its taste is characterized by the distinct vegetal, earthy notes of the agave plant.

Technically, for a tequila to be called Blanco, it needs to spend anywhere between zero and up to two months in a barrel. Some brands such as Montagave Blanco tequila, rest their tequila in in bordeaux barrels from France, giving it a pinkish-orange color. Cazcanes has done something similar lately with cabernet casks, and Ensueno ages their tequila for up to 18 days in former rare wheated bourbon barrels but all of them are still considered blancos.

Still Strength: More Power, baby.
Typically tequilas (and also almost every spirit on the planet) are cut with water after they are distilled. Tequilas typically come off the still at a higher alcohol percentage (proof) than is suitable for most drinkers.

While not a legal designation, Still Strength tequilas are tequilas that have not been cut with water and are at the strength (or ABV) that they came off the still. hence Still Strength. These tequilas usually retain the most raw flavors from the agave plant and have the most unfiltered flavor.

Reposado: The Best of Both Worlds
Reposado tequila is rested in a barrel for anywhere between two months and a year, resulting in a slightly darker color than Blanco tequila. Reposado tequila provides the best of both worlds, blending the raw flavor of Blanco tequila with the aged notes of the barrel.

Añejo: Smooth & Sophisticated
Añejo tequila is aged in a barrel for at least one year, giving it a much darker color and a smooth, rich flavor. Añejo tequilas have a lot of similarities usually with Bourbons and American whiskeys since most barrels used to age tequilas are ex bourbon barrels. Añejo tequila is oftentimes the perfect choice for those who want the familiarity of whiskeys in their tequila.

Extra Añejo: The Newest Expression.
Extra Añejo tequilas are a relatively new category of tequila that was introduced in 2006 by the Tequila Regulatory Council (CRT) in Mexico. To be classified as an Extra Añejo, the tequila must be aged for a minimum of three years.

The extended aging process usually gives them a dark color, rich and complex flavors, and a smooth texture. The oak barrels used for aging the tequila impart notes of vanilla, caramel, chocolate, and spice, and the longer the tequila is aged, the more pronounced these flavors become.

I do not really want to get into Cristalino tequilas here. We’ll save that for a future article lol…

Batching Cocktails Just Got so much easier thanks to Jeff Morgenthaler

Have you ever wanted to take one small cocktail and make it for a whole party? Well bartending author, mentor and overall legend, Jeff Morgenthaler has you covered. He recently released his Batched Cocktail calculator which will help you convert 1 recipe into a large one for that party you are throwing. You can access this incredibly helpful tool right here: https://www.batchcalc.com/

Jeff Morgenthaler has been known not only for his incredible cocktail and bartending books but also other helpful tools he has released to help bartenders. He released a universal syrup calculator which helps any and all bartender calculate exactly how to make any and all syrups.

He is not only an incredible bartender who has created some incredible modern classic cocktails, an esteemed author continuing to educate the next generation of aspiring bartenders, but also someone committed to helping the industry with tools such as these.

And for that, we thank you!

Best Cocktail Video we Saw this week

dukeshealdsburg

73K followers

View more on Instagram

Dukes Healdsburg has been on our radar for a while, and I really enjoy their videos. We love that they are a bar using this platform to promote their bar, which is something i have always tried to do through my own content. This video in particular really caught my eye because if you have ever bartended before you’ve probably had a man say something along the lines of “Can you put this in a manly glass?” or “Can I have a mans drink, not some fruity girly thing?”

Or idk. Maybe you are one of those brain dead Neanderthals who actually says things like that in public.

ANYWAY. We love this cocktail and the fact that she served it in a coupe which is typically not a manly man glass makes it all the better. She also gets bonus points for using “Shipping up to Boston” as the song.

In Other News 📰

• Steve the Bartender showcases the 20 Most Popular Cocktails according to the Internet

• Punch actually published a pretty cool article about “All the Questions You’re Too Afraid to Ask at the Wine Bar”