I recently helped organise a tutored tequila tasting and training at Orchid in Aberdeen hosted by Cazadores Brand Ambassador, manager of Green & Red and all round bar legend Steffin Oghene.
Other than being industry colleagues, boozehounds and lovers of all things drink related, Steffin and myself go way back as we attended primary school together and also played in the same football team in our younger years (that's soccer to my American readers).
Steffin moved back to Edinburgh just as I was starting secondary school in Aberdeen and a good few years passed before we randomly bumped into each other again in 2006 when we were both competing finalists in the UK final of the Grand Marnier Bartender of the Year competition at Apartment 195. It was strange that the two of us had both chosen the same career path but it was great to finally share a legal drink with Steffin. In all seriousness, myself and Steffin weren't drinking at primary school age. Well, no more than twice a week...
After a few years working in Edinburgh and then moving down to London to run the bar at Green & Red, Steffin has become something of a tequila guru whose knowledge and passion for the category is as impressive as you'll find. His role as Brand Ambassador for Cazadores has enabled him to spread his love for the category far and wide which I believe is a great benefit to a spirit which is often left lagging in the popularity stakes behind rum, gin and whisk(e)y due to a misunderstanding of what the product has to offer.
Through his connection to Aberdeen and from hearing from myself about the emerging scene in the city Steffin had expressed a strong interest to come up and host a session and talk us through, and more importantly taste, a selection of bottlings that included; Cazadores Blanco, Olmeca Tezon Blanco, Patron Blanco, Herradura Blanco, El Tequileno Blanco, Cazadores Reposado, Cuervo 1800 Reposado, Cazadores Anejo, Gran Centenario Anejo, Cuervo Especial and Del Maguey Mezcal. As you'll see, he doesn't do things by halves. How he managed to carry all that in his case I'll never know...
I'd love to go into more details regarding the session, which was as informative as it was entertaining, with everyone in attendance commenting on the fact that they gained a lot of from it. I've been to a good few tequila trainings in the past (and product trainings in general) and have to admit that Steffin's presentation was as good as any I've been to, doff of the cap to you Sir.
Before he headed up from London I asked Steffin if he would be interested in trading a bottle of tequila for some of my bitters. It is this trade that brings me to the purpose of this blog posting...
In my hands appeared a bottle of Calle 23 Blanco (pronounced Kai-yay and meaning street in Spanish). Relatively new to the UK market, I'd first read about this tequila a few weeks previously and again in a feature of the sixth issue of CLASS magazine. From the rave reviews it had been receiving I was eager to try it for myself so was delighted to finally get my hands on a bottle
The brainchild of French-born biochemist Sophie Decobecq, Calle 23 is produced in Zapotlanejo from agaves grown in the Highland region of Jalisco (in fields between Arandas and Tepatitlan). The reason they chose to use the agave produced in this area is down to the mineral-rich soil and the climate which is perfectly suited to the agave plant with long spells of blistering heat followed by wet rainy seasons.
Terroir is an important aspect of tequila production with the profile of Highland tequilas often found to be fruitier, sweeter and spicier than their Lowland counterparts which tend to lean toward the vegetal, earthy and herbaceous flavour profile. Something worth considering next time you're pondering which tequila to part your hard-earned for...
After harvesting the piñas are cut in half. At this point Calle 23 slowly cook their agaves in one of three stainless steel autoclaves (two with a capacity of 22 tonnes and one of 30 tonnes) for seven hours then let the temperature drop for a further three hours. This slow cooking process allows the heat to get to the heart of the agave ensuring the plant is not overcooked or burnt, flavours that are not desirable in the tequila-making process as I'm sure you'll understand.
After cooking, the agave plants are milled using a modern roller mill with which they produce their aguamiel which is diluted to 8-9brix for fermentation. It is at this point that Sophie's background comes into play as she opts to use three different strains of yeast for the expressions of Blanco, Reposado and Anejo, each producing tequilas with completely unique characteristics.
The fermentation process that follows takes place in one of fourteen 30,000 litre stainless steel tanks and takes an average of around 72 hours to produce a mosto of 3.8% to 4.5% ABV. This fermented juice then goes through a double-distillation process in stainless steel pot stills that have copper serpentine steam elements inside the still. The first distillation (called ordinario and really not recommended to be consumed, just ask Steffin) takes place in one of two 6000 litre stills and lasts no longer than 4 hours to produce and ordinario of around 28-30%ABV.
The ordinario is filtered before the second distillation takes place (all tequila must go through a minimum of two distillations) in slightly smaller stills (5000 litre) which takes approximately 12 hours with the cut (heart of the run) taken between 87% and 17% ABV producing a tequila of 54-56% ABV. The heads (around 30 litres between 89% and 87%ABV) and tails (maximum 60 litres between 17% and 7%ABV) are recycled and added to the next first distillation.
While Blanco tequilas are allowed to be aged for a maximum of 59 days, Calle 23 opt not to age their Blanco as they prefer to fully express the character of the agave. Before bottling, Calle 23 Blanco is diluted to a strength of 40%ABV with water drawn from the distillery's own well. Although the bottles are filled by an automated filling system, all labels and seals are applied by hand.
After learning as much as I could about the brand I couldn't wait to taste the tequila. And by taste I actually mean to nose, sip and savour the liquid, not lick some salt, throw a large shot down my neck then bite into a dry, browning lime wedge. Whilst I'm an advocate of people drinking things they way they enjoy them, this really isn't the way to enjoy tequila in my humble opinion. If you preceded anything by licking some salt, then throwing it down your neck missing your vital taste receptors on your palate, and finished it by biting into a lime wedge you're naturally going to begin hating it. Particularly if this ritual is performed at the end of a night where you've already consumed 'x' amount of alcohol. And some people wonder why they're not big big fans of tequila...
If you really must carry out the lick-shoot-suck method, I'd recommend trying it with some cinnamon in place of the salt and a fresh orange wedge in place of the lime.
Anyway, onto the liquid;
Colour: Perfectly clear.
Nose: Light, fresh and inviting, cooked agave is evident with subtle herbaceous notes.
Palate: The freshness carries through with sweet pineapple, fresh lime and fresh lemon zest balanced against the spicy kick of cracked black pepper.
Finish: Long spicy finish with dominant black pepper continuing from the mid-palate.
Thoughts: A wonderful example of what to expect from a Highland tequila; sweet, fruity, spicy and fresh.
After an impressive showing whilst sampling the Blanco straight, I quickly wanted to throw together a drink that would showcase its flavour profile whilst also representing a style of drink I imagine Jerry Thomas would have made if he'd been given a bottle of Calle 23...
Look no further than the classic Margarita (tequila, triple sec and fresh lime juice). In place of the dry triple sec I opted to use the more robust curacao that was prevalent in the 1800s, in this case I chose Grand Marnier with its complex profile of bitter orange and spice. With the dominant black pepper found in Calle 23 Blanco I thought it made perfect sense to use some of my homemade raspberry syrup as the flavour of berries is enhanced with black pepper. To add to the subtle spice elements I also decided to use my reformulated Hellfire Bitters from Charles H. Baker's must-read 'Around the World with Jigger, Beaker and Glass'. The added advantage of these bitters was that they contained some cooked agave that Steffin had passed onto me at the training session so it would add further depth to what was already becoming a complex drink.
And so the Mexican Firebush was born;
60ml Calle 23 Blanco
12.5ml Grand Marnier
12.5ml Homemade raspberry syrup
25ml Fresh squeezed lime juice
6 Dashes Dr. Adam Elmegirab's Hellfire Bitters
Method: Add all ingredients to mixing glass fill with cubed ice and shake hard for ten seconds. Fine strain.
Glass: Frozen coupe
Garnish: Green chilli or strip of citrus zest
Ice: N/A
Notes: Whilst admittedly not being a wholly unique drink, it's essentially just a Raspberry Margarita with a twist, this is a fantastic drink in which to showcase the base spirit. The cooked agave notes shine through alongside layers of citrus, the black pepper and raspberry notes combine brilliantly together before moving toward the spicy kick of the complex Hellfire bitters with dominant chilli softened with herbaceous notes.
Calle 23 is quickly establishing itself as one of my favourite tequilas and I'm looking forward to getting my hands on their Reposado and Anejo expressions.
My advice to you would be to get yourself along to Green & Red and share a Calle 23 or ten with Steffin, just don't let him drive you home afterward. That's a story you'll need to get him to explain...
Calle 23 Blanco
40%ABV
http://www.tequilacalle23.com/
50cl available for: £16-18
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Adam Elmegirab
Bar Consultant / Compounder
Evo-lution / Dr. Adam Elmegirab's Bitters
E-mail: adam.elmegirab@evo-lution.org
Web: www.evo-lution.org / www.bokersbitters.co.uk
Facebook: Adam Elmegirab / Evo-lution Bar Consultancy / Dr. Adam Elmegirab's Bitters
Twitter: @AdamsBitters
Very nice post on Calle 23 B. Thoroughly enjoyed it.
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