Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/376390
96 / the tasting panel / september 2014 C alifornia has a love affair with tequila. Californians know it, and Raffaele Berardi knows it—as he should, being the Head of Global Exporting and Travel on behalf of Corralejo, one of the cocktail indus- try's favorite brands of tequila in the state. "California is the biggest tequila market in the world!" he exclaims excitedly. "And we're on an education push to make sure people everywhere experience Corralejo and learn more about tequila itself." It's a pretty exciting time to be an agave enthusiast. As the craft cocktail realm catches fire in even more parts of the U.S., mixologists and bartenders are looking at tequila in a new light and applying it in completely new ways, with tequila cocktails going far beyond the classic Margarita. Because gin and tequila share some vegetal and savory notes, many of the newly popular Prohibition-era cocktails that call for gin are fantastic when made with tequila. Cocktail enthusiasts will already be familiar with the Last Word—a gin, green Chartreuse and Maraschino concoction that becomes a refreshingly vegetal, herbaceous Margarita deviation with tequila. And try dipping a toe in the realm of the stirred tequila drink, like the La Rosita. It's a delicious tequila variant of the classic Negroni, with Campari, vermouths and a dash of Angostura. (Check out the recipes below, and thank us later!) Berardi sees all of this firsthand: Corralejo is often what bartenders reach for as their tequila of choice, and with it, they're creating a huge range of innovative alternatives to the classic Margarita. The most notable ones combine new ideas with an homage to tequila's deep historical and traditional roots, much like Corralejo itself. Established in the mid-1700s by a Spanish conquistador, Hacienda Corralejo is a family-operated distillery rebuilt according to historical sources from the early 20th century. It operates according to deeply traditional practices, boasting copper Charentais pot stills, originally developed by the French to make Cognac. Corralejo even uses a house-cultivated agave yeast strain in their fermentation process, which consistently gives the spirit its distinctive note. "Everything that can be done by hand is done by hand," notes Berardi, "while incor- porating technical advancements as we can. The flavors really come from the technique we use, the alembic pot stills and the combination Mexican and French oak barrels used in aging. Cognacs are made like this." In fact, echoing a Cognac's VSOP line, Corralejo is releasing a limited-edition añejo: 99000 Horas, named for the 11 years it takes to make and age the spirit, from the growth of the agave to the end of the tequila's aging process. CATEGORY REPORT Moving Beyond the Margarita by E ´ va Pelczer / photos by Margaret Soss At Sol Cocina in Newport Beach, CA, Colin Pflugradt plays with Corralejo in a variety of unique cocktails. Corralejo Tequila CONQUERS THE WORLD OF COCKTAILS