A unique signature tequila made this writer rethink the liquor’s almost-sinful reputation

For some of us, the thought of tequila sends shooting pains straight to our head as foggy images of salty shots and sour lime wedges creep into our memories. It’s a bad rap for a spirit that’s been around for centuries. But The Ritz-Carlton Key Biscayne and Casa Herradura are changing all that by allowing us to go behind the curtain and beyond the gates of the tequila brand’s hacienda in Mexico, where the agave spears rise from the copper-colored soil.

DREAM TEAM

As a way to elevate its tequila selections, The Ritz-Carlton Key Biscayne began a tradition eight years ago of annually selecting an exclusive barrel of tequila from Casa Herradura to bottle and serve to its distinguished guests.

“The passion and dedication that the Casa Herradura team puts into creating a beautiful, delicious and quality product is truly aligned with The Ritz-Carlton’s core values,” says Rosa Tamajon, the hotel’s food and beverage director.

But choosing a barrel that has the flavor profile to suit a variety of palates is harder than it seems. This year, Huseyin Ozdemir, food and beverage manager for Cantina Beach — one of the Miami hotel’s restaurants — was entrusted with the task. Ozdemir was presented with three barrels while in Mexico. Using the metal venencia, he gracefully poured the honey-hued nectar into our tasting glasses and we settled in at the hacienda. From notes of spearmint, cinnamon and marshmallow to cooked agave, orange peel and pepper, tequila has layers that I’d never experienced. Then again, it’s hard to notice those subtle tones when slurping down a shot.

The tequila inside the American white oak double reposado barrel, which Ozdemir ultimately chose for the hotel, is aged for 12 months before being poured into 240 bottles and shipped to the island resort for guests and visitors to enjoy.

ROOTED IN TRADITION

Casa Herradura began distilling tequila in 1870 in Mexico’s Jalisco state, tequila’s mecca. The hacienda is located in the town of Amatitán, about an hour from the western state’s capital of Guadalajara. Named for the Spanish word for horseshoe (a storied lucky charm), the family-owned business flourished and persevered for 137 years until 13 years ago when spirits company Brown-Forman purchased it for nearly a billion dollars. This year it celebrates its 150th anniversary; an accomplishment considering it has survived rebellions, wars and political upheavals and is now the only tequila house that still produces at its original hacienda.

The drive to Casa Herradura is checkered with symmetrical rows of agave plants — resembling a spiky vineyard landscape — nestled on the foothills of the inactive Volcán de Tequila. As the wrought iron gates peel open it’s hard not to marvel at the historic buildings, cobblestone paths lined with hundred-year-old trees and the colossal cement mill, imposing itself on the horizon. Jimadores, or agave farmers, work in the fields to harvest the agave plants from where tequila is derived.

Plants can only be harvested after the seventh year by carefully stripping the heart, or piña, from the leaves, or pencas, using a sharp paddle-like metal instrument called coa. In this volcanic land, there is no harvest season. The hacienda produces tequila year-round. A jimador can strip a plant in about two minutes, a team of farmers harvests 200 tons of agave every day, and it takes approximately 12 pounds of agave to make one liter of tequila.

The piñas are cooked for 26 hours and then cooled inside the ovens for 9 hours before they are removed and crushed to extract the syrupy juice. While some companies have replaced their ovens with stainless steel pressure cookers, Casa Herradura’s dedication to its original recipe ensures that up to 40 tons of piñas are hand loaded into 15 clay ovens that run daily.

“The better sugar you have, the better alcohol you can produce,” says Rubén Aceves, the brand’s global ambassador. “It’s like cooking a ribeye (steak) on the grill versus the microwave,” he illustrates with a smile.

Other ways the brand elevates its tequila is by its natural source of water from its five spring wells, only using natural yeast during fermentation and double distilling to remove all impurities, which if not taken out do attribute to those killer hangover headaches.

Each year, sixty-thousand guests enter through the hacienda’s gates, each with a different perception of tequila. Upon our departure, we all leave with a new appreciation for the spirit and this legendary brand.

So next time the opportunity rises, think twice about hastily taking that shot of tequila. Instead, pay tribute to the Mexican land and its people by sipping and savoring it the way it was intended. Salud!