Bartender and Entrepreneur Co-Founder Savoury Project | Co-Founder COA Jay Khan
With COA now opened for almost six years, we have various ways of introducing agave spirits. One that is very effective is that we educate our guests via a charity tasting called “Mezcal Mission” . It’s a bi-weekly agave spirit class divided into level 1 (for beginners) and level 2 (advanced). 100% proceed from this go to local charity’s we partner with. It’s a win win for all of us. In terms of how appreciation for spirits such as Tequila … Hong Kong consumers love whisky . Hence they are quite intrigued by the smoke from mezcal. They can relate it to peated whiskies. We’ve seen a surge in Mezcal drinkers . Tequila is a product of terroir. It’s a unique spirit whose raw ingredients can take up to a decade to fully ripen. Tequila is also intrinsically important to Mexican culture and heritage. For cocktails, the complexity of Tequila goes really well with citrus fruits in my opinion. Hence the margarita being so popular. Tequila for me in three words is ‘Labour of Love’ ! Tequila are not purely for cocktails. There are a many tequilas out there that are for sipping only. Some meticulously distilled tequilas develop the subtleties and nuances which can sometimes be lost in a cocktail if not mixed properly. It comes down to the bartenders knowledge and skills to choose the right one for mixing and for sipping. Personally I’m not a big fan of pairing spirits with food . However there are some interesting pairing I can suggest. Blanco tequila with fish tacos, or any citrus based dish with protein. Reposado tequila with chocolates…Añejo tequila with dark chocolate or steak. When it comes to the on/off trade market for Tequila the on trade is stronger for sure but I see a lot of consumers now mixing their own drinks at their home bars to impress their friends….We’ve got our regulars asking us for our margarita recipe - we happily share it with them. My favourite go to’s are Paloma and a Margarita anytime. For tequila I prefer a well made blanco and reposado. Reposado probably a little more as they give a nice balance of agave and oak which adds enough complexity without overshadowing the fresh agave flavour.
“ Tequila is a product of terroir. It’s a unique spirit whose raw ingredients can take up to a decade to fully ripen.
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