Why South Africa is the fourth-largest tequila market worldwide

When it comes to spirits, tequila has something of a bad reputation. The shooter of choice for hard-partying students, it’s a spirit that – locally, at least – is associated with quantity rather than quality.

That’s beginning to change, though. South Africa is currently the fourth-largest tequila market worldwide – trailing only Mexico, the US and Russia – and a crop of new cocktail bars and Mexican eateries are fast embracing the abundance of top-quality tequila on offer.

El Burro on trendy Somerset Road is credited with showing Capetonians what authentic Mexican food is all about, and its ground floor tequila bar, Cabrito, is doing the same for the spirit made from the blue agave plant. Over 50 different pours are available, from mass-market Olmeca to more complex premium tequilas, like Centinela, Patrón and Don Julio. With a few exceptions, these are sipping tequilas: served straight-up or on ice to sip, swirl and savour as you would a whisky or brandy.

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On the Camps Bay seafront Del Mar dishes up superb modern Mexican cuisine and delicious margaritas, alongside an admirable selection of tequila and mezcal. The difference? While tequila is made solely from blue agave, mezcal can be distilled from a few dozen members of the agave plant family. Tequila and mezcal are also traditionally produced in different regions of Mexico.

On the Del Mar menu it’s the La Muerte Mezcal Reposado that’s most worth a taste, with the reposado (“rested” for two months in oak barrels) and añejo (“aged” for around 12 months in barrel) on offer.

Popular tequila brand Jose Cuervo also recently launched a reposado tequila in the South African market. Jose Cuervo Tradicional Reposado is made from double-distilled spirits rested in white oak barrels. The recipe is said to date back more than 200 years, delivering a hint of smoke, citrus, spice and caramel on the palate. At least, that’s what you’ll taste if you sip it, instead of knocking it back.

“In Mexico it is customary to sip Tradicional with sangrita or a cold beer,” says Blue Masoka, brand manager for local Jose Cuervo distributors Edward Snell & Co. “South Africans are unfamiliar with the notion of sipping tequila. Tradicional is unlike any other tequila and due to the fermentation and distillery methods is produced specifically for sipping.”

Call Cabrito on 021-433-2364 or Del Mar on 021-437-0333.

This article was originally published in one of the Sunday Times Neighbourhood: Property and Lifestyle guides. Visit yourneighbourhood.co.za, like YourNeighbourhoodZA on Facebook and follow YourHoodZA on Twitter.