Drinking
PHOTOGRAPHS: TOP: JASON LITTLE; INSET: MATTHIAS MERGES
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Kindred spirits
Move over, tequila. These Mexican agave spirits are changing the way Chicago says cheers. By Amy Cavanaugh
W
hen you’re toasting Cinco de Mayo, chances are you’ll have tequila. Or maybe, if you prefer smoky spirits, mescal. Recently, though, bartenders have dug deeper into Mexican agave spirits, using bacanora, raicilla and sotol. The new spirits are made with agave or similar plants, and each offers a flavor profile that reflects a different region. Lightly smoky bacanora is an agave spirit from Sonora, while raicilla, an agave spirit from Jalisco, can be bright, smoky or funky. Sotol is a vegetal spirit made from desert spoon, a plant similar to agave.
The spirits are everywhere, including Mexican restaurants. Frontera Grill (445 N Clark St; 312-661-1434,
rickbayless.com/ restaurants/frontera-grill) includes
them in cocktails like Magnetic Pole Reversal, which mixes sotol with basil, cucumber and lime. You’ll also find general cocktail bars, like GreenRiver (259 E Erie St; 312-337-0101, green
riverchi.com), offering the spirit.
The leading
agave evangelist in Chicago, bartender Jay Schroeder, recently left Frontera Grill
Billy Sunday
to open Mezcaleria Las Flores, a bar devoted to the plant- based spirits in the space
next to Johnny’s Grill (2545 N Kedzie Ave; 773-278-2215). There, he pours the spirits straight and uses them in cocktails. His favorite is sotol, which he says has “a grassy presence that’s unlike anything else in Mexican spirits.” He says sotol is ideal for spring and summer cocktails. “It’s so bright
and herbaceous, which lends it to brighter flavors.” At Masa Azul (2901 W Diversey
Ave; 773-687-0300, masaazul .com), sotol is the biggest seller after tequila and mescal. Owner Jason Lerner uses it in Sotol Cola, with Hum liqueur, lime and Mexican Coke. Lerner can build flights so people can sample a mix of agave spirits. “The wine guy in me is drawn to agave,” says Lerner. “I like spirits that demonstrate terroir, and agave spirits do that. Sotol really shows you where it comes from.” At Cantina 1910 (5025 N Clark St; 773-506-1910, cantina-1910 .com), beverage director Michael Fawthrop uses bacanora in the Rosario, a trio of agave Negronis, one made with tequila, one with mescal and one with bacanora, so you can taste the difference. “Compared to tequila, bacanora has more minerality to it,” says Fawthrop. “You have brightness like a chablis.”
Many bartenders have said raicilla is too expensive to use in cocktails, so to try it, ask for a sample. “Raicilla provides an amazing amount of funk; it’s very savory and aromatic,” says Fawthrop. He recommends it in an old-fashioned with a hint of agave. Each bar can also pour straight tastes or craft off-menu cocktails. “I love stirring agave spirits,” says Lee Zaremba, bartender at Billy Sunday (3143 W Logan Blvd; 773- 661-2485,
billy-sunday.com), who recently served sotol in a hot toddy. “They have a reputation for being in shaken applications, but stirring them showcases the spirits. They’re nuanced, beautiful, delicate spirits, and we like to show them that respect.”
Zaremba stresses the importance of setting aside preconceived notions about agave spirits.“People say all the time, ‘Oh, I drank too much tequila in college,’” he says. “So it’s great to be like, ‘This isn’t tequila.’ It’s a great intro to agave.”
March–May 2016
TIMEOUT.COM/CHICAGO 35
Masa Azul
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