The High-Teq Boom

Ask Dawn Lamendola for a glass of tequila, and she might suggest the Herradura Añejo, with its earthy, slightly floral notes; pronounced ripe-apple aroma; and deep oaky finish. Or perhaps a splash of crisp, citrusy Don Julio Silver. Or the 1800 Reposado. Or the fruit-infused Angelique. Or any one of more than a dozen varieties she keeps behind the bar—nearly twice as many as she stocked last year. “It’s far more common now for our guests to arrive knowing what tequila brands they prefer, much the same way they ask for a vodka or a gin,” she says.

Lamendola doesn’t tend bar at some Latin-themed hot spot. As beverage director for Commonwealth Restaurant Group, she oversees the liquor lineup at Mistral—that’s right, the impossibly tony FrenchMediterranean restaurant in the South End. A Franco-boîte loading up on the stuff that spring-break bad dreams are made of? Clearly, there’s a revolution afoot. Even the Today show, seldom the first to spot a burgeoning fad, has happened onto the high-end tequila trend, citing an ACNielsen report that sales of super- and ultrapremiums (those priced above $26 a bottle) grew 41 percent during 2006. Premium vodka may not be in serious danger of losing its throne—but it might want to watch its back.

If the thought of an imminent tequila craze leaves you with a queasy stirring in the pit of your stomach, you’re not alone. But this much maligned spirit deserves a revisit, if for no other reason than what we drank in college or in happy-hour margaritas was likely such wretched plonk it would barely count as tequila by today’s standards. The quality of tequila has been on the rise for the better part of a decade, and some are so delicious and smooth they’re akin to fine cognacs—and enjoyed, similarly, in snifters.

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