LIQUID LOVE
It’s official. Your Champagne is old school and that bottle of whiskey belongs in the library.
Tequila is now the most popular drink for aperitif, digestif, and whatever falls between. America is the world leader in tequila drinkers, where consumption has grown by over 40 percent in the past five years. Nowhere is the trend more prevalent than in mountain restaurants, heli-lodges, and at-home fireplace soirées—be it in a Margarita, a Mule, or straight up and straight down swift as a racer on freshly waxed boards.
And now, there’s a premium tequila just for skiers. Originating in the verdant hills of the Free and Sovereign State of Jalisco, Mexico (the authentic home of tequila), SNOW Te-Ski-La embodies the skier’s spirit, a spirited folk typically unfazed by steep lines or strong drink.
There’s more behind this luxury brand than just the name. The magic begins far from the snowy slopes of Aspen or Andermatt, some eight miles from a towering volcanic crater in Amatitan, Jalisco, where vast sun-soaked and mineral-rich fields provide the perfect climate for this clear beauty.
“The soil is rich in minerals and literally sparkles like snow on a cold, sunny day,” says Maestra Tequilero Rosita Correa. It makes this Tequila Cristalino Reposado a delight to the palate.” Just what is a Cristalino Reposado? It’s barrel-aged for three to six months and then filtered to snow white. According to a prominent trade journal, “Cristalino Tequilas are expanding the category’s audience since it offers the depth of flavor and complexity from an aged spirit, coming from maturation in the barrel, with the versatility and brightness of a Blanco Tequila that mixes well in cocktails”.
You had us at sparkles, Maestra.
These fragrant blue agave crops, naturally fertilized by volcanic minerals, also bear the stamp of honor—Tequila Denomination of Origin. Because of its semi-arid environment (the area receives rainfall only two to three months of the year), and consistently warm temperatures, their agave crop is among the best. “It inclines towards delicate herbaceous notes that are not too sweet—this gives us a versatile profile and more possibilities to create unique flavors,” explains Correa.
The special raw materials are eventually sent to the distillation process—a crucible of chemical- and chlorine-free artesian well water and potent volcanic minerals. And when the tequila is ready to be bottled, the same care and consideration are extended to the local community. “We rely on the work of the women of the community, who are responsible for labelling and hand-packaging the final product. We also cover many other areas of work to support the economy of the women and their families.”
Spearheading the initiative closer to home are two women just as committed to nurturing a sense of community and to filling its glasses, both physically and spiritually, with a splash of marvelous. Between them, founders Katrina Ilona Johnson and Barb Sanders have conquered peaks and pistes on most every continent, graced many a ski magazine and—lucky for us—sampled an international research institute’s worth of alpine tipples, local elixirs, and body shots. So when that beautiful frosted bottle of Te-Ski-La lands on your mountainside lunch table, give it that extra swirl of affection it deserves. Because it’s après, and it’s time to do what skiers do best. As the Te-Ski-La manual says, “Make tracks, make laughs, make it
SNOW Te-Ski-La”.
