Tequila Old Fashioned
- 2 oz anejo or extra anejo tequila (we used Cabresto)
- 1/4-1/2 oz simple syrup
- 2 dashes angostura bitters
- Garnish: orange peel
Half-fill old fashioned glass with ice. Add simple syrup and bitters, stir to mix. Add tequila and stir well, adding additional ice if desired. Cut a large orange peel over the drink, then twist to express the oils and place into the glass.
Cheers! on Stateside always has a Michigan connection. Usually we mix cocktails with ingredients and stories from Michigan. But some spirits are tied to a particular region. For example, tequila can only be called tequila if it’s made in Mexico. When we saw the story From Tires to Tequila in Hour Detroit magazine, we knew we had a tequila/Michigan connection.
The Lopez family runs a tire shop in southwest Detroit. Silverio Lopez started the shop 30 years ago. He's done well. Well enough that Lopez was able to buy some land back home, the same land where he and his father worked as farm laborers.
Lopez used the land to grow agave. He took it to a local distiller to come up with his own brand of tequila. He planned to name it Silverio, but that was taken. So, Lopez eventually settled on Cabresto which is Spanish for a horse’s bridle.
The Lopez family is still fixing flat tires and selling rims. One of Silverio’s sons, Antonio, is at the shop in a uniform, working with the crew. When he can, he also spends time as the marketing director for Cabresto Tequila. He says some restaurants and liquor stores in the Detroit metropolitan area carry the tequila. He asks if you’re interested in buying a bottle and your liquor store doesn’t carry it, ask for it. It’s pretty much a matter of word-of-mouth for the company right now.
Listen to the audio above to learn more about the kinds of tequila Cabresto produces.
Watch the video below to see Tammy Coxen of Tammy's Tastings and Stateside's Lester Graham visit Lopez Tire and then watch as Tammy makes a Tequila Old Fashioned.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s6Ib44zCe7I&feature=youtu.be
