Tequila is a spirit synonymous with body shots and Spring Break, but it can be so much more.

In cocktails, it can leverage the agave sweetness and add specificity, but with the right tequila, it can be sipped like a good whiskey.

Enter FINO Tequila, a female-owned business in Chicago, IL, and our Local Spotlight of the Week. FINO’s owners, Sonali Patel and Jana Iyer, are committed to having you rethink the way tequila is drank, and they’re already off to an incredible start.

FINO’s Blanco won Platinum at the 2019 Sip Awards along with the Consumer’s Choice Award, and for good reason, it’s smooth and distinct, with gentle notes of cinnamon and mint.

They also have a Reposado and Anejo that are excellent, with no added colours or flavours.

Learn more below, and scroll way down to find our recipes!

A Little Bit About Tequila

Tequila is made from agave, and must be specifically made from the Agave tequilana Weber, a.k.a. blue agave, and takes 7-10 years to reach maturity.

It can be floral and herbaceous, but flavour can also be determined on where the agave is grown (like in Jalisco, where the altitude can affect the aromas).

If your tequila doesn’t say 100% Blue Agave, it can be made with up to 49% of other fermentable sugars.

The classes of tequila are based on the minimum age of the liquid inside:

• Blanco or Plata = aged for less than two months

• Joven or Oro is a Blanco Tequila that’s used abocado, or a process of softening a spirit by adding caramel colour, oak extract, or sugar syrup

• Reposado aged for a minimum of two months in an oak vessel

• Añejo aged for a minimum of one year in oak vessels with a capacity of 600 L or less

• Extra Añejo aged for a minimum of 3 years, in oak vessels with a capacity of 600 L or less

snow in april

The right amount of oak and zest, this cocktail perfectly balances the rich notes of the FINO Añejo with passion fruit, and the anise nose of the lemon basil. Named after the April snow we just had in Chicago!

Ingredients:

• 2 oz. FINO Añejo Tequila

• 1/2 passion fruit

• 1/2 oz. simple syrup (or more to taste)

• 2 sprigs Lemon Basil, and more for garnish

• 1 drop of capful of HOLLOW LEG Clove Bitters

Pour the FINO Añejo into a shaker and scrape out the flesh of one passion fruit. Add the simple syrup and the lemon basil and muddle.

Shake vigorously for 12 seconds in a shaker with ice, and pour into a glass with a large ice cube. Garnish with the passion fruit shell and lemon basil.

Hey mom, What’s THat Spiky Fruit?

This aromatic, melon-y cocktail allows FINO’s smooth agave flavour to shine, and the addition of white pepper bitters gives it a bit of fresh zing, while the clove adds a je ne sais quois! The black salt rim is both stunning, and allows for a full flavour profile to contrast the sweetness of the drink. Named after the question we’ve likely all had for our Moms (and she probably didn’t know the answer!).

Prep the Kiwano-Tequila Syrup

• 1 Kiwano

• 2 Tbsp. Sugar

• 2 oz. FINO Blanco Tequila

Cut the Kiwano in half and scoop out the flesh into a pot. Add 2 Tbsp. sugar and slowly simmer over medium-low heat until the sugar is dissolved. Strain.

Take the leftover gelatinous seeds and flesh of the Kiwano that did not strain and add it back into the pot with the tequila, and simmer again, about 4 minutes, then strain into existing Kiwano mixture.

This should make about 4 ounces of Kiwano-Tequila Syrup.

Construct the Cocktail!

• 4 oz. Kiwano-Tequila Syrup

• 2 Capfuls HOLLOW LEG White Pepper Bitters (if you don’t have this, you can steep whole white peppercorns into the syrup mixture for 10 minutes over low heat, with the pot covered).

• 1 tsp. lemon juice

• Black Salt and Dragon Fruit, for garnish

Short shake (3-4 seconds) the Kiwano-Tequila Syrup and lemon with ice, then pour into a glass that has black salt around part of the rim.

Add the HL White Pepper Bitters, and then pile on crushed ice.

Add a slice of Dragon Fruit.

Cheers!