Identify Your Target Market
Its a mistake to imagine that your tequila brand will appeal to all and sundry: women and men, people in their early 20s all the way to their 70s, middle class and upper class. Tequila preferences are too varied to hope for that.
You need to identify specifically who your brand is targeting. We recommend you consider factors like demographic characteristics and common interests to define your desired niche market.
Blanco Silver Or White Tequila
Blanco tequila is a transparent spirit that isnt necessarily completely colorless and is diluted with water, to the proper bottling ABV. To be considered a Blanco or silver tequila, you can mature or age the spirit in oak barrels for zero to two months. If you age your Blanco tequila for more than two months, it will be considered a Reposado tequila. Which well cover next.
Running Your Pot Still
Its now time to fire up that pot still! Ensure that your still is properly set for this step. Secure all clamps and domes and make sure condensers are properly attached, as well as any hoses. Next, youll turn on the heat source and start raising the temperature of your tequila wash. Youll want to run the tequila wash through two separate distillations. During the first, youll collect the entire distillate without separating the heads, hearts and tails. That will be done during the second round of distillation.
If using a condenser, turn on the water when the boiler reaches 130 °F.
At about 168 °F the still will start producing. Increase the temperature to keep producing distillate.
Stop collecting distillate after it measures less than 20% ABV which you can measure using the hydrometer. Be sure to hold on to the remaining contents of the still as youll be adding it back in with your second distillation. This will add to the final flavor of the product. Dilute the first round distillate by 20% with water. Stir the mix thoroughly and add back into the still. Begin your second round of distillation.
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Can You Make Your Own Tequila
You can make tequila at home but there are 3 requirements that you must meet.
- The agave must be grown in one of the five states in Mexico as per the Mexican law
- The distillery must be in one of those five states
- You require the approval and certificates from the Tequila Regulatory Council and you have passed all the inspections.
Tequila is a Mexican product which is protected by NAFTA and the World Trade Organization.
So if you do not meet these requirements you cannot distribute tequila.
However you can make something that is called blue agave spirits or agace lixirs at your home that you can share with friends or enjoy.
Or you can simply call it tequila. Trust us, we won’t tell on you.
Erins Easy Entertaining Tips
Margaritas are a brilliant drink to make for any type of get-together, whether its a Mexican Dinner Party, Cinco de Mayo or just a random Tuesday when you want to have friends over for happy hour.
One of the best things about them is you can make them in batches, too, to make your life easier.
Here are a few thoughts on making margaritas with mix for entertaining:
- Juice your limes in advance. Alternately, consider purchasing the cold press lime juice from the refrigerated section of your grocery store. Yes, its more expensive than juicing your own, but its significantly faster unless you have an electric juicer.
- Make the simple syrup in advance, too. This stuff keeps in the fridge for weeks, so you dont have to make it the day youre making your homemade margarita mix.
- Double the homemade margarita mixrecipe if youre serving a crowd.
- Let guests mix their own margaritasor make a pitcher to make pouring even easier!
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How To Store And Freeze Grenadine
- Homemade grenadine should last up to three weeks in the refrigerator, which is much shorter than commercial brands that contain preservatives and high-fructose corn syrup. Feel free to halve this recipe or adjust it according to your anticipated usage.
- Add 1/4 ounce of vodka as a preservative to extend grenadine’s shelf life. The higher the proof, the better choose one over 80 proof for the best results.
- Some people also recommend freezing the grenadine. However, you might find this takes the freshness out of the syrup. Freeze it in ice cube trays with a lid, if possible.
Recipe Tags:
Tequila Rose Cocoa Cream
While the strawberry flavored cream liqueur is the most popular of the Tequila Rose brand’s products, their Cocoa Cream liqueur holds its own with mixed drink makers. Tequila Rose Cocoa Cream is just as easy to make from home as the original strawberry recipe just switch chocolate syrup out for the strawberry syrup and you’ll have a lovely batch of creamy goodness. This batch makes around six servings and will last for about two weeks when refrigerated.
Ingredients
- 1½ cups sweetened condensed milk
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
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Prepping And Cleaning Your Pot Still
Dont skip this step! We place an emphasis on this step in all of our distilling guides because unfortunately, many people skip prepping/cleaning and it causes a subpar product in the end. If you aim to maximize the quality of your distilled agave spirit, then its all about your attention to detail. Youll want to start on prep work by thoroughly cleaning your still. If this is your first run ever, below is a great walkthrough of how to setup your pot or reflux still.
Even if you cleaned the still after your last run and let it sit for a while, you still will want to clean it again. If youre just now learning how to make tequila, or any other spirit for that matter, now is the time to really emphasize this so you can build good habits to your distilling routine. Remember practice makes perfect.
Now that your still and equipment have been properly cleaned and prepped, you can pour your agave/tequila wash into the still. We recommend using a siphon for this process. This is the best way to reduce the amount of sediment from your fermented tequila wash getting into the still. Particles and sediments can cause the distillation to burn and ruin your product so take your time and be diligent during this step.
A True Growers Tequila
The Aceves family has been cultivating agave in Los Altos Region for 3 generations.
The Aceves family has been cultivating agave in Los Altos Region for 3 generations. Aceves brothers are new generation Master Distillers with years of experience designing and manufacturing complex, premium quality tequilas at the cross roads- where tradition meets innovation.
Our tequila is produced from the finest blue-agave fields in the world. Our fields and factories are located inside El Triángulo Dorado, in Los Altos de Jalisco, Mexico.
This is the premium agave-growing region of the world, equated to the Petit Cognac region of France, where the worlds finest cognac is produced. This is by no means coincidental.
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Find The Best Production Partner
Rather than just looking at who can get the job done fast and cheap, try to choose a producer that can empower your tequila brand with specific industry knowledge. Remember that a lot is going on behind the scenes with your new product, so get to know the business inside and out. Build an authentic long-term working relationship with a team of people walking alongside you, and share the experience of the growth process together.
How To Create A Lifestyle Drink
When it comes to creating a premium spirit that sells, it might surprise you to find out that its far less about the flavors or ingredients than you may think. In order to build a profitable beverage brand, its crucial that the product is marketed as a lifestyle drink.
Let’s Get It Started Today
ROCK N ROLL
Live the experience of creating and produce your own custom tequila.
Work directly on our production plants with the guide of our masters tequila distillers.
- Enjoy the selection of the perfect agave
- Walkthrough on agave fields and production plants
- Choose and design your own tequila profile and flavor
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Specialized In Creating Private Label Tequilas
We can create any kind of tequila. We work together with the brand owner to define a profile that matches perfectly to the brand target market .
CASA ACEVES® specializes in creating private label tequilas.
- Centric approach to brand design
- Ideal balance of form and function
- Specializes in creating private label tequilas
- Creating the Spirit of the Brand
CUSTOM PRODUCTION
Live the experience of creating and produce your own custom tequila.
Work directly on our production plants with the guide of our masters tequila distillers.
- Enjoy the selection of the perfect agave
- Walkthrough on agave fields and production plants
- Choose and design your own tequila profile and flavor
DESIGN PACKAGING
Joven Or Gold Tequila
Joven or gold tequila is unaged tequila that is typically colored and flavored with caramel, oak extracts, or syrups. Basically, you can use a Blanco tequila and add in an extract to achieve the gold or caramel coloring. Gold tequilas look very similar to Reposado tequilas. There are simply labeled as Gold on the bottle.
After you age your tequila how you like it , bottle it up, grab some limes and enjoy. You earned it!
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What Ingredients Are Used To Produce Tequila
Tequila is produced from the blue agave plant that is indigious to Mexico. There are 166 species of agave which 125 can be found in Mexico but it is only the Weber Blue Agave that can be used to produce tequila.
Premium tequilas are 100% pure blue agave. Lower end tequilas are called mixtos, usually 51% of it is agave and the rest is made up from molasses, corn syrup and other sugars.
Tips For Making The Best Margaritas With Mix
- Your limes will provide more juice if theyre at room temperature. If you keep them in the fridge, take them out and zap them in the microwave for 10-15 seconds to get the juices flowing.
- Does your margarita mix taste a bit tart? Add a little more of the simple syrup to sweeten it up. Keep in mind that the Cointreau/triple sec you add to the recipe to make a margarita from mix will add a little sweetness, too, so dont be too heavy-handed.
- If youre serving a crowd, consider doubling the recipe so youve got more than enough! Also, it keeps in the fridge, so any leftovers wouldnt go bad.
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How To Make A Tequila Lime Mojitarita:
- Get a simple cocktail shaker you dont needa fancy one.
- If youve ever watched a skilled bartender in action you know theres an art to shaking a cocktail. But still, anyone can do it and make a delicious drink. Be sure to shake vigorously to dissolve the sugar and bruise the mint for the best flavor.
- Squeeze your own fresh lime juice please dont even think of using bottled stuff. Its easy to juice citrus with a handheld citrus juicer or reamer. Unfortunately, limes are notoriously inconsistent in their juiciness, but in general, count on at least one tablespoon juice per lime.
- Crushed ice is ideal for filling the shaker .
Why I Love This Recipe:
Listen. Yall know Im all about homemade stuff because it generally has a lot less additives and things that the store-bought stuff has. While the store-bought brands come in handy when youre in a pinch, if you have the time to make your own margarita mix, you ABSOLUTLEY should.
Here are a few thoughts on why this margarita mix is something you want to make:
- It calls for three simple ingredients. No additives or food dyes, either.
- All you have to do is add triple sec and tequila to make a margarita.
- You can keep it on hand for a one-off marg or you can use it to make a pitcher of margaritas. Either way, its delightful!
Need inspiration for a cocktail or a mocktail? Head on over to my Drinks Recipe Index for some ideas!
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Tequila Rose Can Go In Anything
Since Tequila Rose is a cream-based product, it doesn’t only have to be used when you’re making cocktails. In fact, you can add Tequila Rose to your coffee in place of your favorite creamer or add it to a homemade milkshake for a bit of an added bite. Make sure to clear off a shelf in your refrigerator because once your family tries your first batch of homemade Tequila Rose, they’re sure to demand you for more.
Tequila Rose Java Cream
If you want to mix your morning coffee with happy hour, try making a batch of Tequila Rose’s Java Cream at home. This cream liqueur adds both the caffeine and bite of coffee beans to the original recipe for an ingredient that you’re guaranteed to start adding to all of your fancy lattes.
Ingredients
- 1½ cups sweetened condensed milk
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
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How To Make Tequila Infused With Coffee
Two vices for the price of one.
It’s the end of the day, likely on Friday. You’re pooped, but you have a long night of socializing ahead of you. You need a caffeine, a drink, or both. Let’s say it’s both. Instead of quickly downing your third cup of coffee in 10 hours and chasing it with a quick shot of whatever’s close before running out the door, treat yourself to tequila infused with coffee and flavored with vanilla beans. You deserve it.
Give yourself a few days to let this recipe, courtesy of Dan Jones’ new book Tequila: Shake, Muddle, and Stir, steep to ultimate goodness. Whether you use it to get amped, steel yourself for the crowds at the bar, or simply sip in the quiet of your own home is up to you. No matter the occasion, cheers to putting two of humanity’s best assetscoffee and tequilatogether.
demerara, cane, or granulated sugar
golden syrup or corn syrup
A tip from the author: Slip a shot of this in your travel mug.
How Whiskey Is Made
There are four components to the whiskey production process .
The first step is processing the raw materials. For a whiskey, this usually means grinding up a bunch of grains and cooking them in a large pot. The goal of this step is to take the starch compounds in the grains and turn them into sugar, something that can more easily be digested and used in the next step of the process.
Once youve got a big barrel of sugary liquid, the next thing to do is to add yeast and allow the liquid to ferment. This process can take a couple days, and the end result is that the sugar in the mixture is used by the yeast to multiply and grow. The three results of that process are heat, carbon dioxide, and alcohol. The tricky thing here is keeping the yeast happy too much heat and they die off . But in the end, at some point the yeast finishes their feast and whats left is a mildly alcoholic beer.
Up until this point, if you want to do this at home you are 100% in the clear from a legal perspective usually. I am not a lawyer, this is not legal advice, and you should consult your own counsel if you have any questions. But home brewing is a common pastime here in the States, and I personally enjoy brewing my own ginger beer using champagne yeast and fresh ginger. This next step, though, is where you can run into problems with the law.
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How Do I Start A Liquor Brand
Starting a brand without a distillery can be fairly straightforwardand managed by just a few contractsbut there are several steps that need to be taken before the launch of a new label, including sourcing and developing the product, obtaining the proper federal and state licenses, putting a distribution model in
Making Your Own Tequila
Every month I get two or three emails or requests on the forum for advice on how to make tequila, usually from someone who wants to grow a few blue agave around the house and make their own alcohol in their basement or garage. Every month I try to explain to these writers the basics of tequila production, the nature of the denomination of origin and some elements about spirit production. Here are all those questions answered on a single page.
First, you can make your own tequila, but there are three essential requirements you must meet:
Since tequila is a Mexican product, nothing made outside the designated areas can be legally called tequila in any country that is either a member of the World Trade Organization, NAFTA, or has signed any of the other international trade agreements.
If you don’t meet these three requirements, you cannot make tequila. Period.
You cannot call the product mezcal, either, because it is also protected by a similar denomination of origin.
And even if you do all this, are you sophisticated enough to know how and when to separate the heads and tails from the corazon of the distillate? That’s a skill that takes years to acquire.
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