Art of Tequila @ Work and Play: Lick – Slam – Suck!

Without wanting to sound too presumptuous, I think most people slam Tequila as a symbolic tool to celebrate success, demonstrate machismo (or the female version of the act – whatever its called) and even as a means to get that quick ‘headiness’ prior to heading for the dance floor!

Even at the workplace the same pattern follows. Folks, very often high achievers start at new organizations or in new roles within their current organization, slam down a snifter of high adrenaline and head out to the dance floor without looking out for oncoming traffic. Casualties are commonplace! Read on and I will show you how the Art of Tequila showed me an important trail to Workplace and Leadership success!

Mid November, I was in the midst of this 2000 mile road trip up the California coast with a couple of pals – we call it the “Wild Hoggers’ Drive”. Midway, we chanced upon this Mexican cantina nestled within the gorgeous rolling hills of Carmel (for the Clint Eastwood fans, he was the mayor of this city (Population: 45,000) for a while, and also sits on the board of the Pebble Beach Golf facility not too far away.

Baja Cantina. 7166 Carmel Valley Road. Carmel. CA 93923
http://www.bajacantinacarmel.com/index.html
(Manager: Ian Penniman. Look him up if you are there, he is quite a character!)

Besides gorging on the fantastic Mexican fare of succulent meats on the sizzler, freshly toasted tortillas, gorgeous burritos and enchiladas and my personal favorite, the Chimichanga, I actually got an impromptu lesson on the art of Tequila appreciation. So here goes…

Tequila according to the Wiki…
Tequila is an agave-based spirit made in the area surrounding Tequila, 65 kilometres in the northwest of Guadalajara and in the highlands (Los Altos) of the western Mexican state of Jalisco. Tequila is most often made at a 38–40% alcohol content (76–80 proof), but there are more potent types of tequila produced with 43–46% alcohol content (86–92 proof). It is a common misconception that tequila is fermented from cactus. Agaves and cacti are unrelated. The Aztec had previously made a fermented beverage from the agave plant, which they called Octli. When the Spanish conquistadors ran out of their own brandy, they began to distill this agave drink to produce North America's first indigenous distilled spirit. The tequila that is popular today was first mass-produced in the early 1800s in Guadalajara, Mexico.
There are two basic categories of tequila: Mixtos and 100% Agave. Mixtos use up to 49% of other sugars in the fermentation process, with Agave taking up the remainder. Agave sugar is fructose-based, and is easier for the human body to break down. Mixtos use both glucose and fructose sugars.
With 100% agave tequila, Tequila Blanco is harsher with the bold flavors of the distilled agave up front, while Reposado and Añejo are smoother, subtler, and more complex. As with other spirits that are aged in casks, tequila takes on the flavors of the wood, while the harshness of the alcohol mellows.


A Dummy’s Guide to Drinking the Potion @ Play and Work
Play First….
Where it comes from, Mexico, tequila is drunk straight, without salt and lime. In the most popular style of consumption, a single shot of tequila is often served with salt and a slice of lime, called "tequila cruda" and follows the "Lick-Slam-Suck" routine. The drinker moistens the back of their hand below the index finger (usually by licking) and pours on the salt. The salt is then licked off the hand, the tequila is then slammed down the throat and the fruit slice is quickly sucked. It is common for groups of drinkers to do this simultaneously. The salt lessens the "burn" of the tequila and the sour lime fruit balances and enhances the flavor. DO NOT DO THIS if you are drinking higher-quality categories though, 100% agave tequila with salt and lime is likely to remove much of the flavor.
When served neat (without any additional ingredients), tequila is most often served in a narrow shot glass called a caballito ("Little Horse" in Spanish). The margarita glass, rimmed with salt, sugar, or plain, is a staple for the entire tequila/fruit mixed drink genre, including the margarita itself.
Tequila – Meal Combination
Tequila is commonly bottled in three to five categories:
Tequila Blanco ("white") or Tequila Plata ("silver") or Tequila Oro (“gold) – white spirit, un-aged and bottled or stored immediately after distillation, or aged less than two months in oak barrels. Jose Cuervo (the brand that you have most likely consumed) is a good example and the one that is mostly popular with you – usually consumed as a cocktail or a pre dinner drink
Tequila Reposado ("rested") – aged a minimum of two months, but less than a year in oak barrels. Usually served with Mains. I tried out the Cabo Wabo from Sammy Hagar’s (of Van Halen fame) distillery and actually fancied it more than his music!. http://www.cabowabo.com/
Tequila Añejo ("aged" or "vintage") and Extra añejo ("extra aged" or "ultra aged") – aged between 1-3 years in oak barrels. This is a post dinner ‘cognac’ category fare . My restaurant host strongly recommended Don Julio 1942 (Premium vatted – 5 years from a numbered bottle. No less!) to titillate my taste buds and give me that warm settling post meal feeling which it did incredibly well! http://www.tequila.net/tequila_reviews/anejos/don_julio_1942_anejo.html

Now about Work…
Work-life is not any different. As you get into a new organization or a new role…
· Measure up the environment first and understand the moving pieces, the priorities, the influencers and the personalities. Do not rush to the proverbial “dance floor” first. Instead determine the areas where you can immediately add value, seek buy-in from the primary stakeholders – be comfortable in your base and then ‘execute’ – similar to the process of downing the Tequila Blanco! Make sure that you “lick the salt” to prepare the environment and level off the intensity of the new actions and changes that you will likely enforce. Next “slam” it in and get into the execution mode with total commitment and intensity – if change is involved it needs to be introduced quickly, gradual change are fraught with risks. Finally “suck” in the results of your execution (like the sour lime you are meant to suck after downing the potion) to balance the outcome and enhance the flavor of the results. Constant communication with the rest of the team and candid feedback on what is working, what is not and what adjustments to the plan are being made and why are great flavor enhancers.

· As you cement your initial wins and move to the next hierarchical levels, your strategy should be more in line with the Tequila Reposado. You are more seasoned and so are your actions – you start to build longer term plans, a very strong team, determine what you need to delegate and what cannot happen if you do not do it. All this while watching the near term executions that you have delegated to the next level, like a hawk – no misses here! As your successes line up, broaden up your stakeholder support. You are the primary conduit for your group to the rest of the organization – add value at both ends.

· The next level is the Tequila Anejo – you have now attained ‘vintage’ status in your role – you develop the longer term strategy for your unit that will eventually impact the broader organization, you grow your people into bigger positions with broader responsibilities and mandatorily build succession plans at all levels. You start planning your move to the next level while being fully committed in leaving you unit better than when you took it on!
Other Tequila Trivia:
· There are over 100 distilleries making over six hundred brands of tequila in Mexico
· Over 2,000 Tequila brand names have been registered. Due to this, each bottle of tequila contains a serial number depicting which distillery the tequila was brewed and bottled in. Since there are only so many distilleries, multiple brands of tequila come from the same place.
· A one-liter bottle of limited-edition premium tequila was sold for $225,000 in July 2006 in Tequila, Jalisco, by the company Tequila Ley 925. The bottle is a two-kilo display of platinum and gold. The manufacturer has received the Certificate from Guinness World Records for the most expensive bottle of liquor ever sold.
· In 2008, Mexican scientists discovered a method to transform 80-proof (40% alcohol) tequila into diamonds. This process requires heating the tequila to over 800 degrees C (1,400 degrees F) to vaporize the tequila. The tequila particles are then cooled and settled upon steel or silicon trays in an even, pure layer and you have them … diamonds!
· Mel Gibson's anti-Semitic outburst when arrested for drunk driving was attributed to tequila consumption.
· Sammy Hagar, rock star (singer of the bar anthem "Mas Tequila") and owner of Cabo Wabo Tequila described tequila's stigma as, "the stuff that you go, 'I will never drink that as long as I live,' and you have gotten sick in college on rot-gut tequila." This image of tequila as the instigator of particularly egregious intoxication and hangovers is pervasive.
· In music, singer-songwriter Alanis Morissette wrote an ode to tequila entitled "On The Tequila" for the Flavors of Entanglement sessions, and says tequila has helped her balance things out in her life.
· In the United States, National Tequila Day is July 24.
Wonderful education and as always my pleasure to share this with you budding Tequila connoisseurs! Enough said … Viva La Mexico!