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Hacha debuts new menu with contest winners
London-based agaveria Hacha has announced the winners of its fifth annual Tequila and mezcal competitions.
On Monday 4 November, 16 finalists presented their cocktails at Hacha’s Dalston outpost to a panel of judges in a bid to have their serve crowned Britain’s Best Tequila or Mezcal Cocktail.
Hacha co-founder Emma Murphy noted the brief was to fit with Hacha’s new menu, which showcases modern classic cocktails using agave, while incorporating some Mexican influence.
“It’s about showing consumers the versatility of the category and by using familiar touch points, so we really wanted the entries to hone in on that theme,” she said.
This year, Murphy said that they had a higher number of agave partners and spirits used by the entrants which provided “great creative freedom and diversity in the drinks”. She added: “The standard of the submissions themselves has really stepped up a notch – there have always been brilliant strong entries but now that percentage is a lot higher and makes it an overall tighter competition.”
The Tequila round, which saw 10 finalists compete, was judged by Oli Dodd of Drinks International; Rupert Hohwieler, staff writer at The Spirits Business; and freelance journalist and consultant Tyler Zielinski.
Meanwhile, the mezcal cocktails were judged by Sandrae Lawrence, founder of The Cocktail Lovers; Georgie Collins, digital editor of The Spirits Business; and Sam Gilani, known as @thelondonboozehound on Instagram.
The judges chose their top two cocktails for each category, which were then served at an invite-only event that same evening hosted at Hacha Dalston for drinks experts and Hacha’s friends, family and its most loyal customers.
Votes from the public were then tallied with the judges’ scores to decide the winners.
Britain’s Best Tequila Cocktail was named as Tierra by Alessandro Todini of Three Sheets London, created using Volcan Tequila, papaya mole cordial and Merlet peach liqueur.
The Natillas Manhattan created by Matt Hollidge, better known as @theamateurmixologist on Instagram, was awarded Britain’s Best Mezcal Cocktail.
Speaking to The Spirits Business, Hollidge, who is believed to be the first non-professional bartender to win a bar industry competition, said: “It’s a real honour to be presented the award from the incredible team at Hacha, and to mix and serve alongside some of the best and upcoming names in hospitality from across the UK.
“Having worked in and with the industry for a number of years, winning the award means a lot as I’ve had the privilege of representing an incredible independent brand in Pensador mezcal, but also, without a bar behind me, a global community of passionate, at-home bartenders, amateurs and ‘drinkstagrammers’, who have for years been raising the bar with their dedication to craft drinks, quality ingredients and their support of the wider industry.”
On his drink, Hollidge noted that it was important for him to make it “reminiscent of custard in taste and mouthfeel,” in a bid to represent and replicate the experience of a traditional egg-custard tart, known in Mexico as natillas. He achieved that by fat-washing his agave choice of Pensador mezcal with a soya custard alternative, creating a mix of fortified wines, including bianco, Cocchi, fino, and Cynar, and adding natillas bitters.
“I’m really happy with how it came together and worked with the notes of the Espadín, and I’m glad the panel of judges and voting public agreed,” he added.
Back To The Future
The winning cocktails will be exclusively available on Hacha’s new Back To The Future menu for a year, at both the Dalston and Brixton sites.
The new menu is an assembly of ‘iconic’ and recognisable classic cocktails, all reinvented with agave spirits to showcase the versatility of the category and the ‘rich history’ of Mexican street drinks.
Hacha’s co-founder and agave spirits expert Deano Moncrieffe, along with the team at Hacha, merged traditional drinks with contemporary classic cocktails to create an ‘innovative’ new menu that is ’embedded in Mexican culture and history’, while remaining recognisably modern.
Murphy explained that by offering twists on classic cocktails, they hoped the menu would appeal to consumers that are new to the agave category, or “wanting to explore outside of their comfort zone”. She said: “being able to do this with a familiar cocktail and flavour profile gives them an easier gateway to try. Also with budgets being tighter it leaves less to chance on something more obscure.”
Moncrieffe added: “We decided to use flavours of these regional and traditional drinks as inspiration for the new menu, and embedded these flavours into multiple classic cocktails, which we will continue to introduce to our guests every season for the next year with a regularly changing line-up of drinks.”
The initial menu features ‘classics’ such as the Cosmopolitan, made with Los Altos Olmeca or Mezcal Amáras, kumquat, cactus, lime and watermelon; the Espresso Martini, composed of Dangerous Don Café, Tapatio añejo, corn liqueur, cacao café and cacao bitters; and the Negroni, created with Patrón silver or The Lost Explorer Espadín, bitter bianco, tajín, dry vermouth and Melonade.
Additionally, to sit alongside this menu, Hacha will be launching single-serve, ready-to-drink (RTD) classic cocktails to take away, made with agave spirits as the main ingredient.
The range will initially launch with four cocktails: Smoked Citrus Negroni, Paloma Old Fashioned, Bramble, and Salted Pomegranate & Ginger Margarita, available from venues and the e-commerce website hachabar.com.
Murphy said: “Following the success of our signature serve Mirror Margarita, we are really excited to extend our at home offering with a new range of RTDs. With sustainability and consistency of flavour in mind, we are using recyclable lightweight aluminium bottles, adorned with striking Mexican iconography, and showcasing the best of what Hacha has to offer with a line up of delicious classic cocktails, reinvented with agave spirits, ready to simply chill or pour over ice.”
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