Tell us about your new book on tequila?
'Tequila: A Tasting Course' is a bit of a 'tequila-101' in that it covers everything from history and production to the life of the blue weber agave, sustainability, additives, how to taste it, what to pair it with, cocktails and 100 tequilas to try at home - and more. It's part of an ongoing series from DK Living that really takes a spirit and dissects it in a visually engaging and informative way without being too 'industry' about it.
It’s for tequila novices and lovers alike, and it's been a thrill to see people enjoying it over the last week or so.
Why did you want to shine the light on tequila on this way?
Millie Milliken's celebration of all things tequila
Tequila has, in this country at least, had a bit of an image problem. Used to ‘shotting’ it at the end of the night, it has sadly been stripped of its complexity, nuances and craftsmanship in the way in which we drink it, and I wanted to show people just how special Mexico's national spirit really is.
The agave it's made from takes time to grow and mature and all the flavour possibilities that come from just that one species are extraordinary. The ways in which tequila is made has been passed down the generations and the history in tequila's bones matches that of any other revered spirit around the world. It's time people took tequila more seriously and I hope this book goes some way to achieving that.
How have you gone about the tackling the subject ?
The existing series format was a really helpful and clear way of laying out all the facets I wanted to explore in tequila. The book is split into clear sections - history, production, cocktails, tasting and so on - and each sub-topic like glassware, tasting notes, agave categories is then presented over a spread.
This meant that I could cover a lot of ground but not get too granular, which is important when it comes to consumer-facing publications. Within those spreads though there is a lot of information in box outs, 'did you know' snippets or other more light-hearted methods of getting important information across.
How did you pull the book together in terms of research and visiting Mexico?
I've been writing about tequila since my career in spirits began, so I used that prior knowledge as the building blocks in the first instance which really helped me flesh out what the core chapters of the book would be.
I had been to Mexico before but I took a big solo trip out a few months before my deadline to fill in any of the gaps I had. I really approached this book with some key questions in mind and set about answering them with as many sources as possible.
I spoke to ambassadors, distillers, bartenders, distillery managers - anyone who was kind enough to give me their time to find out what they thought was still needed when it comes to tequila education. I also picked my companion on the road - Pancho's - brain during long drives between distilleries to ask more about local consumption of tequila.
Nothing beats being on the ground and that trip was invaluable to bring some extra colour to proceedings.
How long has it taken to bring together?
Millie Milliken on her fact finding extensive trip to Mexico to help research her book on tequila
From initial conversations to publication, two years. The first stages involved a lot of moving pieces in terms of creating sales material (before any of the book was written), contacting brands for the tasting section and getting into the groove of what this book would look like. The writing process was about eight months which involved writing, editing and subbing at the same time across numerous spreads and content types.
The team were amazing, from my editor to my designer, often working on tight deadlines and small details that all made a huge difference to the final result.
Having spent so much time exploring tequila do you think the perception it has with the public match the complexity - and the art and craft - that goes into making many of the big brands out there?
No. I think - in spirits in general - there is a huge disconnect with the raw material and production of the rows of spirits we see on the shelves in our supermarkets. My job as a spirits journalist is to try and convey this to consumers and this book in particular is a way of doing that for tequila which is a spirit with such a huge human touch.
When I first told people I was writing this book, a lot of people asked if there was enough to write about - I think that speaks volumes.
How do you think the tequila sector get over those perceptions and start to change how tequila is regarded as a drink?
Apart from books, media and communicators, it all starts in the on-trade. We've seen how the margarita has propelled tequila in the UK in recent years and bartenders are the conduits for so many spirits and how consumers perceive them.
I also think brands have a responsibility to talk about the people who make their spirit. The people who really represent the tequila industry aren't championed enough and that really needs to change.
What do you think have been the big step changes in tequila in terms of quality and and production?
A lot of tequila production is still really true to original methods but some distilleries are going further in terms of quality control of the agave they're using, combinations of roller mill and tahona processing, cut points and innovations in ageing using
* Tequila: A Tasting Course by Millie Milliken is published by DK.
* You can follow Millie Milliken on Instagram at @millie_milliken.
* You can find other examples of her work here.
