This New Mexican Bistro Is Changing How Vietnam Drinks Tequila and Mezcal

Agave is Saigon’s new upscale Mexican bistro helmed by Chef Carlos Bravo (ex-Executive Chef of Marriot Phu Quoc) that serves Mexican gastronomy paired with premium mezcal and ‘worm salt’.

Founded by Mexican duo Ricardo Glenn (founder of Los Sopes de Ometuzco in Mexico City and now defunct Macho Taco in Vietnam) and Chef Carlos Bravo (ex-Chef de Cuisine of JW Marriott Phu Quoc), Agave, which opened its doors on ‘Cinco de Mayo’ (5th May, 2021) is Vietnam’s first and only Mexican bistro serving ‘Mexican Gastronomy.’

What does this mean exactly? It means you won’t find your usual run-of-the-mill Mexican street food favourites like tacos but instead what founder Ricardo Glenn coins ‘Mexican gastronomy’ serving up Mexican tapas-esque treats including Agave’s famous Crab tostada, Bone marrow with tuna tartare and Croquets Cochinita Pibil just to name a few. On the main munch front, discerning Saigonese can expect inventive creations such as Secreto Iberico pork fajitas and Sinaloa style chicken in addition to classic signatures such as traditional tacos, quesadillas, tamales, burritos.

Crab tostada with chipotle sauce, onion, garlic, tomato, tequila and avocado mousse

Mexican cuisine while famed for its moreish street food fare is also rich in flavour, diversity and tradition. In fact, Mexican cuisine was declared an intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO in 2010 and has a longstanding history of more than tens of thousand years ago. Ricardo even explains how till today you can find dishes with recipes stemming from generations ago passed from one family member to the next. A zealous patriots of Mexican cuisine, Ricardo also proudly announces how Mexican cuisine is consistently ranked as one of the top cuisines in the world.

Agave serves only Beer, Tequila and Mezcal

As zealous Mexican food patriots, Ricardo and Chef Carlos are on a mission to showcase the best of what Mexico has to offer especially when it comes to Tequila and Mezcal - two highly misunderstood and underrated spirits in this part of the world. In fact, Ricardo exclaims “Mezcal has been named the most perfect spirit globally! Why would we not shout about this?”

Chef Carlos Bravo, Head Chef and Founder of Agave. Photo taken by Nghia Ngo for The Dot Magazine

“We offer a selection of Tequilas and Mezcal that can only be found at Agave including Danzantes, Alipus, and Gusano Rojo, many of which are award-winning brands that are ranked top globally.

For tequilas, we have over 20 types including premium brands like Reserva de la Familia (3,500,000 VND), Arte Nom, Luna Azul , Don Julio, Cuervo Traditional, Altos.”

To gain a deeper understanding of tequila and mezcal, I spoke with Ricardo Glenn, partner and founder at Agave, who shared with me about the differences, appreciation and most importantly- how to drink tequila the right way. Below are what he had to say from our conversation.

Ricardo Glenn, partner and founder at Agave

Tequila vs Mezcal: 5 Key Differences

• Tequila is a mezcal but mezcal is not a tequila

• Tequila is made from Blue Agave while mezcal can be made of thirty different types of agaves (there are more than 200 types of agave that can be found in Mexico)

• Tequila is produced in five states while mezcal is produced in nine states of Mexico

• Tequila has a sweet flavour but mezcal has a smokey flavour

• The process of tequila distillation usually uses large stainless steel tanks or large wooden barrels whereas mezcal is cooked with lava rocks and wood before being distilled in clay pots

• It is not uncommon to find a ‘worm’ in mezcal bottles. Interestingly, this infamous worm (Maguey worm) is actually the larva of a type of moth that lives in the agave plant. Larvae began appearing in mezcal bottles in the 1950s after a mezcal maker discovered one of them in a batch of his liquor and was convinced the stowaway improved its taste and started adding larvae to all his bottles as a marketing strategy. It wasn’t too long after that other mezcal makers jumped on the bandwagon.

Tequila and Mezcal Appreciation

I personally believe the main reason for this is a lack of awareness and education. It’s very simple. If nobody has introduced you to quality tequila, you won’t be inclined to try it, consume it or buy it. That’s why at Agave, we offer tequila and mezcal tasting sessions and narrate each brand’s story to the consumer for them to gain a better understanding and appreciation for the spirits. Each shot of tequila/mezcal ranges from 250,000 VND to 400,000 VND with the most expensive tequila bottle priced at 3,500,000 VND. I believe once consumers are exposed and educated to the quality tequila and mezcal brands that we have, they’ll like them very much.

Distinguishing Quality Tequila and Mezcal

One way is to check if it’s 100% agave regardless if the tequila bottle says its produced using Blue Agave. After, there are a couple of other factors to consider including whether it’s a tequila blanco (silver or white tequila, a name given to young tequila and is clear and transparent found in most bars or liquor stores), reposado (tequila that has been aged in oak for approximately two months to a year, typically used in Margaritas) and añejo (tequila that is aged for one-to-three years in oak. This is usually a sipping tequila and exhibits not only flavors of agave, but rich vanilla and floral aromas as well). Some good tequila and mezcal brands that you can find in Vietnam are Don Julio, Patron, Cuervo Traditional, Reserva de la familiar, Altos and Luna Azul.

How should one drink Tequila and Mezcal?

You drink tequila with lemon and salt and mezcal with orange and sal de gusano a.k.a ‘worm salt’. We’ll be soon be producing grasshopper salt in Vietnam for those who are feeling a little bit more adventurous.

What is your favourite brand of Tequila?

1800 and Herradura are great and offer the best value in my opinion. However if you’re looking to pamper yourself and indulge a little, I highly recommend the Reserva de la Familia.

What is your favourite way to drink Tequila and Mezcal?

I like to pair tequila with beer and I recommend holding a sip of tequila in your mouth before washing it down. As for mezcal, I like to drink it with orange and sal de gusano (worm salt).

Agave Mexican Bistro & Cocktail Bar
Address: 13 Pasteur Street, Q1 Second Floor Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam 7000
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AgaveSaigon
Phone number: 10:30 - 14:30, 16:00 - 20:30

Want more? A Tribute to the Culinary Pioneers who Shaped Vietnam’s Food and Drink Industry

Featured Articles

Follow me on Instagram