Noriaki Sugiyama, the owner of the El Borracho chain of Mexican restaurants in and one location in Tokyo, has developed a lighter, smoother tequila for the Japanese market. Sugiyama, who opened his first Mexican restaurant in Daimyo after training in Mexico, built up a stock of over 100 tequilas, but some of his Japanese customers commented on how strong the liquor was. Wanting to create an easier to drink tequila, he had been working with a Mexico-based distiller since 2010. (Like champagne in France, tequila can only be called as such if it’s produced in the Tequila region of Mexico.) Dubbed Shizuku, Sugiyama’s original tequila comes in five varieties, and a 750ml bottle costs between ¥5,184 and ¥7,560. He has sold 1,000 bottles since it went on sale last July, and he plans to begin selling it in Mexico next spring. “I want Mexicans to try it, too, “ said Sugiyama. Source: Nishinippon Shimbun 6/6, El Borracho HP: http://www.elborracho.com
