THE LOCALS
BARTENDER-KNOW-HOW
Barrel-Aged Tequila WITH BARTENDER MIKE MIGNELLA
Mike Mignella fell in love with the service industry after years of working his way up the ranks. Crediting some seriously skilled, tenured bartenders, chefs, and service professionals, he has been groomed into the well-rounded bartender he is today. For Mike, he knows making a cocktail with tequila is usually about disguising the spirit, but he prefers to mix with spirits that are the star of the show. “I am not in fear of tequila-forward recipes,” he remarks. “Barrel-aged tequila will trend like bourbon is trending now.” According to Mike, premium, barrelaged tequila is a game-changer for creating tequila cocktails and recipes. He finds CaliFino Tequila among the top, true barrel-aged spirits with depth and complexity beyond most bourbons. “The door to prohibitionstyle recipes swings wide open when you mix with CaliFino,” he says. CaliFino is a barrel-aged tequila, which is rare. As a product that is sure to elevate any tequila-based recipe, Mike explains, “the CaliFino family legacy of using only high-quality agave are apparent in every sip.” His go-to cocktail ingredients include fresh fruit because the subtle sucrose in natural fruits allows the agave to be the highlighted sweetness. “Whether you choose the caramel and vanilla noted Reposado, or the peppery, smoky, three-year Añejo, or the Cognac finished eight-year Extra Añejo, CaliFino is spearheading pure barrel-aged tequila,” concludes Mike. “CaliFino is the epitome of high-quality agave, barrel, and time.”
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CHILLED MAGAZINE
