{"id":23794,"date":"2025-06-02T12:55:01","date_gmt":"2025-06-02T09:55:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bitterbooze.com\/?p=23794"},"modified":"2025-06-02T13:06:13","modified_gmt":"2025-06-02T10:06:13","slug":"tequilas-torchbearer-10-minutes-with-julio-bermejo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bitterbooze.com\/en\/tequilas-torchbearer-10-minutes-with-julio-bermejo\/","title":{"rendered":"Tequila\u2019s torchbearer: 10 Minutes with Julio Bermejo"},"content":{"rendered":"

*Original article in greek<\/h4>\n

A brief but revealing conversation with Julio Bermejo, the creator of the iconic Tommy\u2019s Margarita, owner of the legendary Tommy\u2019s Mexican restaurant<\/a> in San Francisco, and a leading authority in the world of tequila.<\/em><\/h4>\n

A living legend behind the bar, Julio\u2019s<\/strong> contributions to the drinks industry and the way we experience tequila today are immeasurable. Anyone even remotely involved in this world has likely heard his name. I met Julio Bermejo<\/strong> recently in Yerevan<\/strong>, Armenia, during the Yerevan Cocktail Week<\/a>, and we dove into a chat about the state of tequila.<\/p>\n

From San Francisco to Armenia<\/em><\/h3>\n

I first met Julio<\/strong> back in 2016, when I visited his renowned restaurant in San Francisco. Nearly a decade later, in a completely different part of the world, he was exactly as I remembered\u2014warm, sharp, and captivating, with an easy charm and a mind that cut straight to the heart of the matter.<\/p>\n

Julio<\/strong> has dedicated his life to championing tequila<\/strong> as more than just a fleeting trend or fashionable drink. He was among the first to insist on serving only 100% agave tequila at Tommy\u2019s\u2014a bold stand that\u2019s become a benchmark for quality. He shared how, in the past two years, tequila\u2019s sales have even overtaken those of American whiskey, marking a huge shift in the global spirits scene. He recalled that when he began, fewer than 2% of drinkers chose 100% agave tequila\u2014today, that\u2019s almost unimaginable.<\/p>\n

\"Christian

\u039f Christian Bugiada \u03bc\u03b5 \u03c4\u03bf\u03bd Julio Bermejo \u03c3\u03c4\u03bf Yerevan Cocktail Week<\/p><\/div>\n

Julio Bermejo on ”celebrity tequilas”<\/strong><\/em><\/h3>\n

We also touched on the rise of celebrity tequilas. Julio<\/strong> was candid\u2014at first, he didn\u2019t get it. After all, celebrities had long been associated with whiskey, wine, vodka, but never really tequila. And while he admits these celebrity brands have helped bring tequila to new audiences, he also finds most of them underwhelming\u2014products that lean heavily on star power rather than real craftsmanship.<\/p>\n

Still, he doesn\u2019t see their presence as entirely negative. If nothing else, it\u2019s drawn fresh attention to tequila. Yet, he told me he wishes there were at least one celebrity brand he could genuinely recommend\u2014one that put real care into the product, rather than just the label.<\/p>\n

\"Julio

Julio Bermejo & Yiannis Korovesis<\/p><\/div>\n

Additive-free tequilas<\/strong><\/em><\/h3>\n

Our conversation shifted to additive-free tequilas\u2014the ones that declare right on the bottle that they\u2019re made without any sweeteners, colors, or other flavorings. Julio<\/strong> lit up at this. For him, good tequila is about simplicity: just water, yeast, and agave. Nothing else. Only then does the spirit truly taste like what it should\u2014pure, roasted agave. \u201cTequila,\u201d he said, \u201cshould taste like agave!\u201d<\/p>\n

He also spoke about the pressure to meet growing demand and how that can force producers to get creative\u2014sometimes too creative. He encouraged drinkers to support respected producers who stay true to quality, even in the face of rising demand.<\/p>\n

Tariffs on tequila?<\/strong><\/em><\/h3>\n

Of course, I had to ask him about politics and the old threats of tariffs on Mexican products under Trump. Julio Bermejo<\/strong> admitted that this caused real worry. After all, nearly everything he serves at Tommy\u2019s comes from Mexico. In the end, Mexican spirits were spared, but he reminded me how quickly things can change in such a volatile climate.<\/p>\n

Tequila\u2019s relationship with the U.S. has always been both a blessing and a curse, he said. For decades, almost all of it has gone straight to one market. That\u2019s starting to shift. Slowly, tequila is finding its way to other corners of the world.<\/p>\n

\"\"\"\"\"\"<\/div>\n

Julio Bermejo on tequila future<\/strong><\/em><\/h3>\n

I asked him how he sees the future of tequila in the coming decade\u2014whether it can continue to thrive while honoring its roots and staying sustainable. Julio<\/strong> Bermejo<\/strong> was optimistic. He sees tequila\u2019s future as bright, not just in the U.S. but in other growing markets too. But he\u2019s also mindful of the environmental toll. Tequila, after all, can only be produced and bottled in a small corner of Mexico\u2014a uniqueness that\u2019s part of its magic but also a challenge when it comes to carbon footprints. He thinks the real opportunity lies in other countries\u2014making agave spirits (not tequila, of course) locally, as is already happening in places like Africa, India, and even California.<\/p>\n

Before we wrapped up, he reminded me of what makes agave spirits truly special. Unlike most other alcohols, they\u2019re mild stimulants, not depressants\u2014offering a gentle lift rather than a heavy hit, when enjoyed responsibly.<\/p>\n

My chat with Julio Bermejo<\/strong> at Yerevan Cocktail Week confirmed everything I\u2019ve always believed about him\u2014his passion, his knowledge, and his unwavering belief in tequila\u2019s power to bring people together. And above all, he reminded me that good tequila is always about the people who make it and the honest, handcrafted journey of every single sip.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

*Original article in greek A brief but revealing conversation with Julio Bermejo, the creator of the iconic Tommy\u2019s Margarita, owner of the legendary Tommy\u2019s Mexican restaurant in San Francisco, and a leading authority in the world of tequila. A living legend behind the bar, Julio\u2019s contributions to the drinks industry and the way we experience […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":23788,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2325],"tags":[4329,4331,4332],"class_list":["post-23794","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-articles-en","tag-tequila-en","tag-tommys-restaurant-en","tag-yerevan-en"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.bitterbooze.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Julio-main-2.jpeg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bitterbooze.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23794","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bitterbooze.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bitterbooze.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bitterbooze.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bitterbooze.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=23794"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.bitterbooze.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23794\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":23796,"href":"https:\/\/www.bitterbooze.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23794\/revisions\/23796"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bitterbooze.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/23788"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bitterbooze.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23794"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bitterbooze.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23794"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bitterbooze.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23794"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}