Some of America’s favorite beverages come from Mexico—tequila, margaritas, aqua frescas. Soon, another South of the Border ingredient may be added to the list: agave nectar. This cooked down juice of the agave, a cactus-like perennial plant native to Mexico, has generated lots of beverage buzz and is starting to show up on all kinds of drink menus. The moderately sweet agave is most often used as a replacement for simple syrup in classic cocktails, such as margaritas, sours and martinis. But it’s also being used to balance out the tartness in a Strawberry Margarita and the spiciness of jalapenos in a Caliente Margarita. Clean and delicate, agave is an ideal sweetener for fresh squeezed lemonades and house-made iced teas, and it adds depth and dimension to non-alcoholic cocktails, such as virgin Bloody ‘Ritas and Cucumber Coolers. With summer just around the corner, consumers will be on the hunt for fresh, refreshing beverages. Adding agave to your bar rail—by itself or as a prepared batch of agave sour mix or agave margarita mix—is one more way to differentiate your bar menu and give South of the Border beverage loving consumers a reason to pull up a stool at your place.
