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Plano duo launches lemon-infused tequila
By Bill Conrad, bconrad@acnpapers.com
In Texas, the margarita is the king of cocktails. It is hard to go to any Tex-Mex restaurant and not see dozens of people sipping on large salt-rimmed glasses filled with green liquid.
While there is no shortage of quality tequila on the market, two Plano men are hoping to change the perception that tequila is only for margaritas and shots.
Marion Skinner and Shinobi Muhammad formed the Espada Group last year, and recently came out with their first product, a lemon-flavored tequila they say is ideal for mixing. On New Year's Day the Plano-based company officially launched its tequila, which is currently available at select bars and retail stores around the Metroplex.
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| Kelsey Kruzich / Staff Photo: Espada Tequila, a brand owned by two men from Plano, officially launched Jan. 1. The lemon-infused tequila is available at select restaurants and liquor stores around the area, with more locations added each week. |
"It made sense to bring out a drink that wasn't vodka, but this market is also inundated with different tequilas," said Muhammad, the group's vice president. "The only thing it isn't inundated with is premium brand tequila that is priced at around $40."
The pair is new to the spirits industry, but said they learned a lot during the year prior to the product's launch. They said hundred of hours of their time was spent in front of the computer, reading everything they could get their hands on about starting a company and the complexities of Texas' alcoholic beverage code.
"Texas is the hardest state in the union as far as its law is concerned," Skinner said. "We understand it now, but we still are learning more about it. This should help us prepare to launch in other states."
Skinner and Muhammad toured several tequila distilleries in Mexico before deciding on the one that matched their expectations as far as quality and taste. Espada's tequila is shipped from Mexico to South Carolina where the lemon flavoring is added and the spirit is bottled. The bottles, which underwent countless redesigns before the striking, yellow-on-black theme was chosen, are produced by Plano's Vitro Packaging.
The bottle's back label says the product is "targeting people who are sexy, confident, life of the party, and those who aspire to be ... Strong enough for a man but just right for a woman served on the rocks or in your favorite mix."
The trendy label and emphasis on visual design is not a surprise once you learn the background of Muhammad and Skinner, who took varying career paths before ending up as tequila producers. Skinner, the group's president, is a music producer who grew up in Garland and lived in Atlanta before settling in Plano. Muhammad, on the other hand, comes from a far different background. The Chicago native works as a fashion photographer and publisher for his online fashion, entertainment and lifestyle magazine, Urban Mainstream, and moved to Plano in early 2011.
Once tequila was chosen as the spirit of choice, lemons were chosen as the flavoring agent. Muhammad said Espada, which means "sword" in Spanish, is the only lemon-infused tequila registered with the federal government, ensuring those trying the drink will have a unique experience.
"We wanted to make a sippable drink where you could pour it over ice and call it a day," Muhammad said. "But we also wanted to make something you could mix with other drinks. It goes great with a strawberry margarita or with sweet tea and sprite. Most of us are not bartenders, so we wanted to make it easy to mix."
The easy-to-approach lemon flavoring also could help convert people who don't typically enjoy tequila, Skinner said.
"When people taste the tequila, because of the lemon flavor, they may think it is vodka, which is good for us," Skinner said. "There are people who will not drink tequila, but they will drink vodka because of the flavors. And this can get them drinking tequila."
So far Espada is only available in Dallas, although future expansion is planned for the first months of 2012.
"Right now we are just hitting our key markets, so we started in Dallas and are then moving on to Houston," Skinner said. "After there we are going to Atlanta and then Miami."
Espada is using various marketing techniques, including a partnership with Metroplex hip hop artist Dorrough, who Skinner knows from his job as a music producer. While many of the key markets the group is targeting are known for night clubs and hip hop music, Skinner said they are trying to target a wider range of drinkers from all races and ethnicities.
As far as what is next for Espada, Skinner said they have some ideas but wouldn't share any secrets. He said fans of the drink should not be surprised if sometime in 2013 another infused tequila is launched, potentially featuring a flavor that is not commonly seen in the United States.
For information on Espada, visit www.espadatequila.com.
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