Silver and Gold

Genuine tequila is a remarkable product. Why? Blue agave. “It’s not like a grape or a field of wheat, where you’ll most likely get a crop every year,” explains Brian Selbitschka, bar manager at Boulder’s Zolo Southwestern Grill. No, the blue agave plant only reaches harvest maturity after eight to twelve years, at which point the artisanal distilling process begins. “Just like an artist would have his palette and do his own thing, the distiller or tequila maker has a lot of tools to really put their stamp on and differentiate their product from everyone else,” Selbitschka says.” These include the type of wood used during distillation, how much the barrels are toasted, and when the product is bottled.

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To celebrate its passion for (and impressive inventory of) tequila, Zolo will present 151 Days of Tequila, a five-month-long event featuring education (Tequila 101); dining (Tequila Dinner); partying (Tequila Fest); and even local celebs (El Jefe de Tequila, featuring Zolo alumnus and Top Chef winner Hosea Rosenberg). The marathon affair, which rewards tipplers along the road to tasting all 151 types of tequila offered at Zolo and began in November, continues January 21 with a Tequila Dinner; the $45 fee includes four paired courses.

“Most people associate tequila with, ‘Oh, that’s just tequila, and I take shots of that.’ But when you actually start tasting and learning about tequila, there’s so much more to it,” says Bryce Clark, marketing director for Big Red F Restaurant Group. “And that’s something most people miss out on.”

So drop that bottle of Cuervo and head to www.zologrill.com or call 303-449-0444 for a full schedule of events and more detailed information. Zolo is at 2525 Arapahoe Avenue in Boulder.
Nov. 1-March 31, 2009