ViralHogLook, I’m just gonna say it, we’ve all got that one mate who could see this off, am I right?
OK, now that’s out the way, feast your eyes on this gargantuan cocktail which’ll set you back a pretty penny but also – hopefully – ensures you have a good night in the process.
Filmed in – where else – Tequila, in the state of Jalisco, outside Guadalajara, Mexico, the cocktail involves precise measurements of orange, lime and grapefruit juice, salt, ice and tequila.
The method of measurement, as all good bartenders will know, is known as the ‘chuck it all in until the jug is full’ technique, and gives the drink its signature, distinct flavour.
Check it out:
The drink costs close to $100 USD, and will certainly provide more than enough tequila goodness for the whole table, if you’re in to that sort of thing.
And I’m guessing quite a few of you are, as the tequila market is a booming business at the moment, so much so, there could actually be a shortage of the stuff.
Analysts previously forecasted the global tequila market to grow by more than $9 billion by 2021, according to Business Chief.
Despite this, a worsening agave shortage is causing price spikes in the industry, and it’s suggesting this could lead to shortages even among the major manufacturers of the drink.
Agave – the plant used in the production of tequila – takes about seven to eight years to reach full maturity. However, according to reports, some manufacturers of the drink have resorted to using young, unripe plants to fulfil demand.
The young plants produce less tequila and lead to fewer fully-mature plants the following season.
According to Fortune, farmers are continuing to plant more agave plants, but are struggling to keep up with demand—and they have the ‘added threat of theft’.
It’s estimated around ‘15,000 plants were stolen’ last year, three times as much as the previous year.
Reports are suggesting these shortages are expected to continue to ‘at least 2021’, which could lead to some tequila companies going out of business as they’re forced to increase their prices.
PixabayThat could then mean they’re unable to keep up with other spirit companies.
Exports of pure tequila from Mexico to the US have risen 198 per cent in the past 10 years, with a fast-growing interest in craft and high-end offerings.
Both Patron and Casa Noble started selling ultra high-end tequilas last year, with impressive price tags of $7,500 and $1,500 per bottle.
And last year, drinks company giant, Diageo, paid $1 billion for George Clooney’s tequila brand, Casamigos – and Bacardi bought Patron earlier this year for $5.1 billion.
Casamigos was created by Clooney along with two of his friends – Cindy Crawford’s husband, Rande Gerber, and property developer Mike Meldman.
WikipediaAccording to The Guardian, in the US, the company sold approximately 120,000 nine-litre cases in 2017.
Following the sale to UK company Diageo, Clooney said:
If you asked us four years ago if we had a $1 billion company, I don’t think we would have said yes.
This reflects Diageo’s belief in our company and our belief in Diageo. But we’re not going anywhere. We’ll still be very much a part of Casamigos. Starting with a shot tonight. Maybe two.
Tequila. Big drinks. Big money.
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Charlie Cocksedge is a journalist and sub-editor at UNILAD. He graduated from the University of Manchester with an MA in Creative Writing, where he learnt how to write in the third person, before getting his NCTJ. His work has also appeared in such places as The Guardian, PN Review and the bin.