Chef John des Rosiers Explores the Old-School, Additive-Free Ethos Behind Tequila Cambio

(Photo: Tequila Cambio)

Over the decades, tequila has evolved into a uniquely commercial beast. The spirit’s fast-growing popularity in the US has inspired an avalanche of celebrities and alcohol juggernauts to throw their hats into the ring, ushering in a glitzy era of premium, club-friendly bottles that tend to drift from traditional methods.

With the forthcoming launch of Tequila Cambio, Chicago’s Chef John des Rosiers aims to bring back the old school.

Rosiers carries 25 years of fine dining experience into his latest venture. Combined with a background in wine curation, Rosiers hopes to bring a new perspective to some of the tequila community’s most beloved traditions; tahona-crushed agave, confirmed additive-free process and a surprisingly high 46% ABV.

We sat down with Rosiers to explore the gourmet influences, technique and aspirations driving the latest tequila on the scene.

Agave on the Menu

(Photo: Tequila Cambio)

“I used to get out of high school at 2 p.m. and drive to my job at a 4-star restaurant. I spent a lot more time and effort being a chef than doing my homework,” Rosiers told us.   

The up-and-coming chef eventually graduated from the Culinary Institute of America before returning to Chicago, bouncing between acclaimed restaurants like Charlie Trotter’s and Gabriel’s. It was around this time that Rosiers was tasked with managing a wine program with over 1,500 selections; “Lots of wine, lots of research, lots of learning. That’s where I began to discover my palate.” 

In years since, Rosiers has opened five establishments in the area, including a taqueria, pizza parlor, wine & beer shop and his flagship Inovasi, where he serves twists on American cuisine interspersed with French, Italian and Japanese influences. His wife — whose family hails from Arandas, Jalisco — was his gateway to the world of agave spirits.

“My cousin came to me with an idea she was working on. There was a guy who owned many agave fields, and he wanted to create a different brand of tequila; something that was new and hadn’t been done before. He asked me to work on the kind of tequila I would make if I could do anything that I wanted.” 

After years of research, Rosiers honed in on the Inulina y Miel de Agave Distillery in the highlands of Jalisco. Apart from a handful of recognizable imprints like Qui Tequila — a frequent collaborator of Nobu — the distillery specializes primarily in bulk shipments and agave honey production. For all intents and purposes, it was a blank slate.

“When we approached them, they allowed us to modify their distillery,” explained Rosiers. 

“We’ve taken 6 of their 12 tanks and given them temperature-controlled wooden linings, cooled by a coil in the middle for consistency. It’s a lot to ask a distillery to do that. But we found the right people who had an open mind about our mission.” 

Rosiers was also given the opportunity to work with machinery on-site. The tahona — a giant stone wheel whose name is derived from the Aztec’s Nahuatl language — rolls in heavy circles, crushing piñas into a mulchy pulp. The end result delivers a noticeably more agave-forward flavor than the industry-standard roller mill or oft-maligned diffusor.

A tahona in action at the Inulina y Miel de Agave Distillery. (PhotoL Tequila Matchmaker)

From there, Cambio is bottled at an unusually high 46% ABV (“amazing for flavor concentration”) and was recently confirmed additive-free by Tequila Matchmaker, a feat that only around 30% of brands can claim.

Last but not least, the wine influence comes full circle. Both the brand’s Blanco and Reposado are rested in a combination of White Bordeaux and White Burgundy casks. Time in the barrel adds an extra layer of complexity, bringing a touch more vanilla and caramel to what would otherwise be an unaged blanco.

Tequila Raiders Review: Tequila Cambio Blanco

Tequila Raiders Review: Tequila Cambio Reposado

Cambio will hit liquor store shelves throughout Illinois and Florida in the coming weeks with plans to expand into Texas, California, Colorado and Tennessee on the horizon. When we asked Rosiers about the next steps for his brand, it became clear that the labor of love requires a great deal of patience.

“We have an añejo in the barrel right now. Unlike a lot of brands that start new, where they will buy tequila from a distillery that is already made — we don’t have that option. Our process is so wholly unique, so proprietary, we have to make every drop that we have.”

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