By Ryan Yamamoto

Copyright cbsnews

If you want to learn about tequila, you may need to make a pit stop at a tiny mom-and-pop restaurant in San Francisco’s Richmond District, which has been the go-to place for tequila connoisseurs for the past several decades.”In 1999, I was on the front page of the Wall Street Journal, and on the left-hand column, which is the trend column,” said Tommy’s Mexican Restaurant owner Julio Bermejo. “It called Tommy’s the epicenter of tequila in the United States.”That’s because, if you come to Tommy’s for tequila, you are likely to get more than a taste. You will get an education about the spirit – learning the difference between blanco, reposado and añejo, to highland and valley tequilas.”There’s basically two philosophies,” said Bermejo. “Highland tequila, when it is young, is very citrusy and spicy. And valley tequila, by comparison, is a little more pungent. And when you age it, it starts to give you some more stone fruit-like qualities.”Today, Bermejo is a global ambassador for Mexico’s Cámara Nacional de la Industria Tequilera (National Chamber of the Tequila Industry), where he has dedicated the last 40 years of his life teaching people about the spirit made in Jalisco state. “Tommy’s was one of the first bars and restaurants in America to stop pouring regular tequila in favor of what’s known as 100% agave tequila,” said Bernejo. “We are also known as the venue or bar in the world with the largest vintage selection of tequila. So many guests travel here to try things that are unavailable in their countries or cities.” But what really put Tommy’s on the map was their margarita recipe, which became a game-changer for the cocktail industry. “We created the Tommy’s margarita almost 40 years ago, and we are proud to say, the recipe can be found on menus of every single top bar in the world,” said Bermejo. “We were one of the first bars to use agave fructose as a sweetener.” And as Tommy’s Mexican Restaurant celebrates its 60th Anniversary, it comes at a time when tequila is more popular than ever before. According to a recent report by Gourmet Pro, while the sale of alcoholic spirits in the United States has remained flat, last year sales of tequila rose by nearly 8%. Today, vodka remains on top in the U.S. with $7.2 billion in sales, followed by tequila with $6.5 billion in sales, surpassing American whiskey, bourbon, and rye at $5.3 billion in sales. “80% of the world’s tequilas are consumed by five American states,” said Bermejo. “So, it has room to grow, which is scary, because the fear is that tequila will become so expensive that regular people like me can’t afford it.” Meanwhile, his loyal customers include members of his tequila club, which has now grown to more than 10,000 members. “The club started in the late 80s and we now have graduates from four continents, and some that have gone on to open tequila bars, to importing tequila, and even making tequila,” said Bermejo. Members also have the privilege to travel to Mexico with Bermejo, who leads educational excursions to many tequila distilleries, helping to spread his passion for the spirit, one glass and one bottle at a time.