When pandemic lockdowns shuttered Los Angeles bars and restaurants, bartender Lucas Assis took to TikTok to share his love of cocktails and craft spirits. Since then Assis has become known as a go-to tequila and mezcal influencer, amassing a following of over 250,000 on TikTok and upwards of 70,000 views on his Instagram stories that share his straight-up takes on agave spirit releases, trends in the industry, and of course, how to make a good cocktail.
We talked to Assis about how agave spirits brands stand out in an increasingly crowded category, why additive-free is trending, and where brands can find untapped opportunities. Answers have been lightly edited for clarity.
With all the tequilas and mezcals you come across, what are some of the main things that make new entrants or expressions stand out?
Information and transparency. The more the better. When I receive a new bottle and I see that they list the location of production, who produces it, specifying the method and which agave they use, it definitely stands out. Knowing this doesn’t necessarily mean that I will like it, but it does show me they took the time to point out key information in the production of agave and know the audience they are targeting.
When I see a product that’s not made in Oaxaca it also stands out to me. Don’t get me wrong, Oaxaca makes some of the very best mezcals and I love Oaxaca, but the market is oversaturated with, unfortunately, “not so good ones.” When I see products from San Luis Potosi, Guerrero, Michoacan and so on, they stand out to me.
We are seeing a lot of additive-free tequilas come out (or claims about additive free), is that an increasing demand from consumers from your perspective or do you think it fits under the bucket of a general demand for more transparency?
Additive free tequila is by far the number one thing that my audience across all platforms asks about. So for some it is the only thing they are interested in, and you can see the demand for additive free tequila growing.
Now, I know that the consumers that make up the majority of my followers are a very small part of tequila consumers around the world. So, in the grand scheme of things, it seems that corporate brands don’t need to. Like Patron leaving the Tequila Matchmaker Program for example [the only independent, additive-free verification program]. That doesn’t really hurt their numbers.
But for small brands that are trying to break into this new tequila boom, additive free is an absolute must to gain traction.
What makes you want to work with or promote a brand?
When it comes to agave spirits, it’s important when the owner respects the culture and country of Mexico and doesn’t just use a made-up story about how they always wanted to start a brand or could never find a good tequila in Mexico.
It’s also important that it’s truly a product that I enjoy and has values that align with my own as well. It’s also great when brands acknowledge the value of influencer marketing as well.
Any advice on how smaller brands should approach influencers?
They should approach influencers with knowledge about the value of marketing on social media. At the end of the day, we all have bills to pay and lives to live.
Of course, every brand has a budget, but brands that approach for free content in exchange for product or questions the validity of paid partnerships can be disrespectful to the time and effort that goes into making a video, not to mention how hard it is to create an engaged audience and platform.
Any brands you think are doing better jobs in digital marketing and what strategies stand out?
Cazcanes for me is the one that stands out. We have worked together for a couple of years, and we all have seen the growth Cazcanes has had in the last year. They launched in 2017 and have invested significantly in social media presence with many creators, and were recently named the number one fastest growing tequila brand by Drizly.
What are some of the untapped opportunities in the agave industry for brands, retailers or even restaurants and bars?
Tasting events hosted by creators and the brands are something I’ve seen more, and I think it’s great. Also, a lot of brands don’t focus on bartenders which is pivotal for any brand. Industry trips, bartender sponsorships…take care of the people pouring the product every day.