Uploaded June 2026 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
Julio Bermejo is the owner of Tommy's Mexican Restaurant in San Francisco, which is the bar credited by the Wall Street Journal as "the epicentre of tequila in the United States" and the place where the Tommy's Margarita was created in the 90's. In this episode we trace his journey from the family's Yucatecan roots and the early days of a restaurant that didn't even hold a liquor licence until 1972, through his decision in the mid-1980s to go exclusively 100% agave on the well — years before the mainstream caught up — and into the creation of the Blue Agave Club, now with over 7,000 members worldwide. We get into the philosophy behind the Tommy's Margarita itself: why agave syrup replaced triple sec, and how Dre Masso, Henry Besant and others carried the drink into bars globally before it became the first venue-specific cocktail ever added to the IBA Official list. Julio also shares what his early distillery trips taught him, from meetings with Guillermo Romo de la Peña at Herradura, Don Felipe Camarena at Tapatio and Fernando Gonzales at Siete Leguas, to the lesson about never putting your opinions in a tequila menu — as well as his principled stance on regulation and safety, the Highland versus Valley divide, what agave boom-and-bust cycles reveal about the industry, and the persistent problem of contracted tequilas and shifting NOM numbers. We also talk about Tommy's post-pandemic reality, what his mother Elmy — now 92 — still brings to the place, and the 60 pop-ups in 20-plus countries he did to mark the restaurant's 60th anniversary.
🍋🟩 Fever-Tree - For the very best mixers that taste pretty damn good even by themselves
☕ Algebra Drinks - The world's best coffee liqueur (partly because it's low in sugar - get 15% off at algebradrinks.com with the code CURIOUS15
🌾 Belvedere Vodka - Organic vodka, with substance, made from Polish rye and absolutely no additives.
🍷 Denver & Liely - The best glassware on the planet - get 15% off at denverandliely.com with the code CURIOUS15
00:00:00 Growing Up at Tommy's
00:03:47 Yucatan Identity — La Hermana Republica
00:07:25 The Diplomat Who Never Was
00:11:59 First Encounter with Tequila
00:18:56 Going 100% Agave — Before Anyone Knew What That Meant
00:26:13 The Wall Street Journal Moment
00:30:03 London, Dre Masso & Taking Tequila to the World
00:35:37 The Blue Agave Club — Origin Story
00:42:15 Life in the Field: COAs, Harvesting & Tapatio Stories
00:48:09 The First Distillery Visits
00:51:27 The Regulation Debate — Safety vs Tradition
00:58:29 Mentors & Humbling Lessons
01:05:09 How Tequila Has Changed — Terroir, Diffusers & the Valley/Highland Divide
01:11:00 Agave Boom, Bust & Who Stays True
01:25:02 Birth of the Tommy's Margarita
01:33:06 Fresh Juice, Tony Abou-Ganim & the Rocks Glass Revolution
01:34:50 Hospitality as the Second Most Intimate Thing
01:41:55 Vintage Tequila & the Problem of Contracted Brands
01:54:51 Tapatio, the Wife & the Next Chapter
02:01:33 60 Pop-Ups for the 60th Anniversary
📷 Follow me on Instagram - instagram.com/tristanstephenson
📚 I've written quite a few books on spirits and cocktails - thecuriousbartender.com
Julio Bermejo is the owner of Tommy's Mexican Restaurant in San Francisco, which is the bar credited by the Wall Street Journal as "the epicentre of tequila in the United States" and the place where the Tommy's Margarita was created in the 90's. In this episode we trace his journey from the family's Yucatecan roots and the early days of a restaurant that didn't even hold a liquor licence until 1972, through his decision in the mid-1980s to go exclusively 100% agave on the well — years before the mainstream caught up — and into the creation of the Blue Agave Club, now with over 7,000 members worldwide. We get into the philosophy behind the Tommy's Margarita itself: why agave syrup replaced triple sec, and how Dre Masso, Henry Besant and others carried the drink into bars globally before it became the first venue-specific cocktail ever added to the IBA Official list. Julio also shares what his early distillery trips taught him, from meetings with Guillermo Romo de la Peña at Herradura, Don Felipe Camarena at Tapatio and Fernando Gonzales at Siete Leguas, to the lesson about never putting your opinions in a tequila menu — as well as his principled stance on regulation and safety, the Highland versus Valley divide, what agave boom-and-bust cycles reveal about the industry, and the persistent problem of contracted tequilas and shifting NOM numbers. We also talk about Tommy's post-pandemic reality, what his mother Elmy — now 92 — still brings to the place, and the 60 pop-ups in 20-plus countries he did to mark the restaurant's 60th anniversary.
🍋🟩 Fever-Tree - For the very best mixers that taste pretty damn good even by themselves
☕ Algebra Drinks - The world's best coffee liqueur (partly because it's low in sugar - get 15% off at algebradrinks.com with the code CURIOUS15
🌾 Belvedere Vodka - Organic vodka, with substance, made from Polish rye and absolutely no additives.
🍷 Denver & Liely - The best glassware on the planet - get 15% off at denverandliely.com with the code CURIOUS15
00:00:00 Growing Up at Tommy's
00:03:47 Yucatan Identity — La Hermana Republica
00:07:25 The Diplomat Who Never Was
00:11:59 First Encounter with Tequila
00:18:56 Going 100% Agave — Before Anyone Knew What That Meant
00:26:13 The Wall Street Journal Moment
00:30:03 London, Dre Masso & Taking Tequila to the World
00:35:37 The Blue Agave Club — Origin Story
00:42:15 Life in the Field: COAs, Harvesting & Tapatio Stories
00:48:09 The First Distillery Visits
00:51:27 The Regulation Debate — Safety vs Tradition
00:58:29 Mentors & Humbling Lessons
01:05:09 How Tequila Has Changed — Terroir, Diffusers & the Valley/Highland Divide
01:11:00 Agave Boom, Bust & Who Stays True
01:25:02 Birth of the Tommy's Margarita
01:33:06 Fresh Juice, Tony Abou-Ganim & the Rocks Glass Revolution
01:34:50 Hospitality as the Second Most Intimate Thing
01:41:55 Vintage Tequila & the Problem of Contracted Brands
01:54:51 Tapatio, the Wife & the Next Chapter
02:01:33 60 Pop-Ups for the 60th Anniversary
📷 Follow me on Instagram - instagram.com/tristanstephenson
📚 I've written quite a few books on spirits and cocktails - thecuriousbartender.com
