Tequila, my Love – „The Chug Club“ in Hamburg
© Tim Gerdts
A Mexican saying goes: Amar es compatir - to love is to share. And when the question is asked in German-speaking countries where a passion for tequila is lovingly and warmly shared, the answer can only be: at Betty Kupsa's bar The Chug Club on St. Pauli.
Like a small embassy of Mexico, the charming bar in the inconspicuous corner building south of the Reeperbahn offers an extensive and delicious insight into Mexico's beverage culture. And that's much more than just tequila. Sotol, Racilla, Bacanora or Mezcal are also topics for the agave-savvy team at Chug Club.
Mini cocktails provide variety
"When I opened the bar with the tequila concept in 2015, many people asked me if I was crazy. I should rather do something with gin," Betty Kupsa recalls with a smile. "But we were successful right from the start with our beverage concept and our way of conveying a Mexican lifestyle."
The drink concept still exists today and is the ideal introduction to the world of this particular bar - the Chugs. These are mini cocktails that allow you to stimulate your palate in a variety of ways or just curiously taste more of the exciting cocktail flavors that the bar team has come up with. A flight of three chugs is always offered, which even for regulars is usually the prelude to the evening, especially since the drinks are constantly changing.
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Betty Kupsa, Bar Owner of "The Chug Club"
© Anna Wegelin
The concept is constantly evolving, and Betty notes the development of guests and their desire to taste even more Mexican distillate variety: "It's impressive how the demand for pure spirits has grown. More and more guests are explicitly expressing the desire to taste more of them and learn more about them. And that's why they come specifically to us. We have always had a Tequila of the Month. In the future, there will also be a Pure Flight of the Month, for example a Reposado Flight, to taste and compare the differences. Many guests want to know details about the products, and fortunately the whole team is very keen to work with the products and explain them as well."
© Tim Gerdts
Betty Kupsa and her love for Mexico
The charming bar owner is bubbling over with excitement about the bar, the team, the growing variety of products, and her love for Mexico: "I'm so excited to finally be able to fulfill a wish of my heart this year and travel to Mexico for Día de Muertos!" Those festivities, celebrated in late October through early November, commemorate the dead and include them in life through joyous and colorful folk celebrations.
But how does a young woman from Styria, Austria, come to be a devoted ambassador for the land of agave? "It started for me in 2012," Betty recalls, "back then there were only a few Mexican spirits in this country. Hardly any online stores and very manageable ranges. Important orientation at that time was, for example, Axel Huhn with his mezcaleria in Berlin and his knowledge of the country and culture. Through my enjoyment of tequila, I developed a fascination for the country, which I have since travelled to intensively several times. Today, I'm happy to convey the Mexican joie de vivre here in Hamburg as well."
© Tim Gerdts
More options for creative freedom
There is also a second room in The Chug Club, which will soon also have a new use, as Betty explains, "We call it 'Etui Bar.' It used to be a storage room, and later as the 'Peacock Room' it was a kind of second bar with classic drinks. Now the team consulted and decided to make it an open, cool space where we can live our ideas and try new things with changing concepts and special evenings. It's supposed to be like a white sheet of paper that you get to color every night. We've already tried that out, with an evening of five drinks and five accompanying appetizers. Right now, I'm planning an Austria-themed evening."
The room is also suitable for other events, such as tastings and training courses, which is very close to the bar manager's heart: "There is still so much to discover and learn, especially with tequila. Product, raw materials, cultivation and of course the country and its culture. We can also discuss and critically question some phenomena, such as the problem of monoculture or additives in the products, such as glycerine or oak extract. It is not at all a matter of critically evaluating everything, we must first create knowledge. Among other things, the difference about agave cultivation in the valley compared to the high altitudes or the different production methods of distillates. I hope that in the future the training will be more extensive and offer more than the classic tasting. That's why I also joined the “Deutsche Barkeeper Union” (The German Bartenders Union) this year. I like how they bring people together and develop intensive continuing education concepts."
Betty aptly sums up the state of affairs and perspective: "At the moment, we're still scratching the surface of Mexican distillates. We can and should still really dig into that. It's worth it, because there's still so much to discover!"
© Swetlana Holz
