David Suro-Pi–era invites you to reconsider tequila, starting with his own.

But for David Suro-Piñera, the dream of tequila is one that involves the land of his birth, the love of the spirit and the respect each deserves.

Mexican-born Suro-Piñera, owner of Los Catrines Restaurant and Tequila's Bar at 1602 Locust, has always served premium tequila—85 different brands. But starting this month, he's literally putting his money where his dream's been since he left Guadalajara. He's created a super-premium tequila brand—a kosher, 100 percent blue agave, small-batch tequila, Siembra Azul in three styles (Blanco, Reposado, Añejo)—as well as a patented way to distill it for greater purity.

Why, when he sells 85 varieties already? Don't they all taste like the heavy golden stuff you drink with a worm?

"People are duped by the misconceptions about tequila," says Suro-Piñera after yet another long flight from Mexico. (He's there three times a month, and on the phone with his distillery six times a day.)

Ever since he opened his restaurant he's wanted to vindicate tequila culture.

"The tequila that most people think of," he says without mentioning any brand in particular, "that's not even tequila! It's mixto."

Real tequila is pure 100 percent agave with its sugars extracted solely from that plant. "Mixto only has to use 51 percent of the agave's natural sugar," he explains. "The rest can come from anywhere."

But that's not all that bugs Suro-Piñera about lesser tequila. "So many barriers are set up around its industry … bad experiences you had in college, the lime and salt." He's practically sneering.

Even though premium tequilas have gained ground with consumers since the late 1990s, and even though tequila is America's fastest-growing distilled spirit, misconceptions linger.

"I want to truly change that image," he says.

His family had ties to the tequila industry. As a kid, he ate agave from vendors who sold it as candy (when cooked, before fermenting and distillation, it's very sweet) as well as freshly sucked from the plant.

"When I moved here in 1985—all those symbols of immigrant culture, all those attachments—you look for them," says Suro-Piñera. "I even called [my] place Tequila's. That gives you an idea of what it means to me."

Suro-Piñera wanted to make tequila that was pure, reliable, 100 percent. So he went to the "Golden Triangle" of agave-growing in Jalisco, not far from Suro-Piñera's Guadalajara birthplace, to find the agave characteristics necessary (wealth of flavor/complexity of aroma) for a brand worthy of getting behind.

Like wine, tequila comes down to region. Flavors and aromas from flowers and fruits—you have to identify the region that offers characteristics you desire. For 15 years, he sought a perfect region, the proper water sources and the right master distiller and agricultural engineer.

"Then you need to get a distillery to agree with all those things I wanted, to change their infrastructure if need be," says Suro-Piñera, noting the freedom that comes from not owning a specific distillery.

"I could've just said, "Hey, here's my bottle … fill it with your best tequila,' walk away and come back three months later," says Suro-Piñera.

Instead, he found even more than the perfect region and group of distillers—including master Leopoldo Solis, who plays Vivaldi and Mozart while the yeasts ferment. ("Who knew yeast had ears?" he jokes. "Yet play something else and it tastes different.") Suro-Piñera also found an overproduction of agave: inventories so large it was possible to make amazing quality available at an accessible price. "Years ago, only the very strong, very wealthy and very lucky companies could produce it," says Suro-Piñera.

The taste of Suro-Piñera's top grade Siembra Azul, made with 11.5 kilograms of agave per liter, (the standard is 7 kilograms) is not so little. Though Blanco is more affordable than Reposado (aged up to three months), David prefers the Blanco's raw fruit freshness. "This goes from distillation to bottling faster. It's the true flavor of the agave. Reposado and Añejo (aged more than a year) bring in external flavors of deep chocolate, butterscotch, nuts—almonds in particular—and with the latter, a pure buttery taste.

"You are, in a good way, contaminating the flavor of the agave once you put them in barrels." This is the case even though the barrels used are virgin, says Suro-Piñera. (Other distilleries age tequila in barrels previously used to age whiskey and bourbon.)

"This is my dream," says Suro-Piñera of his Siembra Azul. "Not a financial goal, but one for pure cultural satisfaction. I want to change how people look at and taste the most different spirit in the world—not because I'm a Mexican guy talking favorably about a Mexican spirit. But because of all the spirits I've known, this is the most complex. And it's been treated so tragically."

Siembra Azul Blanco and Reposado are available at Los Catrines and other area restaurants as well as at Pennsylvania state liquor stores (where it sells for $33-$39 a bottle. The Añejo variety is still aging and won't be available until September.