Rancho Tequila

Agave Newbie?

2012-01-30T09:26:00.000-08:00

Best entry-level tequila for the rookie: Familia Camarena Reposado. It's real easy and smooth on the palette, with that Highland sweetness and spice. Sip it neat or use it as an excellent mixer. And the price, she is nice...

Best first tequila for the whiskey-lover: Don Julio 70. The more I drink this, the more I appreciate it's "whiskey-ness." I do love the taste of American Oak. It will remind one of a nice aged bourbon but without bourbon's overly sweet taste or it's burn.

2011 Tequila Trilogy Pt. 3, Añejo and Extra Añejo

2012-01-22T11:47:00.000-08:00

DJ 70, Claro Que Sí!

The hard part of committing to a three-part blog is that you actually have to write all three parts. And who has the time to do that these days? Not me! So without further ado, here's part three, amigos: Añejos.

I have tried Partida Añejo before, but not in recent memory. Why? Because at $65 it's at the higher-end of my budget. I was lucky enough to get this bottle for $33. As always, Partida comes through smooth and full-bodied. Its multitude of flavors - agave, citrus, vanilla, smoke and wood - are balanced to perfection. I give Partida an extra point for having perhaps the most beautiful golden-amber color I have ever seen. It literally looks like honey in the bottle. 4.5 Pencas!
Partida Tequila Añejo, Tequila.net Best of 2011 Award-Winner

Germán Gonzales is back on the list with his exquisite Tequila Uno T-1 Añejo Estelár. Words that spring to mind when I taste this tequila are, "chocolate," "coffee," "brandy," and "almond." Apparently, I think of this as an after-dinner treat. It really does remind me of a nicely-aged scotch, which is appropriate because Estelár spends up to two years in scotch barrels. Germán's masterful creation is a true sipper, and one to be cherished. This beautiful bronze tequila comes in a classy carafe-style decanter. The name says it all: Stellar! Five Pencas!
T1 Estelár, a 2011 Tequila Whisperer favorite.

Don Julio 70 Añejo Claro is the new limited-edition tequila, released to commemorate the 70th anniversary of DJ's first distillery. It showed-up recently at the local bar where I work as the house sound-guy. The bar has nothing much to speak-of in terms of tequila, so I had been encouraging the owner to stock a bottle or two of good stuff for me. Then in November, it just so happened that his local liquor rep gave him this bottle of DJ70 for free. Like any good business man, the bar-owner immediately started selling the free tequila to me for $7 a shot. Like Maestro Dobel, this is one of these new "blanco" añejos, where the color has been filtered out. It confuses the brain, because you get this very oaky, brandy or whiskey-like taste from a clear liquor. Imagine your favorite red-wine with all the color removed. The DJ70 goes down WAY too easily, that's for sure! My knock on it is that it's overly smoothed out and woodified, lacking any real agave punch. Kind of a mind-freak. Four Pencas!
Don Julio 70 Añejo Claro, Tequila.net Best of 2011 Award Winner

Since we are speaking of the famous highland brand, I have worshipped Don Julio 1942 from afar for a long time now. Drinking it has simply been beyond my wildest price-range. Finally, in 2011 I had my chance to get this heralded juice on to my palette. The wife and I were at a Mexican restaurant where DJ42 was $22 per shot, which is certainly not cheap, but about $10 less than any other place I've seen it. Was it worth it? Oh, yes it was! Smoky notes of caramel, vanilla, brown sugar and pear play across the tongue, with the smoothest finish imaginable. Absolute velvet in a glass!
Five Pencas!
Don Julio 1942 Añejo, Tequila.net Best of 2011 Award Winner

Kah, Kah, Kah. What can I say about Kah Day of the Dead Añejo? It comes in a killer hand-painted black skull-bottle, and that's cool. The juice inside, while having some charm, lacks depth or bigness. I will agree with Tequila Whisperer that Kah añejo is "grassy" in a nice way. Ultimately, the best thing about "Kah-ñejo" is its pretty (scary) face. Three Pencas.
Kah review on Tequila.net

In the "Never Judge a Book by it's Cover" category, Caballo Estrella showed up in my local store in 2011 sorta looking like something the cat dragged in. Dirt-cheap and on a low shelf, I initially got the impression that this was a well-brand Cuervo pretender. All three expressions are $19.99. The bottle looks cheap, but because it says %100 Agave on the label, I decided to do a little Googling. I couldn't find any reviews, and their web-site was lame, so I passed Caballo by. Then, much to my shock and awe, the añejo showed up on Tequila.net's best of 2011. Huh! I wasted no time getting over to the store and plunking down my Andrew Jackson. The stuff is really not terrible! To me, it tastes a little processed, or flavored, maybe. Could it be artificially colored? It's a blend of Highland and Lowland agave, so perhaps that's what I'm tasting. I would not hesitate to use it in a cocktail, or even shoot it, old-school. For $20, this horse is a winner! 3.5 Pencas.
Caballo Estrella Añejo, Tequila.net Best of 2011 Award-Winner

La Partida de Partida

Finally, I will remember 2011 as the year when high-end tequila bars finally hit Boston. At one of them, the excellent Papagayo, I tasted what I consider the finest tequila I have had so-far; the sublime Partida Elegante Extra Añejo. It reminded me of the best spirit I've ever had the good fortune to drink, Cognac Louis VIII de Rémy Martin. Elegante, el mejor de todo! Five Pencas AND the Piña!

Let's see what 2012 has in store! Salúd!

Pale Rider, out.

Año de Agave, 2011 Tequila Highlights, Parte Dos

2012-01-09T05:36:00.000-08:00

Part 2) Reposados:

Interestingly, looking back on 2011, I did not explore much new territory in the world of reposado tequila. I enjoyed plenty of old stand-byes, like El Tesoro, Corralejo and 7 Leguas. But overall it was a year of blancos and añejos.

Maestro Dobél: Multiple-personality disorder in a bottle?

It's a bit hard to believe but it looks like I only have four notable repos to talk about. The first is the outstanding Siembra Azúl, a beautiful Highland offering that is truly top-shelf. Well, in terms of taste, that is; I have joked numerous times about how the screw-top generic bottle and labeling belie the wonderful juice inside. S. A. is a soft, sweet and silky-smooth tequila, with just enough wood mellowing to create a perfect balance of agave and oak (and when I say perfect, in my book that's an 80/20 ratio). It's a classy and refined spirit. Now they should make a bottle to match. See my previous review here. 4.5 Pencas!
Siembra Azul Reposado, Tequila.net Best of 2011 Award Winner.

Next on the list would be Maestro Dobél, the so-called "Diamond" tequila. Despite looking like a blanco, it is a blend of reposados and añejos that has been filtered to remove the coloring. The result is a diamond-clear spirit. Honestly, I'm not sure why they are removing the color. I wonder if it's a marketing device to attract the large segment of Patrón Silver drinkers, who may be of the mindset that to be good, the juice needs to be clear. In this case the clear tequila has the benefit of the woody mellowing and flavorful overtones of hand-crafted and well-rested tequila. Don't get me wrong, Dobél is a nice sipper with a delectably rich taste, but at it's original price of $75, I would never have touched it. A big part of what you're paying for here is the luxruy packaging. There has been one last lonely bottle left on the shelf of my local store for like, a year. So when they lowered it to a blowout of $35, I seized my opportunity. I like it, it's not my favorite, but if you can get it for under $50, it's a worthy addition to your tequila bar. Extra points for bottle design - muy elegante. 3.5 Pencas!

"Don't open that bottle! You'll let out the....ooh, too late!"

Then there is the little devil, Chamucos. I was attracted by the funky label with the folkloric, hand-drawn figure of El Chamuco. In Spanish it means "boogie man." I went to great lengths to get this hard-to-come-by bottle. I ended up with a NOM 1558 product. Apparently Chamucos had had a hard-time finding a permanent distillery. I notice that reviews of the 1558 juice tend to run much more favorable than those of the product from the previous distillery. When I first cracked this open, it did not immediately impress. "Firewater," thought I. However, I let it decant for a couple of weeks and went back to it. You have to do that sometimes. It was surprisingly much better the second time, and even better the time after that, sort of like, well, you know... Chamook has a demonic bite with an herbal, more pungunt/punchy taste than many. Finishes with a blanco-like burn. It's a good, ol' fashioned shooter! Party Juice! Fiesta Demonica! But what else would you expect from a tequila with a name like Chamucos? Three Pencas!

The caboose of my 2011 Repo train is Familia Camrena reposado. This bottle, like the blanco, sells for around $21. There's a big push on to get Camarena in your face. The stores have big display boxes and posters, featuring the blanco and repo side-by-side, both at the same low price. Whereas the blanco is thin and sort of just, "meh," this spunky little repo has a nice agave pop, coated in the spicy sizzle of cinnamon and the sweet notes of vanilla. It's a surprisingly bright, bold beverage, with plenty of evidence of it's highland upbringing. This may be the perfect entry-level tequila for Noobs. Cama-repo is my new go-to for maragritas, because it both stands-up and blends really decently. And yes, I would - and DO - sip this tequila. El priceo es niceo! Three Pencas!
Camarena Reposado, Tequila.net Best of 2011 Award-Winner.

Stay tuned for part 3, Añejos!

Año de Agave: Pale Rider's 2011 Tequila Highlights

2011-12-29T15:20:00.000-08:00

Part 1) Blancos:

I got to try quite a few new tequilas in 2011. A few of them were genuinely new offerings on the market, most were simply new to me. And of course there were some old favorites. In many cases I had so go to some pretty significant lengths to get these tequilas.

El Maestro de Tequila: Germán Gonzales with T1

Let's lay them out by expression, shall we?

BLANCOS:
The best blanco I got to try (again) this year was T1 Blanco Ultra Fino by Germán Gonzales. It's silky smooth with a great mouth feel, and bears the full essence of big agave. If it isn't the holy grail of blancos, T1 U.F. is close to it. Five Pencas!

Right behind that came Arette Blanco Suave, an oldie but one I've been wanting to try for years. Finally scored a bottle and was lucky to get one of the last of the now-discontinued "hewn" bottles with the paper label. Arette is bold rich and complex, with a great balance of earth, agave and sweetness. Not bad for a lowland tequila! I'll be sad when this one's gone, and it's gettin' frighteningly low. Four Pencas!

In November I was pleasantly surprised by a new kid on the block, Peligroso Silver tequila. As I said in my review, I was not expecting greatness, and wow, these guys got it right. It's a bang zoom of a Highland blanco. Can't wait to try the the aged expressions. 3.8 Pencas!

One of the new blancos that did not get a high grade from me in 2011 was Avión Silver, as seen on TV's Entourage.It's flavor-profile has been de-agave-ized, and generally designed for hipsters who might also like Grey Goose Vodka. What can be said is that it's hot and peppery, but other than that has not much going for it. Like the TV show it was featured on, or maybe like Hollywood itself, Avión is all surface, with no soul. At $39 it's too expensive to use in a margarita, so why bother? Two Pencas!

Speaking of mixers, one of tequila's old highland families, The Camarenas, introduced a down-priced 100% agave line bearing their own name. The blanco, for $21.00 is not a sipper (although a couple of my Patrón-loving young friends like shooting it straight), but it makes a dandy mixer, with enough Highland sweetness flavor to stand up pretty nicely in a 'rita or other cocktail. It's pretty harmless. 2.5 Pencas!

I also enjoyed many of my old favorite blancos in 2011; among them were El Tesoro, Partida, 7 Leguas, Milagro (now in many local bars) and Don Julio, which I always disliked in the past. I gave it one last chance, thanks to a free gift bottle from a friend, and this time it stuck.

Muy Peligroso!

2011-11-26T18:02:00.000-08:00

Didn't want to like you, but despite the hype, I DO! I do like you, you dangerous sunnofabitch!

I have a problem with overly-hyped tequilas that are owned by American rock-stars or businessmen who usually sell hair products or trade bonds on Wall Street. Yes, I'm talking about YOU Cabo, and especially YOU, Patrón!

I recently tried "Avión Silver," the tequila made popular on the TV show Entourage. It was pretty much what I expected; triple distilled, overly smoothed, and with that harmless flavor profile designed for people who wouldn't know a real Weber blue agave if it chased them around the yard. What's the difference between Avión and some fashionable Vodka-du-jour being posed-with by a Miami Supermodel? Nothing, that's what! It's all marketing hype. Meanwhile, the actual substance inside - the JUICE - is average at best.

With all of these prejudices in mind, today I walked in to the neighborhood BevMo store here in San Jose (where I am hanging for a few days) and proceded to hover around the well-appointed and very reasonably-priced tequila shelf. Just as I was deciding whether to get the new Don Julio 70 Joven tequila, or perhaps a bottle of Tonalá reposado, a couple of the store employees took notice of me and came over. They immediately started pitching me on this new tequila, which just coincidentally was on-sale, called "Peligroso." I know retail pretty well, and I know tequila better than both of the people at the store, and what I gathered was they were trying to "push" this new brand. They didn't know whether it was highlqands or lowlands and they kept saying something about citrus and spice and white pepper. It sounded a lot like a not-too-well-memorized "schpeel." BUT, since it was on sale for $30-something bucks and I always say everything starts with a good blanco, I bought a bottle of the blanco - sorry, I mean "Silver" - on their totally trustworthy recommendation. As I checked out, I actually said to the check-out guy, "This better be worth the hype, because I know a good blanco when I taste it."

I really did say that.

Upon returning to the bungalow I Googled "Peligroso" and found all the signs of the things I am wary of: A couple young American kids start up a tequila company in SoCal. It's rad. It's rock 'n' roll. It's surfing. It's naked girls. It's tatoos. It's party-time all-the-time, baby. It's tequila for kids with money to burn, dude! Peligroso-dangeroso tequila baby, woo-hoo! And it's a 42% alcohol/84-proof liquor, so hey, let's get wasted!

So I'm thinking, "Really? Here we go again. Give me a break. It's all about marketing and a slick web-site."

Logo, or Tramp-Stamp Tattoo?

At any rate, I wasn't going to wait one more minute to try the stuff. And as a serious tequila aficionado, I had low, low expectations.

Well, ba-low me down! It's GOOD! This Peligroso juice is good blanco. I think they got it right! They clearly went in to this knowing something about real tequila, or at least with a good pallette, and with the right attitude. Right off the bat I'll say it's a little sweet even for a highlands lover like me, but she's a spunky little blanco, with a touch of the spicy kick we like. Mostly, it's loaded, and I mean loaded with agave goodness. This tequila has flavor to spare. It tastes like someone squeezed agave nectar in to the bottle. There's a nice soft entry of caramelized agave, followed by a zesty mid-palette of hot ginger and sugar-cane, and ending with a very slight bite and alcohol burn. It's not as-if a thousand exotic chili-peppers just danced on my tongue, and there's no 'earthyness" to speak of either. I also did not get much in the way of citrus - maybe orange - even though other reviews mention it. But thank God they didn't try to remove the heart and soul of tequila like some of these other worthless posers. In other words, agave is NOT the secret ingredient in this tequila.

THEY GOT IT RIGHT! Agave is NOT the secret ingredient!

And yes, Peligroso DOES happen to be highland agave - my favorite. NOM 1107 is Tequila de Viejito, and although I've never had any of their other brands, their location is certainly good in my book. I'd say this to anyone serious enough about getting in to real tequila: If you don't like this, you don't like tequila, period. Run the other way and drink a Bombay Sapphire with Stevie Nicks. Peligroso COULD BE the real deal. I didn't taste a lot of this "white pepper" I'd been told about - but what do I know? What the hell does white-pepper taste like anyway? I certainly did get some sweet spice, like ginger, nutmeg and cinnamon, along with honey. There's a "pop" in there, to be sure. As we all know, these are the marquee flavors of the famous Los Altos piña. It's the agave we call "Highlands". And with a high alcohol content, to-boot, the burn is tolerable, even sublime. Kind of astonishing.

This blanco goes down TOO easy.

They have a ways to go to be the next Siete Leguas, but Peligroso has made a tremendous rookie effort, certainly for their blanco. I mean, "silver."

And all this is coming from a blanco lover. As I always do, I say a good blanco bodes well for the rest of the line. Speaking of which, if I am reading the lit correctly, in the making of the reposado, Peligroso uses new American oak - not cured by bourbon. I have never been a fan of bourbon-barrel flavoring in tequila or scotch (because, well, I don't like bourbon), but I'm a BIG fan of virgin oak. So if this is the case, bring on the repo!

Would need free samples, though....... :-) Hint. Hello Peligroso....

Great bottle, too! Really artful bottle designs on the three expressions.

GO DANGEROUS, OR GO HOME!

Peligroso Tequila on Facebook

Tequila Whisperer show reviews Peligroso.

Dos de Los Altos: 7 Leguas & Siembra Azul...

2011-11-05T09:26:00.002-07:00

Highland Girl: Up here we like our tequilas like we like our women - full-bodied!

Last night I had a chance to do a taste-comparison between two outstanding highland reposado tequilas: 7 Leguas, and Siembra Azul.

In a previous review, I had commented that Siembra was very smooth and soft, maybe overly so. But on this occasion, maybe because the SA bottle has been open and there has been a period of decanting, I detected more nuts and spice - sort of an unexpected nutmeggy or cinnamon thing. There was a fuller flavor-profile, and I liked it even better than before (and still found it to be as smooth as a baby's bottom).

The venerable incumbent 7 Leguas is known for it's big bold taste, led by the hearty presence of highland agave. The 7L bursts with tones of sweetness, spice and wood, with a very slightly less refined taste than the SA. There's a bit more alcohol bite and a little more edge in-general, none of which gets in the way of 7L's famous agave bloom.

In fact, both of these offerings have the "corazon y alma" of the Los Altos agave taste. When you open the present, that is what's inside both of these superb tequilas. Only the "wrapping paper" is slightly different between the two. But that's the 3% that we pay the biggest money for, isn't it? It's that sublime 'enth degree of quality and subtlety that aficionados will revel in.

Some tequila people will say that the 7L wins because it's got more spunk, that you can "taste the tahona," and believe me, that's why it's an every day repo for me, being my top three or four. Also, it's a lot easier than Siembra Azul to find, let's mention.

But I gotta tell ya, what the lovely Siembra Azul revealed to me last night was more of her plumpness. She's more Rubenesque than I thought. And I found her quite sexy, indeed.

The verdict is that these are both superb tequilas, and one cannot go wrong with either. So...get both! Like they always say, "Variety is the spice of life!"

7 Leguas Review on Tequila.net

Siembra Azul review on Tequila.net

Happy Day of the Dead!

2011-11-01T03:38:00.000-07:00

Dia de los Muertos is here again! What tequila will you drink to celebrate the old Mexican festival?

Our cinnamon-haired spokes-model - I'll call her Carmen - is holding a skull full of KAH, which calls itself "Day of the Dead" tequila. So, sure, I'll enjoy a shot of KAH añejo. It's not my favorite, but it has a grassy, woody thing happening. However, looking over my "colleción," I see some other nice choices. I'm thinking a cold-shot of Arette blanco, followed by a nice sipper of 7 Leguas reposado.

I'll also listen to some music - probably The Dead...

Saludos!

Siembra Azul: The Blue Harvest

2011-10-17T05:33:00.000-07:00

Harvest Blue: The Plain-Jane bottle holds SWEET nectar inside.

I managed to acquire - with great difficulty - a bottle of Siembra Azul reposado. It's a delightful highlands tequila from NOM 1414. This juice is truly like liquid silk - buttery, with caramel, vanilla, wood, and maybe I detect a hint of maple syrup in there. It's sweet and light with a well-balanced presence of that delicious highland agave.

The only down-side is that it's maybe too smoothed out for some people. It's not earthy, smoky or spicy at all. Not much of a zing to it. But I do like it as a sipper, and I think tequila newbies would find it extremely palatable. The flavor-profile has really been designed to have no rough edges. There's really nothing NOT to like about Siembra Azul. I look forward to trying the blanco at some point.

One note about the bottle: People say beware fancy bottles, and I know we pay extra for that, but I really DO love the fancy tequila bottles. Siembra made the decision to go with a standard (cheap) commercial bottle and a really generic label design. That's a departure from other boutique tequila brands, and I don't know whether it helps or hurts....

Review by tequila.net

Muy Muy Suave!

2011-09-11T12:36:00.000-07:00

I was lucky to score the now-discontinued "vintage" style bottle w/ paper-label and cork. I may not see one of these again.

As we all know, I love good blancos, and am on a never-ending (it seems) quest for the ultimate blanco. I had always been curious about Arette, especially the Artesanal Blanco Suave. Had heard and read good things. Well, until now I had never gotten my hands on any. So I recently scored a bottle, sort of by accident, and zowie, it IS good. Really, really good. It's big on agave, smooth, and has nice layers of flavors. It's good chilled, and it's one of the few blancos I would really hesitate to waste in a margarita. And I use Partida blanco in margaritas. So, now when I talk about my fave blancos, Arette Suave will be in the conversation with 7 Leguas, Partida, El Tesoro, Tequila Uno and Espolón.

La Casa de Santana

2011-08-21T17:30:00.000-07:00

I've always been a huge fan of Carlos Santana. And of course I love good tequila. So how lucky am I that two of my favorite things have come together? Yes! Santana has become the official spokes-guitarGod for Tequila Casa Noble. Now, Noble is not my favorite tequila, and the main reason for my apathy is that CN is triple-distilled. I prefer double-distilled tequila. So, if I were advising Santana on which tequila to endorse, I would have gone a different way. On the other side of it, I can think of no better artist to represent a top-shelf tequila than Maestro Santana.

SOUL de agave: Enjoy this video in which the legend Himself expresses his spiritual connection with Mexico, while celebrating music and life with Casa Noble

Now if Guillermo Sauza could promote Fortaleza by recruiting say, um, Shakira!

Yo Papagayo!

2011-08-14T14:38:00.000-07:00

Ample Parking: Agave Lovers Line Papagayo Boston's Big Tequila Bar...

Having lived in both Texas and New Mexico, and also being a 20-year tequila aficionado, I have been waiting a long time for this type of place to come to Boston. And the good news is, it's here! Temazcal? No! Papagayo on Summer Street (near Fort Point Channel) has fantastic food, a great atmosphere, friendly staff, and the tequila? Well, 175 bottles and the most agave-knowledgeable barman I have ever had the pleasure to meet. Service overall was excellent. Papagayo has the guacamole cart that rolls up and makes it fresh at your table and it's to DIE for. Prices are not dirt-cheap but you get a really nice experience for the buck. Sampled a few tequilas for the first time: Maestro Dobel Joven tequila, El Tesoro Paradiso, Frida Kahlo blanco, and the exquisite Partida Elegante. Try the Tacos al-Pastor, and a fresh, handmade margarita made with Espolón Blanco. Kudos to the bright, agave-elevated atmosphere and delicious food of Papagayo!

Inbound Tequilas! Coming Soon!

2011-08-02T14:57:00.000-07:00

Acquiring some fresh bottles of highlands juice: Chamucos Reposado, Siembra Azul Repo, and Arette blanco suave.

So I look like a bottle of cooking wine from Target's store-brand section. Well y'know what? The money's on the INSIDE of this bottle baby! Now stop looking at my screw-top!

I also want to do a blanco shootout soon with Siete Leguas, Don Julio, and another player to be named later.

Mules + Tahona + Highland Agave = 7 Leagues of Love!

2011-07-30T11:55:00.000-07:00

Pancho & Zapata, Los Mulos Agaveros, drive La Tahona at 7L

This picture is just cute. That's all.

LiLo Skull-Rocks with Kah!

2011-07-25T13:09:00.000-07:00

U R SOOO KAAAHHH!

SLOW NEWS DAY FLASH!

Lindsay Lohan was caught skull-handed rockin' some Kah tequila blanco at a house-party with friends. This TMZ report says in the headline: "Lindsay + Worm +..." Not sure what the worm is referring to, unless TMZ mistakenly thinks that Tequila has a worm in the bottle.

Anyhoo...

Tequilas For Twenty!

2011-07-12T13:40:00.000-07:00

Hola! Señor! We are the Ultimo in affordable tequila!

One Andrew Jackson! A pair of Hamiltons! That's all it takes to get a bottle of decent 100% gave tequila any more. No reason to settle for a mixto, or worse, pay Patrón prices for a 750 of the good stuff. Tequila prices are coming down faster than Lindsay Lohan's pants. This is due to a combination of factors: New production tecniques, a worldwide glut, competition from too many brands, AND, apparently, TOO MUCH AGAVE*. There is a surplus of agave, dropping prices to new lows, and leading some farmers to plow under their blue-green pencas in favor of corn for making ethanol.

Rough for Mexican tequila producers; muy bueno for tequila consumers.

Here are some tasty $20 tequilas:

Espolón blanco and reposado
Camarena blanco and reposado
El Último Agave blanco and reposado
Milagro Silver
El Jímador
El Charro
Azúl
Cién Años 100% agave reposado
Agavales
D'los Altos blanco

Most of these we mihgt consider good mixers and not sippers, but for twenty bucks what's not to like?
There are a lot more out there. Have fun finding them!

*"There's lots of agave that cannot be consumed. Additionally, there are 130 million liters in inventory within the distilleries," explained González Figueroa

I am a Highlander!

2011-06-18T12:16:00.000-07:00

Desert-like Los Altos produces 'sweeter' tequila

The Red Soil and Blue Agaves of Legend...

Story by: David Agren
Source: Guadalajara Reporter - www.guadalajarareporter.com/

Tequila put its namesake town on the map, but Mexico's famed firewater is also proudly produced northeast of Guadalajara in Los Altos, where the area's red soil, elevation and climate give beverages from the region special characteristics.

"When you try a tequila from here and one from Tequila, Jalisco ... there's a big difference," said Miguel Ramirez, operations manager for Tequila Cazadores, which is based in Arandas, a city of 70,000 located 120 kilometers northeast of Guadalajara. Tequila owes many of its characteristics to the region the blue agave used to make it comes from. "One of the differences here is that the soil where the agave is grown is red," Ramirez explained. "It gives the agaves different nutrients."

Unlike the Tequila area, the temperature in the Los Altos region dips at night and some of its towns shiver through the winter. (The mercury in San Gaspar de los Reyes dropped to -14.5 degrees last January). Blue agave plants, which blanket the countryside, mature more slowly in Los Altos' cooler temperatures than in the Tequila area.

"The main difference between the (agave growing zones) is the climate," said Luis Alva Muñoz, a technical advisor for Jalisco's Rural Development Secretariat (Seder).

"The Los Altos region is more desertlike. It's also colder, which causes the plants to grow to smaller sizes."
According to Alva, agaves grown in the Tequila area take seven years to mature. In comparison, agaves in Los Altos grow for eight to 10 years before being harvested.

As a result, agaves from Los Altos have a higher sugar content, which impacts the final products' flavors. Bertha Becera, spokeswoman for the Guadalajara-based Consejo Regulador del Tequila (CRT) said beverages from the Tequila area tend to be "drier" while "tequilas from Los Altos are more aromatic with more sweet notes."

As for tequila from one zone being better than another, both Bercera and Alva said that depends on personal preferences.
Distillers in both regions use similar production techniques, but some outfits like Cazadores (hunters in Spanish) strive to produce a premium product. At its production plant, which is adorned with the head of 12-point buck deer, Cazadores produces 100-percent-agave tequilas. In the production process, the distiller naturally ferments its agave juice and ages its spirits in oak barrels made from new wood, instead of using old whisky barrels.

Much of Los Altos' tequila production centers on Arandas and Atotonilco, pueblos famous for milk, cheese and cajeta production, along with fiery spirits. Other famed brands from the region include Don Julio, Siete Leguas (named for Pancho Villa's horse) and Cabrito (little goat).

Production in Los Altos, however, lags behind that in the Tequila region, home to some of the industry's most legendary distilleries, including Jose Cuervo, Sauza and Casa Herradura.

Tequila El Charro, a proud old highland brand from Arandas, Los Altos

Day of The KAH!

2011-06-11T07:46:00.000-07:00

Los Tres Muertos: Even the dead enjoy good tequila!

Apparently the word "kah" is Mayan for "Life", which is interesting because KAH tequila is presented in a bottle shaped like a skull. It speaks to a folkloric feature woven deeply in to the fabric of Mexican culture: Life celebrates death, and death celebrates life. Every year on Day of the Dead, family members visit the grave-sites of loved ones who have passed on, creating a fiesta atmosphere at the grave, often pouring tequila over the departed. They make sure to pour tequila in to their own living souls, to be sure. Tequila is the sangre de vida to Mexicans; the lifeblood of the people, just as as "uisce beatha" (whiskey baha) is to the Irish.

All of this cultura Mexicana is brought together in the new KAH tequila, whose four expressions (blanco, reposado, añejo and extra añejo) are presented in hand-made, hand painted day of the dead style skull bottles, with a different bottle for each age. The bottles are beautiful. Fortunately, the juice inside is pretty darn good, too. It has been well-reviewed, with the añejo garnering the most positive nods. I was planning to start in the middle of the lineup with the reposado, but after learning it was a blazing hot 55% alcohol brew, I decided to go with the añejo, largely based on the review of the notorious Tequila Whisperer, "Lippy". (The repo bottle has a red demon painted on its forehead -- and now I know why!). Añejo comes in the black skull - nice. I have to say that although it's not the most complex tequila I've had, KAH añejo is quite flavorful and enjoyable.

I will certainly collect all four bottles, eventually. In the meantime here are some other reviews and info on KAH.

SKOL! Er, I mean, SKULL!

Review by TasteTequila.com

Tequila Whisperer show on KAH

KAH on Facebook

Camarena Reposado: A Sweet Surprise!

2011-05-19T07:51:00.000-07:00

Sip it, mix it, any way you fix it!

So, the Camarena blanco was em, nice, kinda thin, inoffensive, and nothing to write home about. Sorta like "tequila light". For the price, it'll stand on my shelf as a mixer next to Azúl, Espolón, Milagro and other $20 bottles.

Last night I tried the Cama Reposado, and what a pleasant and unexpected surprise it was! It's a sweetheart with flavor! This is a very interesting tequila, with a big, undeniable presence of highland agave.

Camarena's color is a pale olive-oil with an almost green caste. The nose is floral, bright and citrus-y with alcohol, a hint of vanilla and a touch of wood (there's more oak in the aroma than the actual taste).

The taste starts with a nice silky entrance, followed by fast, round burst of agave, pear and caramel-apple. Then comes cider, oak, clove and...yes cinnamon. The finish is quick, leaving a lingering taste of nutmeg, cinnamon and burnt sugar. I sensed very little smoke; just a subtle undertone of oak and vanilla. There's hardly any heat; no burn whatsoever. The body hits and fills the front/middle of the tongue and palette. Cama repo is not heavy or oily, nor does it have much in the way of "back end".

This may the perfect juice to get tequila virgins in to 100% agave sippers. Whereas more seasoned aficionados may like earth and vegital tones, along with deeper complexity, those aspects of a particular flavor profie might turn off a newbie. Cama's juice might also turn them away from Patrón - we can only hope.

Camarena reposado absolutely kills the blanco. Wipes the floor with it. I attribute the big upgrade in flavor to this: A brief two-month resting in American oak barrels has gently coaxed-forth the flavor and soul of the famous los altos high-elevation agave. At the same time, it hasn't been in-barrel long enough to get very woody. (I'd love to taste a six-month expression!)

Where the blanco displays nothing really ugly, and gives you a light, spicy pop, it's the repo that delivers on the promise of the legendary highland spirit.

Family Legacy

2011-05-15T12:12:00.000-07:00

Family Values!

First I must say it was a long cold winter of no tequila blogging for the Pale Rider. Got a new job December first and my nose has been firmly pressed against the grindstone for months. Plus, nothing really exciting came across my screen, tequila-wise. In fact, I had a real let down when I found Chinaco in a local store after years of it not being available around here. I bought a bottle and it was, well, awful. Undrinkable. I don't know if the juice had gone bad or they've changed it or what. I used to love Chinaco and this stuff I wouldn't use to make a margarita for Canadian tourists.

But I digress.

So last week, in my local store appeared the first new tequila offering they'e put on the shelf in ages: Familia Camarena "Silver"/Blanco and Reposado tequilas. Camarena comes in an incredibly handsome bottle with a just-as-attractive price. Again, we find a 100% agave offering in the $20 range, which seems to be a big trend in the last couple years. (I wonder if Patrón is getting nervous). I grabbed the blanco, because I always go for a blanco first. As you know I favor blancos, not to mention that if the blanco is good, it bodes well for the rest of the lineup. Plus, I thought, "Well, if it sucks, at least the bottle is pretty. It'll look good in my collection."

I tasted it chilled with a couple pieces of ice. The nose was just what I had hoped for - floral and fruity with a nice huff of agave and spice. Taste-wise, I found it pleasing on a number of levels. A couple of the reviews I've read accuse the blanco of not being a sipper, but I wouldn't totally agree. (If Patrón can be called a "sipper" then surely this offering is!) True, Camarena's mouth-feel is thin and light, but it has a flavorful body with agave, citrus, chili-pepper and earth. It has a peppery pop, a spicy spike! But there isn't a lot of bigness in the body, and there's no bottom end to speak of. It's not too hot or alcoholish, and on a smoothness scale I'd give it a 7.5 out of 10. The most disappointing aspect is the finish, which leaves an ashy residue on the tongue. As a blanco enthusiast, I have come to expect an acrid finish, even from highly-rated tequilas. I "get" that wood-aging irons out some of the speedbumps in the flavor-profile, especially mellowing a bitey finish. Generally I'm saying this juice is pretty thin and one-dimensional.

I later made a basic margarita - or should I say "Cama-rita"? - with Camarena Blanco, and found that it stands up really well in the cocktail, imparting a nice tequila flavor. I'd agree the Cama Blanco is better as a mixer than on its own. It reminds me a little of what I like about Partida blanco, and what I dislike about Don Julio Silver, the former having a nice balance of agave and earth, the latter having too much "dirt".

Most reviews I have come across prefer the Camarena reposado to the blanco, so I look forward to sampling the repo soon.

Soy Muy Guapo!

More interesting than the reviews is the history of Familia Camarena - apparently one of the first-families of tequila for six-generations, and tangentially related to the Cuervos. The Camarenas came to Mexico from Spain in the 1780s and was one of the founding families of the town of Arandas in the Jalisco highlands, where the world's finest blue agave is cultivated. The family owns thousands of acres of plantation-land in the highest elevations (over 7000 feet), producing millions of weber blue agave plants. For generations the Camarenas provided agave for other bottlers, eventually going in to the tequila business themselves in the 1930s under the name Casco Viejo. The Casco Viejo distillery makes the well-regarded Don Agustin as well. The actual Familia Camarena tequila brand label did not exist until 2008, when E and J Gallo partnered with Casco to create Familia Camarena for the US market.

Clearly there is a nice marketing boost going on around the country (see "Taco Truck" campaign pic, below), and as always I am heartened to see other tequilas finding popularity and eroding the ground beneath the tyrant Patrón, while also pulling people away from God-awful mixtos like Cuervo. And while Camarena Silver isn't what I'd call an ulta-premium tequila, it'll find a place on my shelf. At $20 for a 100% agave juice, what's not to like?

Coming to your town: The Camarena "Taco Truck" dishin' out tacos y tequila

Finally, it's T1 Time!

2010-11-21T16:32:00.000-08:00

T1, Tequila Uno, the ultra-premium crafted by master-distiller Germán Gonzales, has finally been released in the USA. Here's the letter from Germán himself:

Dear friends and family of T1- Tequila Uno,

It is after a very long year that I can now say the T1- Tequila Uno is in the United States and ready for sale. I am very excited about bringing T1- Tequila Uno into the United States. This brand has been a passion of mine for many years and I have worked hard to create something of which my family and I are very proud.

We (the T1- Tequila Uno team) first introduced the brand at Dori Bryant’s SPIRITS OF MEXICO event in September 2009, as it is one of the pre-eminent tequila events in the United States. The brand did very well, winning awards for each item tasted.

As is normal, trials and tribulations come with any new product. And we did have our fair share of issues! The issues were not major, but, they had to be overcome nonetheless. The original plan was to introduce T1 – Tequila Uno into the United States in early 2010. After several months, we re-introduced our brand at the 2010 Spirits of Mexico event in September, and we are now ready to bring the brand to you. The brand is available in the United States and is already hitting market for this holiday.

The brand, (all types in 100% Blue Agave) is available in:
• Ultra Fino - a double distilled crystal clear Blanco: with hints of fruit and perfect for your favorite margarita or other cocktail.
• Excepcional – a Reposado: rested for just under a year for a light golden color and aroma of spiced citrus, apple, and agave flavor. It is best served neat, on the rocks or in your favorite mixed cocktail.
• Estelar – An Anejo: aged approximately 18 months in oak barrels for a deep golden color and contains the aroma of chocolate, for a velvety smoothness and flavor of the wood.

For you true tequila aficionados, T1 – Tequila Uno can be bought by the barrel. You will work closely with me, to determine the type of barrel – new v old, the type of char and with which product you want to start the process. You also get to pick the date to uncork the product. T1- Tequila Uno will then be packaged and personalized. A barrel contains approximately 37 cases of 750ml bottles packed 6 per case – the final number will depend on how much tequila ‘went to the angels”, (otherwise known as evaporation).

For more information, check out our website – www.t1tequila.com or our facebook page. We would love to hear from you. Please contact us with questions, comments or the name of your favorite retailer and we will get the brand to you. You can also call Kay Olsen at 860-404-1776 for more information. She is on the T1- Tequila Uno team. “From Friends to Friends”

Con un Fuerte Abraso
Germán

People know I am always searching for the absolute Holy Grail of blancos, and T1 might be it! Here's my review from last March:

http://ranchotequila.blogspot.com/2010/03/taste-test-t1-ultra-fino-el-blanco-mas.html

Oh No! The Tequila Bubble is About to Pop!

2010-11-10T08:31:00.001-08:00

Bubble piece from CNBC.com (Thank you Lippy!)

Original Tequila Aficionado article by Christopher Zarus, AKA "Dr. Doom"

Y'know, I think the guy who wrote this is probably one of those people that is in on a "trend" early, or before the mass popularity happens. Once the thing starts to take off and Joe Blow on Main Street USA starts to talk about the thing, Mr. "I'm always ahead of the curve" is going to say, "I'm outta here!" It's a first-in, first-out" mentality. I wonder where dude was in 1992 when I had my first taste of 100% agave tequila? He was probably about to jump ship on Green Day.

Sailing off the edge! It's over!

I can confidently say that here in my neck of the woods, tequila is still on the runway, slowly ramping to popularity as knowledge improves. Around here, it's still about Cuervo and Patron. The more savvy drinker may have tried Don Julio, Milagro or Herradura. A lot of people I talk to think Sauza Tres Gen is the best of the best. And I actually played a bar the other night, Precinct in Somerville, that had El Tesoro. That's a first (for a non-tequila bar).

I agree, however, that there are too many brands, and surely some of the newer, smaller names are not going to survive. Would I invest in a start-up Tequila brand now? No. Would I have paid $80 million for Cabo Wabo? Hell no!

Partida Tequila Taking Growth Step with New Distillery

2010-10-15T11:17:00.000-07:00

"Party" is my middle na...er, my first name, sort of...

Dateline SAN FRANCISCO: “We are on a growth trajectory and we’re working to meet increasing demand,” said J. Gary Shansby, Founder, Chairman and CEO of Tequila Partida in announcing Partida’s move to a new distillery. “We’re maintaining the same taste profile ─ characterized by smoothness, elegance and pure agave taste ─ that has made Partida the highest rated tequila in the world.” F. Paul Pacult, America’s leading spirits expert, recently rated Partida Reposado as the best tequila in the world and one of the five finest spirits in the world.

In order to guarantee the product quality from the new distillery, Partida gathered five of America’s top tequila experts in New York including Pacult, Steve Olson, Misty Kalkofen, Phil Ward and Jacques Bezuidenhout to test the pilot run of Partida Blanco from the new distillery in a blind tasting versus the most recent Partida Blanco production from the prior distillery. Partida also tasted in San Francisco with Julio Bermejo, the ‘Ambassador of Tequila’ to the US. The results, by unanimous agreement, were spectacular. “This tasting was the ultimate statement of integrity,” said Steve Olson. “Partida has only one goal, which they achieved ─ to make the same superior product they have always done ─ and to assemble a panel of such discerning critics was a bold and courageous decision.”

Added Paul Pacult, “Partida has always been uncompromising in their quality. They have reinforced their leadership in the ultra premium tequila category yet again with this unprecedented pilot run tasting.”
Julio Bermejo commented, “Since they launched Partida has been at the forefront of distillation technique in the Tequila Valley.”
“I’m thrilled that a panel of such tough critics loved our pilot run product and endorsed the process,” said Mr. Shansby, “and I’m committed to transparency and full disclosure during the distillery change.” Other tequila brands have made distillery changes to accommodate growth but none have been as candid and transparent as Partida or as rigorous in assuring absolute consistency. “We’re staying true to our Mexican heritage and the authenticity of our brand,” continued Mr. Shansby. “This distillery change will ensure that we’re able to maintain the consistency of our product quality even as we expand our production, something we couldn’t be sure of had we remained in the old facility.” Partida is documenting the entire process of the distillery change ─ complete with photos and video ─ in a case study, which will be made publicly available.

In addition to the US panel, Partida tasted with six respected experts from the Mexican Tequila Academy in Guadalajara, Jalisco, the leading tequila authority in Mexico. Francisco Hajnal, Founder and President of the Academy, said, “The Partida samples I tasted from the pilot run are extremely well made and consistent with Partida’s renowned quality – in fact, even better than ever!”

Tequila Partida’s previous distillery in Amatitan is owned by the Partida family. “We are appreciative of the contributions from the Partida family in our early years as we embarked on this exciting journey. Their friendship and contributions to our success have meant a great deal to us.” The new Partida distillery, Fabrica La Autentica, is in the town of Tequila in the state of Jalisco just a few miles down the road. Tequila Partida brought in the same team to run the tequila on the same equipment, with the same 100% pure estate agave from the same location, and of the same age, sugar content, and specifications.

The Partida recipe, known to only four people in the world, will not change. “We got just the response on the pilot run that we were looking for,” said Partida Maestro Tequilero Jose Valdez. “Coming from such esteemed tequila experts, we couldn’t be happier.”

7 Leguas Reposado, Poppin' Fresh!

2010-10-09T15:39:00.000-07:00

A Bottle o' Bang!

As I write this, I'm enjoying a nice highball glass of Tequila 7 Leguas Reposado on ice. This is exactly the kind of repo I like, and I'll tell you why. Most importantly, it has a big agave bang - a nice big pop of agave. I like a repo that leans more towards a blanco, using just a gentle resting to smooth the edges and mellow the bite. Everyone knows by now that I prefer blancos above all, because to my palette, nothing is better than a well-crafted and un-messed-with distillation of agave's first-pressing. Of course, I appreciate a wonderful aged añejo as much as the next guy, but I'd trade that any day to find the holy-grail of blancos.

The 7 Leguas is right up my alley with it's strong agave presence. There's a touch of woody mellowing, but the wood does not get in the way of the agave; indeed, it cradles it. This gives 7L repo a very full bodied taste with a nice smooth and lasting finish. In this case, the 8 months of aging in white oak barrels does what it should do: enhance and amplify the agave, adding a layer of depth, complexity and finish that the blanco alone cannot provide.

Casa Siete Leguas

Reviews on Tequila.net

Notes: 7 Leguas invented the Patron label, and the original Patron was made in 7L and distributed in the US from 1991 to 2002. There is no longer any association with Patron.
7 Leguas is made "de tajona" -- the ancient technique of grinding the agave with a stone wheel, driven by mules.
7 Leguas (meaning 7 leagues) was the name of Pancho Villa's horse.

The rebel Panch Villa and his steed, the famous Siete Leguas. (He never pulled the tajona)

La Gingerita!

2010-09-30T07:05:00.000-07:00

I'm Air Ginger. Fly Me!

Here on the Rancho it's always cocktail hour, and ginger is all the rage right now. Give this one a try-- it's a combination of Espolón Reposado, ginger beer, and lime juice. Cheers!

Gingerita:
1 oz Espolón Reposado Tequila
1 oz Ginger Beer
...1/2 oz freshly squeezed Lime Juice
Stir ingredients into an ice-filled highball glass. Garnish with a lime or lemon wedge.

That'll put some fuel in your tank! Mmmm mmmm.

Summer's End Espolón Cocktail!

2010-08-20T12:28:00.000-07:00

It's berry delicious!

It's called a strawberry basil margarita. It uses my favorite, Espolón. I think that's a boring name for a cocktail. But, well, I can't think of a better one, so, here you go:
'Rita Recipe

A New Generation of Down-priced 100% Agaves!

2010-07-27T09:59:00.000-07:00

Casa Herradura's Retro Label.

The last year has seen the appearance of a few 100% agave tequilas in the $19 to $29 range. I've always liked a good value, which I define as getting a little more for the dollar. I've also always been willing to pay top dollar for something that is well worth it, while abhorring and avoiding things that are over-priced, like Patrón Tequila. But I'm happiest of all when I can get a big bang for the buck.

That's why I'm liking what I'm seeing on the shelves of my local package stores these days. As some of my favorite ultra-preems have disappeared, some very affordable non-mixtos have popped up. We're talkin' $20-ish. I like this trend. I think it's a good thing, for my wallet and yours, and good for the market in-general.

One might ask, how are the manufacturers doing this? How are 100% agave tequilas suddenly available at half of what they typically have been? One way they are doing this is using less-fancy, more mass-produced bottles. Makes you realize how much you pay for those beautiful hand-blown vessels.

Then there is distillation in a column still, as opposed to a pot-still, which decreases production costs.

I think the other thing, possibly the biggest thing, is marketing. Factors like competition, price-sensitivity, a growing interest in tequila in-general, increasing tequila knowledge and savvy-ness by the buyer, and more American and European ownership of the brands have led to better taste for less money. And there's money to be made in the growing tequila market, so brands are rushing to the table at all different price-points.

I think people are beginning to want something that's a step up from the Cuervo and Sauza junk, but it's a big jump from there to Patrón. Maybe it's too big a jump for some people, especially in today's market. Even Cabo Wabo, probably the other "familiar" brand name, is pricey. So the marketers are using cool, grabby-looking labels for shelf-appeal, making sure that the "100% de agave" is visible, and slapping on a price that says, "You can buy TWO of me for the price of that Patrón over there!"

One might ask, of these new down-priced labels, which is best? Are they all just good cocktail-mixers, or are any of them a good sipper, and a therefore real super-value?

My biggie of course has been the re-appearance of Espolón at $20 for both the blanco and repo. Mixable? You bet! Sippable? Indeed! I like the blanco a little better than the repo, and I take the blanco on the rocks.

Now there are more! Antiguo de Herradura is another. The local store that carries it has the blanco mis-priced at $29.95, so I didn't buy that, but the repo was $24, so I grabbed one. This one is a great mixer and I have made some nice cocktails with it. It stands up nicely. As a sipper, well, it was ok but was not as smooth as the Espo. The Antiguo has a bit of a burn. And that's ok if you're making 'ritas or Palomas!

Last year, one of the first one of these $20 bottles hit the shelves -- Tenampa Azúl by Centennario (a Cuervo product). This so far has been available as a repo only. Some people like Azúl as a sipper, but not me. Again it's a little hot and edgy for my pallette. But hey, with Azúl being $20, I'll never buy Tradicionál again, which has gone up, ridiculously, to $29. That's one of those overpriced things I'm talking about that just curdles my blood.

Notice the Plain Bottle...

Before that, El Jímador (by Herradura) was my mixer of choice, being among the first really affordable 100% agaves on the market. But then that became a mixto for a while, before returning to 100% again last year. El Jímador is still a pretty good deal at $30 for a big 2 liter jug of the reposado. I noticed when I was in Mexico back in February, Jímador blanco was the default standard for margaritas if you didn't specify the tequila.

I just noticed my local store has begun carrying Agavales, another 100% that I saw a lot of in Mexican stores. Price here locally? $11. I shall have to try it.

So far, however, nothing beats the Espo for quality and price. I mean, I was happy to pay $40 and up for it back when it was on US shelves between 2002 and 2008. So now, are you kidding me? I'm in agave heaven here!

And perhaps -- one can hope -- that the mixto itself may one day be a thing of the past!

Herradura brings Antiguo to US

Dia de Tequila - National Tequila Day!

2010-07-23T12:25:00.001-07:00

Well, apparently July 24 is national tequila day. Here on the Rancho, EVERY day is tequila day, but what the heck! I'll buy in to the faux-holiday with an extra shot of the good stuff. I'm thinking Partida, and the perfect Margarita. I have made this one before, and blogged about it. But now my humble opinion has been validated by a so-called expert, who appreared on, of all things, Martha Stewart's blog, mixing this Partida-Rita. Hey if Martha thinks she's a tequila expert, then what does that make me? I'll tell you right up front, I don't know shit about nice curtains or how to host the perfect party on a yacht. So Martha, why don't you stick to baking really good pies, and I'll blog about tequila, whaddya say?

Cool It! Here's the Rita Sangre

2010-07-06T18:27:00.000-07:00

Sweltering! 100 degrees in the shade! The doggiest dog days.

What's a tequilero to do?

Put the heat on ice with a tangy refresher, The Rita Sangre!

This one is easy:

Mix your favorite 100% agave mixing blanco -- Azul, Jimador, Antiguo -- in to a tall icy glass of Blood Orange Italian Soda (gettable from Whole Foods).

That's it!

You can squeeza a little lime on top or garnish with a wedge of orange.

Cool it baby!

Photo to come....

A Summer Refresher!

2010-06-25T13:57:00.000-07:00

Where's the ice?

Ok, here's one that'll cool ya down! I'm gonna call it La Paloma Rosa...ain't that a purty name? She's totally simple: the 100% agave blanco or reposado tequila of your choice (I have used Cazadores repo) and Pink Grapefruit Italian Soda -- from Whole Foods! Pour it in a tall glass over lots of ice, and add only a squirt of lime juice and a quick drizzle of agave nectar for added sweetness.
For a more frothy version, crank up the ol' blender. That's what it's there for!

Quick Espo Update (of post below).

2010-06-19T17:39:00.000-07:00

Taking a closer look at the label of the Mexican Espolón, I found that it's a 38% alcohol bottle. Doh! That would explain ultra-unusual short, round bottle I found there in Cabo. I mean, even in Mexico, Espo has always been in a tall bottle. So the shorty is a 38% release, as opposed to the typical 40%. And of course, here I am comparing the new Espo -- a 40% -- to the Mexican 38%. No fucking wonder the new American release tastes hotter and harder, as I decribed. Woops! Well there you have it!

Verdict: The "NEW" Espolón is the SAME tequila as before, with new bottle, label and marketing.

Whew!

Espolón is back! Or Is It?

2010-05-29T18:44:00.000-07:00

Dia de Los Tequilas -- The new labels feature the famous skeltons of Mexican folk-art

Any one who knows me knows that one of my all-time favorite ultra-premium Tequilas is Espolón. It has been hard to find in the US for years now. And it was always pricey...$40 and up. Much to my amazement, today at the liquor store I discovered a new-look Espolón! We're talkin' new label, new bottle, and new VERY LOW PRICE -- $20.00!

Is this some kind of marketing trickery? The press-release issued by Skyy claims there is the exact same juice in these new hippified bottles. Is there, really? If so, why is the price less than half of what it was before? In fact, I paid MORE for Espolón in Mexico back in February -- $24 to be exact. Were we paying for the fancy bottle and its embossed metal label all that time?

Campari/Skyy, the same company that bought Cabo Wabo last year also now owns Espolón. The spirit conglomerate bought the Espolón distillery, NOM 1440, and actually now make Cabo there, too. Apparently, the MSRP for both blanco and repo is $25.95. That's also odd, don't you think?

Are they going to market the Wabo as the Ultra-Preem and the Espo as the down-priced bottle? That would be wierd to me, because Espo is WAY better tequila than Wabo. Way!

So is it the same tequila? My pallette says no.** I just did an A/B comparison between the bottle I bought of blanco in Mexico and a brand new bottle of the $20 blanco. The original tasted smoother, lighter and sweeter, not that Espo is particularly sweet. It has a big, flavorful taste with plenty of agave, spice, and a hint of licorice.**I later realized I was comparing a 38% (the Mexican bottle) with a 40% (the new US bottle), so there you have it! That explains the diff.

But the new one tasted a tiny bit harder, hotter and oilier. It is not as easy on the pallette. They ARE very similar, and maybe the difference could be the normal variation of batch-to-batch. But most would agree that my REAL Mexican juice tastes better than the new.

Read the full press-release here on Tequila.net

Espo Old and New from Drew's Stash

New Margarita: The Cabo Sunset

2010-04-02T15:13:00.000-07:00

Aaaaahhhhh!

With summer coming, it's time to start concocting those warm-weather tropi-cocktails! The Cabo Sunset is a wonderful new margarita invented by me and bartender Dana Perry at ChiliHead BBQ. Dana really did the work -- I just came up with the name. It was inspired by my recent trip to Los Cabos -- truly one of the most beautiful places in the world.

Here's the recipe:
2oz shot of your favorite reposado tequila*. Cabo Wabo? Why not?
1oz Margaritaville Tropical Tangerine Tequila
or
1oz Cuervo Oranjo Licor de Tequila
1/2oz Cointreau
1oz orange juice
2oz sour mix

Shake well with ice

Strain/pour in to glass over ice

Add some grenadine by pouring it down the side of the glass to create the sunset effect.

Garnish with a marachino cherry and dribble a little of the marachino syrup in to the cocktail.

* I use Tenampa Azul, Milagro, or Corralejo

Cabo Sun Setting Behind El Arco...

Taste Test: T1 Ultra Fino, El Blanco Mas Fino

2010-03-26T12:41:00.000-07:00

¡Tequila Uno, Numero Uno!

As you know, I talk a lot about blancos. It's because a good tequila begins with a great blanco. The longer one drinks tequila the more one appreciates the fresh, un-aged first-pressing of the baked blue agave. I like repos and añejos as much as the next guy, but I am driven by a desire to find the sweetest, boldest, freshest, silky-smoothest, most perfect blanco of all. I find a lot of high-end tequila veterans like myself are also blanco lovers. A smooth añejo is perhaps easier on the novice tongue.

Another reason I love a killer blanco is that blancos are versatile; you can mix 'em, drink 'em cold with rocks, or sip 'em neat. I'm also a cheap bastard, so the price of blancos appeals to me. I have a price-sensitivity of about $50, and you can typically find a really good blanco, and even some decent reposados for at or below that point.

Having tried many a good blanco, I believe I have found the the ONE; T1, that is! It is certainly the best I have had to-date. My recent taste-test proved it. We're talkin' T1 (Tequila Uno) Blanco Ultra Fino, hand-crafted by master-distiller Germán Gonzales, whose clain-to-fame is creating the lovely Chinaco line-up in the '90s. The juice is absolutely fantastic! To my pallette, this is tequila perfection, which means it has a BIG BIG agave bang!

Two tequila-loving friends and I (one who worked for years in a NYC tequila bar), compared some top-end blancos, and the T1 was the hands-down winner. It not only had the sweetest taste, but also something special, intangible. T1 has spirit in the true sense.

The competition was between these blancos:
T1, Espolón, El Tesoro, Casa Noble, and Milagro (which I considered a stand-in for Patrón silver. To me, Milagro is Patrón at the right price!). Without going in to detailed tasting notes and descriptions, let's suffice it to say that the T1 even beat my beloved Espolón. The Esppolón is great, but was a little hotter and more peppery. The T1 was sweet, complex, with a great agave punch and a slky finish. It has an easy entry and a very full-bodied taste, encompassing citrus, vanilla, earth, nuts, smoke and pepper! All three of us agreed the T1 was the clear winner. It received smiles all-around!
Ultra Fino, indeed!

Here's How They Ranked:
1) Tequila Uno Ultra Fino: Big, perfectly balanced, smooth and sweet, Rating: 5-Pencas!
2) Espolón: Full-bodied, flavorful, a bit more heat/bite
3) El Tesoro: Mild and smooth -- not as big as expected but nice
4) Casa Noble: Earthy, big agave taste, ashy finish
5) Milagro: Most alcohol, not super flavorful but a great mixer

¡No Te Preocupes, it's Cabo San Lucas!

2010-02-24T08:49:00.000-08:00

¡Paraiso de Tequila!

When we disembarked our flight in Los Cabos on Feb 13, we had a lot of plans for the upcoming week. Most of them involved putting on a fun birthday for little Drew, who would be turning three during our stay. A piñata had to be purchased and cake had to be baked. But I'm a tequila lover, and naturally my desire for tequila exploration (and consumption) bubbled just below the surface. Would I find a good selection? Would the prices be good? Would I fall in to a tourist trap? Answers were soon to come. We hailed a van and set out on our way to the resort.

CABO REÁL

Where Blue Agave Breezes Whisper Through the Swaying Palms...

Immediately upon our arrival at Melia Cabo Reál, my wife and I were presented with margaritas. Mmmm, tasty and refreshing. OK, I thought, we're on the right track. We paid an up-front all-inclusive fee, which included all food and booze, so I was determined to get our money's worth. I soon discovered that the the resort had a fairly limited selection of tequila, but it was everywhere you went. There are multiple bars and restaurants there, and they all offer a few choices. I soon found what would become my "house" tequilas for the week. For 'ritas it would be Jímador Blanco or Reposado, for icy shots by the pool it would be 100 Años Repo, and for a straight-up drink with dinner it would be Herradura Repo. Melia also had Don Julio, but I am not a fan of DJ.

I actually developed a taste for the Cién Años. It's by no means the best tequila I've ever had, but it was a smooth and drinkable 100% repo that beats Patrón by a mile. On ice it was nice. While I was enjoying these agave tequilas, I was noticing the many other Americans (it was about 75% Yanks and 25% Mexicans and other nationalities like Germans, Italians and Asians) ordering 'ritas with no preference. The bars were pouring not even Cuervo Gold in those...it was, I dunno, some well-liquor like El Toro or something. Ugh! Hangover in a bottle.

After a couple days I started drinking palomas instead of margaritas. In Mexico they have a kind of Fresca that I've never seen here. (I'd like to find it here -- any suggestions?). The MexiFresca comes in yellow cans and it is NOT diet. It actually tastes like a sweet grapefruit soda, instead of whatever indistinguishable flavor one finds in American Fresca. That, with Jimador Blanco, a squeeze of lime and salt on the rim and ... mmmm... Paloma en la playa paraisa!

(Speaking of "paradise", I learned a some Spanish I didn't know: The word for "paradise" is NOT "paradiso", it is "paraiso" with no "d". Just a little aside for ya).

IN TOWN
On day-three we took the free shuttle in to Cabo San Lucas, about 10-miles south of the resort. The bus dropped us at the Peurto Paraiso mall. As we walked in the main entrance, I was be-dazzled by the amount of tequila for sale, well, everywhere. Even shops that were not liquor stores had it. There was a souvenir shop with tequila. A drugstore; tequila. Deli; tequila. T-shirt shop; tequila. And there were at least three full-blown liquor stores, one called Hacienda de Tequila. Oh boy! Jackpot!

Cabo's Famous Arco, Where Pacific and Sea of Cortez Meet

Next of course I had to check selection and prices. The first bottle I looked at was a 750 of Corralejo repo, one of my everyday tequilas around here. At my local store I pay $39.99 plus tax -- about $43 bucks. In Cabo? $11 US dollars, no tax! Eee-Leven bucks! Wowza! And this was an American tourist mall, meaning better deals could be found off the beaten track. But since we weren't going off the beaten track (with wife and 3-year-old in-tow)these prices would have to do.

On that first trip, I scored a 750 of Siete Leguas repo for $23 and one of El Tesoro blanco for about the same. The Mexicans hold the ET in high esteem, I gathered. I also grabbed an $11 bottle of Corralejo. Did I mention it was only $11 bucks? Should have bought ten of those. I saw dozens of different labels -- Aha Toro, Centennario, Herradura, Partida, Los Abuelos, 100 Años, Cabo Wabo and more more more. Then I spied one of my all-time favorites, Chinaco! It became unavailable around here in about 2007. Bought a 750 of the repo. Such a beautiful gold color I have rarely seen. One thing I liked about these stores is that that all offer free tastes of tequila. I tasted the Los Abuelos repo, which was wonderful and I had them set me aside a bottle. At $40 that was pricey, and the bottle is a little big and heavy for travelling. Eventually I opted not to buy it. (Funny how things are relative; if I had seen the Abuelos here for $40 I'd buy it and look over my shoulder like a thief who had just stolen something!)

On our second trip in to town a couple days later, I only bought one more bottle. I love Espolón, especially the blanco, and I was hoping to find some. This proved to be harder than I expected. The first two places I tried didn't have it. Then I left the Americanized confines of the mall to a place across the street whose sign proclaimed the "Lowest Tequila Prices" would be found there. I perused the shelves and was about to give up when, on a bottom shelf in the back, I found TWO bottles of El Espolón blanco. One was the typical tall 750ml, and the other was, wow, this short, round 750 bottle. I had never ever seen even a picture of Espo in that bottle. According to the labels, the contents were identical, and so was the price, $300 pesos. That's about $25 USD. I pay over $40 for that here, and the only place that has it is running out. I bought it, choosing the little squat bottle just for the novelty of it. Thought it might be a little easier to pack also.

Interestingly, one tequila I hardly saw at all in Cabo was Patrón. A couple stores had it, a few didn't. None of the bars I went to offered it. One guy told me it was more expensive in Mexico than in the US. This reinforces what I already knew: Patrón is an American product.

So to total my score: I returned with one Corralejo repo, one Siete Leguas repo, one Chinaco repo, one EL Tesoro blanco and one Espolón blanco. It's a total of 3.75 liters, well under the duty-free limit for three travellers.

Then, upon my return, I found on our doorstep a just-delivered sample bottle of T1 Tequila Uno Blanco Ultra Fino. It's incredible. We're going to have a lot of fun tasting and comparing these nice tequilas. More on that later....!

As they like to say in Cabo, "¡No te preocupes!" which of course means, NO WORRIES!

Chinaco Repo Review on Tequila.net
El Tesoro Blanco Review on Tequila.net
Espolón Blanco Review on Tequila.net
7 Leguas Repo Review on Tequila.net

The Robb Report, T1 Tequila

2010-01-14T16:59:00.000-08:00

Here's a nice profile on T1:
Agave Artist

Show Me Yours (I'll show You Mine!)

2010-01-14T11:10:00.000-08:00

Here's the full current collection:

Front Row L to R: Tenampa Azul Repo (lives in the freezer), Cazadores Repo, Herradura Anejo, 375s of Espolon Repo, Anejo and Blanco, Corralejo Repo, Presidente brandy
Second Row L to R: ElTesoro Anejo, Partida Repo, Milagro Repo Reserva, Casa Noble Repo,Los Abuelo Blanco, Casa Noble Blanco, Corralejo Repo Triple Distilado, 1921 Repo Reserva, Penca Azul Anejo 2007 Reserva

2010: Año de Agave?

2010-01-14T09:06:00.000-08:00

¡Hola amigos y feliz año nuevo!

Your tio Drew had a very big and busy holiday season. Of course much good tequila was enjoyed.

We are looking forward to a trip to Mexico in a month. Bringing the fam to Cabo for a week. Little Drew will be turning 3 there on Feb 16th. A piñata birthday will be in order! On the beach! ¡Vámos a la playa!

Just heard from Ryan Hutchins of Tequila Uno, and he promises to get a sample my way soon. To refresh, T1 is the new ultra-premium tequila master-crafted by Germán Gonzalez, the man responsible for the highly regarded Chinaco Negro and other fine tequilas. Germán is from a renowned aristocratic family who owned the distillery Gonzaleña. His Great Grandfather was El Presidente de Mexico. This man has blue-agave running through his veins!

Dos del Uno

While I wait with baited breath for my sample, Ryan sent me a nice hi-res pic of the T1 blanco and repo in their crystal decanter-style bottles. Feast your eyes! Makes your mouth water, don't it?

Update on the Milagro Select Barrel

2009-12-10T16:10:00.000-08:00

Menage au Milagro

Poured some Mil Repo SB in my flask 'till it was 2/3 full. Carried it around for a few hours before having a sip. After being poured and sort-of decanted like that, it was much less hot and alcohol-y. There was a mellower flavor where the agave came through, along with some nice woodiness. Pretty nice...

I Hate Don Julio Blanco With Every Fiber Of My Being!

2009-11-22T17:07:00.000-08:00

So, there I was last night, playing a gig at a local watering hole and I looked behind the bar and my only tequila choices were: Cuervo Especial, Patron Silver, and yes, the despicable DJ Blanco. Ugh.

If you know me, you know I have tried DJ Blanco about every two years to see if I'll "like it this time" but no, I always dislike it intensely.

I'll say hate.

I hate it.

So again I go against my better judgement and order a shot of the DJ Blanco. It was even worse that I expected. Kerosene! It was so bad I wasn't going to drink it but instead I just bolted it down as quick as I could.

It's like I'm allergic to the stuff.

Horrid.

Drank Patron the rest of the night, happily.

¿Milagro, Si o No?

2009-11-11T17:44:00.000-08:00

I am muy bonita, no?

Every freaking where I look all of a sudden, I see Milagro. Bars, restaurants, events, everywhere they're peddling Milagro. They must have some damn good marketing.
So, I've been trying it. First, I tried the blanco. Not terrible. I didn't hate it on ice. It's pretty smooth and I'd say it's as-good or better than Patrón Silver -- and a lot cheaper. The reposado and anejo, y'now, not great, not bad. The anejo I liked pretty well. It's oakey.

The whole thing is sort of, "pretty bottle -- pretty average tequila". For the money it's fine. There's nothing really NOT to like. I think it's a case of marketing to the new and growing taste for high-end tequila. It's un-adventurous, it's safe, and and it's less expensive than Patrón. So, the average Joe and Jane will know the names Cuervo, Patron, maybe Cabo Wabo, and now Milagro.

Then, astonishingly and out of the blue, a friend gifts me with a beautiful bottle of Milagro Reposado Select Barrel Resrva. Apparently the guy at the liquor store recommended it. Really nice bottle. The tequila inside is initially very strong on alcohol, probably due to the triple distilling. You have to let it decant for a while. Then you'll notice a pretty decent repo; not in my top-five, and not particularly outstanding in any way. But I like it on ice and the blown crystal bottle makes a very nice addition to the collection.

I certainly like it better than the standard repo, which was my least favorite of the basic three.

So far, the Milagro line-up isn't really poking me in the eye. I'm gonna have to hit this gift bottle a little harder. Until then, the jury is still out...

Here's the reserva review on Tequila.Net

Partida Reposado: Smooth and Elegant

2009-10-24T16:09:00.000-07:00

Lit From Within: Partida Reposado is a Brilliant Gold Color and Beautifully Bottled

I got an unexpected check for $52.00 in the mail the other day. It was from a credit-card account that I had closed last winter. Apparently the SEC or some other such agency had gone after this bank (the now-defunct Advanta Card), saying they had done some sketchy practices with their customers. They were ordered to pay people back! Yes! So I got a check! Wow. Revenge is sweet.

And what does a tequila aficionado do when "free money" lands in his lap? Why I headed straight to the liquor store, of course. I picked up a bottle of Partida Reposado, thereby burning up the entire $52.00

This golden honey-colored nectar is really nice. It's silky smooth and full of flavor, with a rich body of sweet, wood-tinged agave. The juice is rested for six-months in Jack Daniel's American Oak Barrels. The Partida has a lovely, fruity nose, a nice mouth-feel and a really elegant flavor without being too heavy or smoky. This is more of a "modern" tequila, having more in-common with Patron than with many of the older established tequilas. It is certainly marketed to American tastes. There's really nothing not to like about Partida reposado, and it particularly appeals to me because for a repo it has a very big agave presence. In my opinion, this is what a reposado should be -- agave that's just kissed with the flavor and mellowness of the resting. With many tequilas I like the blanco better than the repo, because the repo tastes to effed-with; too flavored. In the case of Partida, they've nailed it. The repo has everything I like about the blanco, and more. (The blanco is really good too, by the way. I have yet to try the anejo -- pricey).

This is a tequila I would serve to guests, especially folks who may not be familiar with premium tequila. This one goes neat in a reidel glass or small snifter. Partida Repo's a great after-dinner drink. Like I said, muy elegante.

Partida Reposado has been described as "The Bentley of Reposados". I say, take her out for a drive, baby!

Tequila.net reviews of Partida Repo

Spirits Review - 9 out of 10 olives!

Many Happy Tequilas!

2009-10-06T11:11:00.000-07:00

Una Mas, Por Favor!

Well, this past weekend could not have been more filled with good agave if I’d had dreamed it. First, on Friday we attended a good friend’s wedding. Dave Fiorito and his lovely bride Laura are both tequila lovers and readers of this blog.
The bar at their awesome reception at The Endicott Estate in Dedham, MA was stocked with Cazadores Anejo. Now, I said in a previous blog that I had been disappointed with the Caza Repo the last couple time’s I’d tried it, having liked it a lot before. I also mentioned that I’d never tried the anejo because I would not pay that much money to be potentially unhappy with the juice. I know David read that blog, and whaddya know, there it was at his wedding! Caza Anejo! Coincidence? I think not! I loved it and will buy it again in the future. Best of the Cazadores line-up for sure.

I had brought the couple a bottle of Espolón Reposado as a gift there to the reception. Well, when the Caza ran out, guess what the bride did? Yup! She ordered, “Drew go get that bottle from the gift-table and we’re gonna open it and enjoy it right now!” And you can’t turn down the request of the bride, now, can you? We killed off the Espie in about 15 minutes. Oh yeah! Fun wedding!

Then, the next night, my band Twang ‘em High! played our favorite place, ChiliHead BBQ in West Bridgewater. As you know they have one of the best Tequila bars here in Mass. While we played, we enjoyed shots of Casa Noble Reposado and Corralejo Reposado. I was spreading the word over the microphone, and the bar sold a lot of tequila that night – way more than usual, thanks to my between-song tequila banter.

Salud!

¿Quién es Más Blanco?

2009-09-17T18:22:00.000-07:00

Blanco Bottle Battle Round Dos

La Familia Don Valente

Our previous winner, and my heretofore favorite blanco, Espolón, goes up against two formidable challengers: Los Abuelos Blanco (lot 2), and Don Valente Blanco Artesanál. Wow, right? That is a tough field. Sort of like the NFC East.

The Abuelos, aka La Fortaleza is renowned by aficionados. (If you have followed the blog you know I have been trying to get my hands on this for months). It's master-distiller and brand-ambassador is Guillermo Sauza, the fifth generation of Tequila's famous Sauza family. He makes this tequila on one small prime piece of land, in a vintage distillery. The Agave juice esta molido de tahona -- extracted with the ancient stone pressing wheel. There is no doubt that this Tequila feels hand-made; from the beatiful blown-glass bottle with antique-styled label, to the small-batch numbered lots. By comparison, Patrón produces something like 100-times the number of bottles.

Apparently there's something I'm not getting here. This is one of the Holy Grails of tequila, and I dunno, maybe my pallette is not yet refined enough for el ultimo --the very finest of the fine. It seems strong on alcohol - quite hot. The nose is floral and the taste is pretty pungent. I taste citrus and nuts and earth, even oak, which I can't figure out being that it's a blanco. But all the while it seems to be missing the big agave core and spirit that I crave. And there's the undertone of a tang, almost a weird sour tang that I can't seem to shake. It's pretty smooth and the finish is smooth. It doesn't bite but it does burn, with a strong presence of alcohol. Maybe I'd like the repo or anejo better. So, despite everything, I'm thinking I won't go out of my way to get this again, and believe-you-me, I went way way out of my way to score this bottle (and so did another guy, Thanks, Krys!)

I liked the Don Valente. It has a light mouth feel and overall has a lighter, sweeter character. It has minimal alcohol presence, and virtually NO burn. The DV exhibits what I expect; a nice agave body and a nutty, sweet flavor of caramel and vanilla. A very nice sipper, if not just a bit mild-mannered. Wish I could get it around here.

On to the Champ, Espolón. I still think this one holds up to any good blanco. In fact, I love the whole Espolón line. I am heartened that the new Cabo Wabo will be made by the same distillery. This is bold with intense citrus agave and spice. It has more alcohol than the Don Valente, and has a bit of an ashy finish. This is why I like Espie on ice.

Between the Espolón and the Valente, this is going to be a close call. I will have another one-on-one taste of these.

OK, the Espolón is less sweet and more peppery - a little hotter overall. As a pure sipper, the Valente wins. It's really delightful -- sweet, smooth and buttery. There's basically nothing NOT to like about the DV. It's a happy tequila!

"Olé! Soy Alegre!"
The DV wins by half a penca!

Don Valente Blanco Artesanál: 4 Pencas
Espolón Silver: 3.5 Pencas
Los Abuelos Blanco (lot 2): 3 Pencas

El Primero de Uno

2009-09-01T13:08:00.000-07:00

T1 Tequila Uno to Launch This Month.

A very pretty bottle in a tequila-world of pretty bottles

A new ultra-premium 100% agave brand, T1 (Tequila Uno), crafted by German Gonzales, will make it's US debut September 10th thru 12th at San Diego's Spirits of Mexico Festival. It will be available in Texas and California only for the first several months, with northeast distribution set for early 2010. I for one, or should I say "for uno", will be anxious to taste this top-shelf offering.

T1 Tequila Uno

Cazadores, The Hunter

2009-08-13T16:26:00.000-07:00

Actually it's Los Cazadores, The Hunters, plural. This is a tequila that needs to be talked about, because even though it's a minor player in the US Tequila market, the brand is a favorite in Mexico itself. Cazadores actually claims to be the number one 100% agave tequila in Mexico. (Keep in mind, Mexicans by-and-large drink mixtos, reportedly because 100% agave tequilas are too expensive).

La Botella Vieja

I first discovered Cazadores quite by accident back in 2003. I went to a whisky tasting that was being held at a nice hotel. It was $90 for a ticket. God only knows how I afforded that then, 'cause I could never throw $90 at a booze event these days. Anyhoo, so there I was sipping one fine scotch after the next, making the round of the room, and I came to a table that had, not whisky, but -- whaddya know -- tequila! Huh! That was a surprise. And the thing I love equally to good scotch is good tequila, so I was more than eager to sample the offering. It was Cazadores (Reposado), which I had never heard of before. It was in the original-style bottle that looked like it belonged in an old-west saloon. It had the noble buck on it, but it was much more crudely labelled than what you see now. The people at the booth told me their company had just aquired it -- first time it would be available in the States. They described going to the factory in Mexico, way up in the mountains on some scary dirt road that was more of a burro path than a road. Apparently it took all day to get to this remote place. They also told me that this was the tequila Mexicans drink! That really peaked my interest.

So I had a gulp.

"Wow" I exhaled, "That is some really good tequila!" It had a very pure and full-bodied taste of agave, along with some pepper and spice. I didn't taste anything metallic or sour. Obviously this was a classic juice hand-made from weber blue agave. I liked it...ALOT! (Of course by this time I was already feeling the warm glow of good whisky, so I was all lovey-dovey and shit).

The people told me they were going to clean up and modernize the bottle/label, and when that was done I should start seeing it in stores. First would be the reposado at around $30, then blanco and anejo would follow.

Sure enough, in just a short time I saw Caza Repo on the shelves of my local store, which has always had a great tequila aisle. And sure enough, they had improved the look of the packaging with a smooth new label that essentially reproduced the old one using much better art and graphics. I believe they literally re-illustrated the deer from scratch. One thing they didn't change was the damn Mexican measured-shot dispenser on the top. Why they need that on an export bottle I don't know, but it drives me up a wall.

Fancy New Bottle, But What's Inside?

Naturally, I bought the bottle and was not disappointed by the contents. Just as good as I had expected. Made some deadly 'ritas with it. Good stuff!

The next time we encountered The Great Hunter was in Florida in 2004. We went down for a wedding, after-which we took a couple days at a nice sea-side inn on Anna Maria Island. The place had a kitchenette, complete with a blender. So like Buffett, I set out to put booze in it. The little local liquor store did NOT look promising. I figured it would be one of those classic places with a crappy tequila shelf with about six bottles of Cuervo this and Cuervo that. I was right; it had a really small, bad selection -- except for one bottle. Yes. You've guessed it! There sat a an old-west saloon bottle sporting a yellow label with a handsome but poorly-printed buck on it. Not only did they have Cazadores, but they had it in the OLD pre-redesign bottle that I had seen at the tasting. It was even dusty. Score!

Using Caza Repo, I invented a 'rita there at the hotel called The Blue Tortuga, that we drank by the pool. Good times had been hunted, sighted, and bagged!

Then came trouble.

The next bottle of The Deer I bought was not good. It was not good at all. It was sour and barely drinkable. It tasted a little bit like liquid cigarette-butts. Ooof! Bad news. Scared me! It bore little resemblance to the honey-toned juice I'd had before. I was not hunting for edgy and harsh, which was what I got.

By this time the Caza Blanco had hit the shelves. I love blancos, so I thought, this has gotta be good. BZZZZZ! WRONG! I hated it.

What had gone wrong with mi cariño Cazadores? ¿Mi novia, a donde vas? To this day I have not tried the anejo because I cannot spend that much money and be disappointed. Nice bottle though! The brand is now well-marketed and has gained popularity. They even sponser like Nascar or pro boxing or something.

Right around this time I discovered Corralejo Reposado, a good, solid, flavorful repo that is lightly rested so it has a lot of fresh agave punch. It's actually closer to a blanco than a reposado, with a very light olive-oil tint. It's not my favorite tequila, but it makes a damn good drink and it's sippable as well. It's a real basic 100% agave tequila. (It should be noted that I do not like Corralejo's blanco or anejo, OR the very expensive reposado triple-distilled). It should go for under $30, but this is Mass, so it goes here for almost $40, which is just on the edge of being not worth it. Seen it as low as $25 on some web-stores.

So, the conclusion to this tale is that, with Corralejo and others like Herradura and Espolón being readily available, I have long ago said goodbye to my dear old Deer. Maybe I'll check back in with him again someday, and reminisce over those good times we had back in 2003 and 2004. (Of course, the thing about tequila is, if you actually remember drinking tequila, well, you didn't drink enough tequila).

Cazadores Reposado Reviews on Tequila.net

The Curse of Pale Rider!

2009-08-11T07:23:00.000-07:00

Posada knew how I feel right now...

I am truly cursed!

Talk about a grown man crying! Well, some of you already have been following my valiant attempts to get a bottle of Fortaleza Blanco from a store in California and a bottle of Don Valent Blanco from my sister. These were "birthday gifts" for my b-day on June 5th. Well, for some dark comic relief, here's how things stand as of today...

I, the Fortaleza: The first bottle that arrived was tainted due to rotten cork. Even Guillermo Sauza took an interest in the problem, but ultimately I sent the bottle back to Ramirez in LA. Once they recieved it, they sent me a replacement. This whole thing took more than a month. I finally got the replacement and guess what? Not as bad, but still a sour bottle of tequila. Cork looks dark and crappy, juice smells and tastes sour and metallic. At this point I'm not sure what to do. Maybe it's the actual shipping from west to east coast that's causing the problem.

II, the DV: It took about 5 weeks for my sister in Denton Texas to acquire a bottle, and it took the help of the local distributer there, Robert Sturdenvant. It was special-ordered through a store in Lake Dallas. Sis, a tequila lover herself, couldn't resist and opened the bottle for a taste. Next thing you know, she and a friend had consumed the whole thing! Happy birthday to me! So, she special orders ANOTHER bottle and two or three weeks later I get a Fedex saying it's been shipped. That was yesterday, Finally, I thought, I'll have some new juice by the weekend! Rejoice!

Then, tragedy! TODAY I get an email from Fedex saying the shipment will not be completed due to damaged contents. Yes! Can you believe it? The freakin' BOTTLE BROKE! Holy shit!

OK, well, I give up!

Fuck it!

100% Puro de Sangre

2009-08-04T17:06:00.001-07:00

Friends Don't Let Friends Drink Friends: A Bottle of O-Positive. Serve Warm!

My wife and I are fanatically addicted to the HBO series, "True Blood". For those who have not watched it -- or read the books -- the story is set in a world where vampires have come "out of the coffin" so to speak, to live and coexist with the rest of us mere mortals. What has made it possible for vampire-kind to shed their shroud of secrecy (and theoretically stop killing and feeding on people) is the invention of a synthetic blood, aptly named "Tru-Blood". It comes in bottles labeled with the different "flavors"; O-Positive, A-Negative, etc. Before consuming, the bottle must be briefly heated in the microwave to 98.6 degrees.

Our favorite character on the show is the flamboyantly gay Lafayette Reynolds, artfully played by the young actor Nelsan Ellis. By day Lafayette is the fussy, "don't fuck with me I'm hungover" short-order cook at Sam Merlotte's Bar & Grill. By night, he prowls the vampire underworld as a male prostitute whose vamp johns pay him with vials of their own blood. You see, vampire-blood, or "V", as its known, is a powerful hallucinogen when ingested by normal humans. Oh yes! Thrill seekers pay big bucks for just a few drops of The V. It is very illegal, and very addictive. (Not only that, if the Vamps find out you're dealing their blood, we'll let's just say that's the end of you! You see, Vampires have been killed for their blood).

So basically, Lafayette is a gay whore and "V" dealer. Love it!

So, why on earth do I blog about this on Rancho de Tequila?

Because there's a subversive little product-placement situation happening on this show, and it has to do with Tequila.

You see, while some people are imbibing "V" or Tru-Blood or Beer, Lafayette is never without his glass of Patron. He is regularly seen padding around with a high-ball glass of silver and a twist of lime sunk in to the glass. No ice. When Lafayette runs low, he walks out from the kitchen and around to the bar at Merlotte's, grabs the Patron bottle and tops off his glass. At noon!

Lafayette with his ever-present glass of Patron...

Anyone who knows me knows I am no big fan of Patron, but I do love this aspect of the character of Lafayette. He likes Tru-Agave! Pura Sangre!

I wonder how much the Patron company pays for this subtle -- this subversive -- product placement?

True Blood's HBO Homepage

Patron: The Perfect Poser?

2009-08-02T11:58:00.000-07:00

Shall we Patron-ize? (BTW: What's with the Bee? Is it saying, "Drink me for the buzz?")

Patron Patron Patron....Love it? Hate it? Over-rated? Over priced? Is it real? fake? A poser? Liquid gold or Donkey Wizz?

Many -- I'd say MOST -- tequila aficionados are staunchly anti-Patron. While I have problems with Patron in-general, I'm not as vehement. I call it "tequila with training wheels". Why? Because it's designed to be smooth and ultra-drinkable for people who don't have an experienced tequila pallette. It's like the vodka/martini people who never had a shot until Grey Goose came along (when some were drinking Stoli in the '80s). For many, Patron's the first and only pure agave tequila they've had; it's the only name they know other than Jose Cuervo.

Due to very good marketing, Patron has positioned itself as the one and only ultra-premium, and has priced itself accordingly. They're using one of the oldest marketing ploys in the world - make it expensive so people think it's the best. The strategy has worked like a charm. People are paying $50 per bottle and up. Is it worth it? Well in my not-so-humble opinion, no. Don't get me wrong, it's not bad tequila. In fact I like the reposado quite a bit. Many of the so-called Patron lovers have never tried the repo. They're stuck on the silver (blanco) which is ok, but there are far superior blancos out there for a lot less money. I could name half-a-dozen right now (but I won't). In fact, I have talked to Patron-izers who actually don't know about the other types of tequila (reposado, anejo, etc.) or the difference between a mixto and a 100%. They are simply happy to pay $7-a-shot for the schtuff.

The truth is that Patron is an American company, based in Las Vegas, and owned buy a guy who has been successful in the industry of hair salon products (Paul Mitchell Systems).

As far as taste, I find Patron Silver one-dimensional. It's not rich and complex, like ultra premium tequila tends to be. The bigger problem I have with it is the price. A good, I mean really good, blanco should be $10 to $20 less. For really good reposado or anejo I might spend $50. In fact, the only blanco I would ever spend upwards of $50 for would be La Fortaleza, which pisses all over Patron and then won't call Patron in the morning...or ever again, for that matter.

Here's a great review of Patron that really hits the target: Patron The Peroxide Blonde

Red Rocker's Business Ventures in the BLACK!

2009-07-21T07:23:00.000-07:00

New Cabo, Same Old Wabo?

Gotta hand it to Sammy Hagar; the notorious "Red Rocker" has certainly proved himself as a big-time money maker. A decent guitarist he may be, but if his guitar chops were as good as his entrepreneurial skills, he'd put Eddie Van Halen himself to shame. Hagar was the smartest member of Van Halen, to be sure. Instead of making news for how much he drinks, he makes booze for people to drink. Of course we refer to his premium tequila brand, Cabo Wabo, whose majority share was bought last year by the Italian company Campari/Skyy for a whopping $80 million. And that's dollars, not pesos. (Campari and Sammy have done a redesign of the CW bottle, making it more classy, and have actually changed the distillery to one recently bought-out by, conveniently, Campari). But Sammy, who still owns 20% of CW is not only a spirits baron, he controls his restuarnt/nightclub venture as-well. His infamous Cabo Wabo Cantina nightclub in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, is now a brand of it's own, expanding to Vegas and elsewhere like a Mexicali Hard Rock Cafe.

Now I Can Afford ALL The Red Guitars in the World!!!

About Sammy Hagar
Sammy is a professional rock and roller, restaurant owner, vintage car collector, gourmet chef, and tequila connoisseur with a passion for quality in everything he does. Sammy’s accolades include the journey as singer and songwriter for Van Halen for 11 years, a highly successful solo career both before and after his run with Van Halen, and an early stint with Montrose and now a Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame Inductee. Throughout his accomplished career, Sammy’s combined record sales, when considering the above resume, exceed 60 Million records sold! As founder of the most rockin’ clubs in the world (the Cabo Wabo Cantina in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico) and producer of one of the truly premium Tequilas in the world ( Cabo Wabo tequila), Sammy has established himself as an astute and extremely successful entrepreneur.

¡Viva Ramirez! ¡Viva Sauza!

2009-07-16T17:21:00.000-07:00

I want to give a shout-out and virtual high-five to Alex and Carlos at Ramirez Liquors in Los Angeles -- the vendor that sold me the afore-blogged bad bottle of Fortaleza. Not only are they going to make good on a replacement bottle, but they have actually gotten Guillermo Sauza himself involved. Apparently this is a very small but annoying problem, and Guillermo wants to fix it before the Los Abuelos/Fortaleza reputation gets hurt. They are switching to synthetic cork soon. In the meantime, Guillermo actually wants me to send the bad bottle to him, and they are going to lab test it to see what's going on...for real!

Wow, right?

La Quinta Generación, Guillermo Sauza

Bad Cork!

2009-07-15T16:59:00.000-07:00

El Corko Malo

Very sadly, my long-awaited bottle of Fortaleza/Los Abuelos Blanco is a bottle of agave-gone-bad. Yes! I don't drink wine, so I never knew the term "corked" before, but apparently this is a case of a tainted cork, which spoils the juice. I knew the minute I took my first sniff of the open bottle something was really wrong. The aroma was basically un-identifiable; a mixture of pure alcohol and sourness. I could not have told you it was tequila. The taste was nothing but hot alcohol and not a hint of agave. None.

Trying to resolve it with the vendor, but they had a disclaimer on their web-site that said I was ordering at my own risk, basically. So, maybe they'll help, maybe they wont.

Good-Cork, Bad-Cork

La Fortalezaaaaaah....

2009-07-11T15:21:00.001-07:00

Finally, after weeks of failed attempts to get a bottle of La Fortaleza (Blanco), a bottle arrived today. Also known as "Los Abuelos" -- see header photo -- aficionados describe Fortaleza as "The Holy Grail of Tequila" or even "Tequila Crack". "Get the crack!", they told me. So I did. El Cracko Mas Fino has arrived! Obviously I have high expectations. We shall see...

Sauza Cinco Generaciones: The Venerable Label of La Fortaleza

Viva El Presidente

2009-06-28T08:01:00.001-07:00

Commander in-Cheapo

My STANDARD Margarita is The Presidente. And, yes, I got the idea at Chili's restaurant many years ago. Then, on a dinner out to El Sarape (one of our fave Mex joints), I noticed they also had the Presidente on their 'rita menu, using Herradura silver. El Sarape's version is to die for!

The cocktail gets it's name from one of the ingredients - Presidente Mexican brandy. (Not good as a stand-alone brandy!).

The basic formula for a Presidente is:

One to two shots of Tequila (Chili's uses Sauza Conmemrativo, a decent mixto)I typically use Herradura silver, Corralejo reposado, of of late I use Centennario Tenampa Azul.

Presidente brandy - maximum half a shot

Orange Liquor (Chili's used to use Cointreau, now they use Patron Citronje. I use Gran Gala) - about a half shot

Margarita Mix or Sour Mix

A squeeze of fresh lime

When Bush was president I used to call my version The Texas Governor. People would ask, what's the difference between a Texas Governor and a Presidente, to which I would reply, NOTHING!

The Chief Hails my Margarita with a big thumb's up. Maybe I'll change the name to The Obamarita!

Hat's Off to ChiliHead!

2009-06-24T12:59:00.000-07:00

West Bridgewater BBQ Joint Smokes With Live Music and Good Tequila

I first walked in to Chilihead BBQ within day's of the restaurant's opening in 2004. Being a lover of good authentic Texas BBQ, the place caught my eye as I drove by one night. Luckily, the food did not disappoint! I quickly made friends with the owner, Paul Bello, and soon was playing live music in the corner of the little cafe.

A couple years later, Paul expanded ChiliHead, doubling the space, and got a full liquor license. His first bottles of tequila were, shall we say, lacking in quality 100% agave offerings. I uninvitedly gave him my totally not so humble opinion about how he should feature high-end tequila. I first suggested Herradura, El Tesoro, Don Julio and a couple others. Maybe Patron.

Long story short, Paul started on a tequila quest that continues to this day. ChiliHead has one of the best tequila bars in Massachusetts, currently stocking over 50 different bottles. He has even been to Mexico to tour the distilleries. In addition to great tequilas and margaritas, the restaurant offers great BBQ and great live music four nights a week.

As Paul likes to tell me and everyone else he talks to, his addiction to high-end tequila is "all MY fault!"

ChiliHead Music on MySpace

A Close Encounter With E.T.

2009-06-22T16:10:00.001-07:00

Score! Normally $40 to $50 or more, I scored a bottle of El Tesoro Anejo at the New Hampshire State Store for $36.00

I haven't phoned up ET (El Tesoro de Don Filipe) in a few years. I was in an Americana Band called Lucky 57 in the early and mid 2K's, and we drank a little (OK, maybe more than a little) El Tesoro. Since then I've discovered other high-end Tequilas and sort of forgot ET. When I joined Tequila.net, I saw that many members really like and value ET. Apparently, it's sort of an essential bottle, as far as officionados are concerned.

So I went to my local store to buy a bottle, Lukes, as they have always carried it. But no! To my surprise and dissapointment, they no longer offer it. They said they could order it in, but "I would not like the price". It would be $54 -- for the blanco! The reposado and anejo would be more.

So lucky me, today I was on my way back from a couple days in NH and of course stopped at the NH State Liquor Outlet. And, BOOM, they have ET Anejo on sale for $36.99. Now, I would have preferred a reposado or blanco, but they did not have those. So I bought it.

I have just now tried it, and while I would not put it in my top 5 or maybe even 10, it's a really nice, well-balanced sippin' anejo. Has a nice blend of agave and wood.

And the price, shall we say, was "out of this world!"

Here's the El Tesoro Anejo review page on Tequila.net

ET's main web-site

Behind The Cuervo Name: Tequila's Family Dynasty

2009-06-21T16:35:00.000-07:00

Expensive Cuervo

First, let me make it clear that I am not a Jose Cuervo hater. It is true that there was a time when I slammed anything with "The C-Word" on the label. Why? Because the historic Tequila brand was responsible for too many porcelain-hugging episodes in my college years. You too, right? For decades they have imported in to the USA mixto swill called "Gold" and "Especial". To this day many Americans consider this Tequila. I can't imagine going in to a bar and ordering an margarita without specifying or at least knowing what tequila is going in to it. But people still do that, and they get what they deserve. Let's not waste precious agave on them. Luckily myself and others are enlightened enough to know better.

Y'know what? That's Cuervo's business model, and due to good marketing they gave and got what the market would bear. Hat's off to 'em! If you make cheap crap and people pay good money for it, why not keep making it? I would! Has the Cuervo family been laughing at us all the way to the bank? Probably. They are still the number one tequila in the world. But I have learned that Cuervo is part of the origin and the fabric and the heart and soul of tequila. They are a founding family and a dynasty, responsible for building the industry and, lets even say, "la cultura de tequila".

The DO make some brands that I like. One of them, Centennario, is good by anyone's standards. I find Tradicional a very decent 100% agave for margaritas and even shots. I did not, however, like the expensive high-end blanco they released last year called "Platino". But I am a blanco snob, as you already know. This year I will take the plunge and try one of the reservas.

In 2009 Cuervo celebrates its 250th year. Let's give La Familia a respectful nod and salute the First Family of Tequila.

From Tequila.Net here's a nice article on the company, the cellars of reserva, the Cuervo legacy, and their plans for artful bottle releases for the big anniversary.

Cuervo Reserva Review
Cuervo Factoids

Artist Marco Arce will design the Cuervo 250th Reserva de la Familia Bottles

'Rita of the Week: The 3D 'Rita

2009-06-16T09:23:00.000-07:00

Made a tasty one last night. I used Corralejo Triple Distilado. In my recent reposado tasting I found that I didn't like this one as a sipper. Maybe the bottle is a little off. So....I used it in a margarita last night. It made a BIG 'rita, if you know what I mean. BIG taste. I used:

Lots of ice
1) shot of Corralejo 3D Reposado
2) 1/3-shot of Triple Sec (you get the "triple" theme?)
3) dribble of agave nectar
4) splash of orange juice
5) Stirrings Simple Margarita Mixer (key lime juice with cane sugar)

AND... a floater of 1921 Reserva Especial on top. Oh yeah...

That's all she wrote. It was both gooood.......

........and.......

................................effective! :-)

Riding The Blanco!

2009-06-14T14:12:00.000-07:00

And the winner is...

Anyone who knows me knows I love blancos (aka silver, platinum, crystal, etc...), those crystal-clear first squeezin's of the slow-roasted agave. Como relampago en una botella - It's lightnin' in a bottle. I feel a good blanco is where it all starts. If the blanco's fresh and full of agave and spice, it bodes well for the whole line-up. However, sometimes I like a blanco and don't like the rest of the offerings. Sometimes I like a reposado but don't like the blanco. For instance, I like Corralejo repo and dislike the blanco. Same with Cazadores. Same with Patron. Hated the new high-end offering by Cuervo, their blanco called "Platino". Oily stuff. $60 per bottle. You can put lipstick on a pig, right? Herradura "silver" is my default margarita juice. Even the reposados I like tend to be young, gently rested tequilas that still lean more towards white than amber. The lighter the better, both color-wise and taste-wise. Blancos tend to be fruity, citrus-y, floral, nutty and peppery. Fresh. Bright. Spunky. Punchy.

And yes, I often keep a bottle in the freezer. I like it cold and I don't care what the Tequila officionados say.

So, what, in my not-so-humble opinion, are the best blancos? Well, keep in mind there are many that I have NOT tried. Therefore I will rank the ones I have:

6) Herradura Silver - great for 'ritas and very sippable too. Has alot of alcohol burn, which is typical of blancos.
5) Corazon Blanco. Love this one in the freezer. Has a nice blue agave bite.
4) Casa Noble Blanco -- actually like this better than their reposado
3) Partida Blanco -- Silky smooth and full of agave flavor and spunk.
2) Chinaco Blanco -- EARTHY, aromatic stuff. Very rich for a blanco. Love the whole Chinaco line-up.
1) Espolon Blanco -- this one has everything! It's super flavorful, chock-full of blue agave flavor and punch, with a sweet buttery finish that's easy on the tongue. Lower than average alcohol burn.

The Ballad of El Grado...

2009-06-11T17:08:00.000-07:00

New Ultra Premium Tequila Makes a Spirited Launch in to US Market

Here comes another new Tequila for the well-tuned palette and well-heeled wallet. El Grado calls itself "Tequila's Crown Jewel". Can't wait to taste it, although availability will be limited to Texas and California initially. (Y'know what's great? Having a sister in Texas who can send me bottles of Tequila!)

Tequila El Grado Press Release on Tequila.net

El Grado Spirits Main Site

Reposado Death-Match!

2009-06-11T07:45:00.000-07:00

I originally posted this on my new favorite web-site, Tequila.net, a great source for tequila reviews and all things agave.

Did my own reposado tasting last night. Here they are in order of first to last:

1) 1921 Reposado Special Reserva
2) Casa Noble Reposado
3) Corralejo Reposado
4) Corralejo Reposado Triple Distillado

*Keep in-mind I'm trying to train my pallette to taste and review, but I'm a total rookie at it (veteran drinker, rookie reviewer). I know what I like and I have good taste, I think. I can tell bad from good, but this "notes of cooked sweet potato" thing is completely new to me.

Long story short, the 1921 was the smoothest and fullest of the lot. The aroma is really sweet, the notes I scrawled say: nutmeg, amaretto, almond, vanilla, lilies etc. Then the taste: Honey, agave, red chili peppers, posole, and earth. Best finish, least burn. Niiicceee!

The Corralejo 3D I didn't like much. The nose was earthy, mossy - almost peetey and strong on alcohol. I scribbled, "cactus". The initial taste on the tongue is nice, silky and buttery. Then comes agave. Then the tang starts, first like kiwi then it goes to metal and burns out to ash. Overall a strong alcohol presence with a very sour aftertaste. This bottle might actually be off. Maybe sat on a shelf too long. I'll use it in margaritas.

The Corralejo Reposado I already like. It's light and fruity and floral. Smells like lime, pear, almonds and lilacs. It hits the tongue a bit hot, but is strong on agave. I also tasted wood and pepper. It's a nice blend of agave, fruit and spice. Aftertaste a tad sour. A good, well-balanced every day tequila. Sip it or make 'ritas.

La Familia Casa Noble

The Casa Noble Reposado has been reviewed a lot on tequila.net, so I won't go too far. I liked it almost as much as the 1921, but for different reasons. Like the 1921 there is smoothness and sweetness, but the CN has a distinct agave blast, I call it the agave punch, which is surrounded by many other flavors of fruits nuts, spices and wood. In general it's more "pungent". My notes: Aroma -- wood, rose, vanilla, pine nuts, raisins. Mouth-feel/taste -- silky, a bit oily, big agave punch, wood, earth, charcoal, minimal alcohol burn. The CN is complex and layered. I'm not a pro taster, so read the other reviews on Tequila.net. I still like the CN "Crystal" blanco better.

Casa noble on Blogger: http://www.casanoble.blogspot.com

The Partida Nectarita

2009-06-10T13:36:00.001-07:00

!Muy refrescante! Una Tequila mas, por favor...

OK! I may have just mixed up the perfect Margarita. And I have made some GOOD 'ritas before, so this is sayin' somethin'! Without dilly-dallying around, let me get straight to the recipe:

We're using Partida Blanco Tequila. One might argue that a $50 blanco is too good to make a 'rita with, but I say, it's too good NOT to make a 'rita with. The other ingredients are Triple Sec, a dash of Presidente Mexican Brandy, Key Lime Juice, and the secret weapon, about a teaspoon of Partida Agave Nectar (aka Agave Syrup) a honey-like syrup made from the Blue Agave in the same way maple syrup is made from tree sap. Shake it up good with plenty of ice!

For inspirational images and some nice Spano-Mexican music check out the Partida Margarita Web-site, here.

The Tequila Revelation, New York, 1992

2009-06-09T11:55:00.000-07:00

The First One Was Free! The Legendary Cattle-Car Bar at The Rodeo, NYC

My agave quest began a relatively long time ago -- long before the more recent Patron-driven 100% agave revolution began in the USA. It was October of 1992. My band was playing the prestigious CMJ (College Media Journal) Music Conference in NYC. We had the great fortune to be placed at The Rodeo Bar, one of the convention's official venues. This was appropriate because then, as now, we played a twangy Texas-style music. The big thing about playing the Rodeo was that 1) they paid the bands and 2) they fed the bands for free and 3) they even provided free drinks! Great place! See, they were the ONLY place that paid the bands. At all the other venues the bands played these "SHOWCASES" for free, and it was really pay-to-play because of the expense of doing it. So like I said, we were lucky as hell.

So we played and had a good gig and enjoyed the other bands on the bill and ate at the adjoining (excellent) Tex-Mex restaurant, then called "Albuquerque". The bar itself was a converted actual cattle car, and this very nice bartender named Erin took a liking to us. The night wore on, and before you knew it, only my bass-player and myself remained at the cattle-bar with Erin. We had been drinking beers and were now in the mood for a tequila shot. Erin then says, "Guys, you need to try some REAL tequila!" She pointed up to the top of the bar to some dusty bottles hidden in the shadow above the bar-lights. "Our Mexican cooks bring this stuff up from Mexico when they come back from visiting home. It's their private stash," Erin said. Our eyes got big. Would there be worms? Scorpions?

But without further ado and at no charge she lined us up three shots from three different bottles and we tasted them.

Damn dude! The lights went on in technicolor. Flavor! Spice! Smoothness! Wood! Baby!

Then the lights went out.

We literally fell off our bar-stools and staggered our way out to the NY streets at about 3 am. I still have NO memory of getting back to the hotel.

I had no idea what labels were on those bottles, so I couldn't tell you what I drank that night. But for the rest of the 90's and up until now I have sought out the best tequila available. And in the mid '90s there was not much available. At first it was stuff like Hornitos and Conmemorativo. Then I think, yes, it was Don Julio that a Mexican buddy of mine brought back from Mexico. It was not yet available in the US, or at least around here. Then came Tradicional and Herradura and El Jimador and Cabo Wabo and El Tesoro and then Patron came along and the blue floodgates of agave opened.

Thank you Erin, wherever you are! This is all your fault!