Viva El Presidente

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!

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.

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

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

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!

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...

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!

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

!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

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!