Rancho Tequila: August 2011

Sunday, August 21, 2011

La Casa de Santana

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!

Sunday, August 14, 2011

Yo Papagayo!

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!

Tuesday, August 2, 2011

Inbound Tequilas! Coming Soon!

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.

My Tequila Discovery, 1992

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 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!

www.ranchotequila.net