La Gingerita!

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!

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!

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

Quick Espo Update (of post below).

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?

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

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

¡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

¿Quién es Más Blanco?

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

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.