Please Stand By....

Too busy to blog. While you wait, breathlessly no doubt, for my next pearls of blogdom, please enjoy Radio Pura Vida!

http://www.rfcmedia.com/radiopuravidaplayer.html

Pura Vida Power Ballad - Big Tejano Tequila is Ready to Rock!

Pearly and Purely - The Reverend Willie G with a bottle of the "good life." Have Mercy!

Anybody who knows me knows I love three things: Twang, Texas, and Tequila. They know that I have been looking for a boutique tequila brand to get behind; to sing the praises of; to evangelize; to totally rock out for! Well, along comes a new brand that brings together all my favorite things: Pura Vida (NOM 1414) 100% agave tequila - Born in Los Altos, Raised in South Texas, and Infused with the Spirit of Rock and Roll.

"Pura Vida" loosely translated, means "The Good Life." If there was ever a brand-image that hits a big power-chord with me, this is it. For starters, the label is partly owned by my all-time Texas guitar-hero, Billy Gibbons. I grew up idolizing his playing, digging his baddass style, and trying to steal every one of his licks! (You can still hear his influence in my playing). For me, ZZ Top didn't just play low-down Texas boogie, they exuded Texas cool. They WERE Texas! It's about big hats, big beards, loud guitars, loud clothes, hot girls and hot-rods. Few Power Trios have amped-up the Texican blues more mightily than that Little Ol' Band From Texas.

Tequila Pura Vida launched in 2011, not surprisingly with a handful of big fiestas and rock-shows. Manufactured at Highland NOM 1414, PV is a partnership between Texas businessman Stewart "El Guapo" Skloss, and Mexico's Viviano famly, who are fourth-generation agaveros. It is well-known that Feliciano Viviano serenades the distilling juice with music from a concert-hall sound-system. Appropriatey, Pura Vida is the first and only liquor company with its own radio station, Radio Pura Vida. Señor Gibbons himself has been the Blues-Man Ambassador of the label, front and center. The Rev has been workin' the room!

So the buzz has been full-throttle. Is this really "The World's Best Damn Tequila?" There have been some heavily hyped-tequilas that do not live up to the noise. Naturally, I am praying that I love this juice! Stay tuned to Radio Rancho Tequila for my review!

Coming Soon to a Rancho Review Near You...

Tequila PuraVida - Born in Mexico, Raised in Texas, and flavored with a touch of Rock 'n' Roll

Pura Vida - invested in and endorsed by my favorite Texas guitarist of all, Señor Billy F. Gibbons.

Soup of The Day!

How about some agave salad with that?

Dia de Margarita!

Hi, I'm Ginger, but you can call me Rita!

What do you know? Today is National Margarita Day! Well, here on the Rancho it's always a good day for a 'Rita. So in honor of the, um, "holiday," I guess I better put a recipe up, bloggy-style.

Give my Polar Gingerita a try-- it's a combination of reposado, diet ginger ale, and lime juice. Cheers!

Polar Gingerita:
2 oz Reposado Tequila (Suggested: Camarena, Espolón, Corralejo)
4 oz Polar Diet Ginger Ale
...1/2 oz freshly squeezed Lime Juice
Shake and pour ingredients into an ice-filled highball glass. Garnish with a lime or lemon wheel.


It's also my wife's birthday, but her name isn't Rita.

I'll drink a margarita to her, ANY day!

Agave Newbie?

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

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

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

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.