Tequila

[cowdery]

Dining in a Mexican restaurant the other night, I enjoyed a Herradura Reposado. If bourbon is often misunderstood and wrongly considered a harsh, unsophisticated drink, tequila has it even worse. Sipping a Herradura Reposado neat is a lovely experience. I would do it much more often if there weren't so much bourbon to drink.

[doubleblank]

Chuck......In the Price of Tequila thread, I stated the Herradura Reposado is my favorite tequila. Next time, try the reposado by El Tesoro as its also quite good.

Randy

[lakegz]

you bring up a good point when mentioning tequila's perceived harshness. I have had Tequila on ice before and I really enjoyed it in the company of some friends who looked at me like I was crazy. I offered them some and said that it was very gentle and they gave me the crazy eye and backed off. their loss, my gain.

so many people think that Bourbon and Tequila are gasolines. i dont know about you guys but ive had some beers and ales that have a much harsher flavor and aftertaste then my beloved EWSB, so it really catches my attention when people down that stuff, then bash Bourbon for being hard-core on the palate.

[Sweetmeats]

My next neighbor is a wonderful man. He barely speaks a lick of English and needs to have his daughter translate for him. I would say that he is the Mexican equivalent of some of you guys. He has a bunker but it is solid Tequila. Multiple bottles of Tequila adorn his living room right next to his shrine of the Virgin of Guadalupe. He is very cool. Anyway, I gave him a table and an entertainment center yesterday and he comes back with a bottle of Cazadores Resposado for me. His daughter tells me that when he went to Mexico recently, he picked up three bottles. One for his father, one for himself, and one for me. To him, this is a HUGE present. To me as well to be honest. So I thank him for the wonderful gift and go inside my house to enjoy. Now, I've had Cazadores Resposado before and have loved it every time. However, this time, there was something different. When, I opened it, it smelled like a wonderful margarita. Just very fragrant. Now I'm not sure if the Mexicans save the best tequila for themselves but they must for this was the best tequila I have ever had. I'm planning on getting him a bottle of bourbon for Christmas so hopefully he will appreciate it as much as I appreciate his gift.

[gr8erdane]

Nice story. I hope your neighbor enjoys your gift as much as you do his. One of my best friends and I swap bottles every Christmas, Bushmills for him and Wild Turkey 101 for me. I don't know about the Bushmills, but that is the finest Wild Turkey I can imagine because of the source.

[Vange]

Tequila is my first love when it comes to spirits. I have amassed quite a collection of anejo (aged) tequilas. Here is my link.

https://67.85.199.137/em/tequila.nsf/pgown

I have tried nearly 100 types of tequila and am a HUGE fan. I especially like it with the traditional mexican chaser of sangrita. A spicy/tomato drink to sip after each sip of fine tequila.

[Sweetmeats]

The Cazadores Resposado I got from my next door neighbor is the Mexican version. It seemed very smooth, and as I was looking at the label it was 70 something proof instead of the usual 80 proof American import. Anyone have any idea why the difference?

[Vange]

The tequilas expored into the US carry an 80 proof, while the ones that remain in Mexico are 76. Not sure why really, but that's the trend.

[cowdery]

US law requires straight spirits, including tequila, to be sold at at least 80 proof. They can sell it at a lower proof, but they would have to label it "diluted."

A lot of spirits outside the U.S. are sold at 70, 74 or 76 proof.

Why 80? It's arbitrary, much like the 21-year-old drinking age. You have to draw a line somewhere. It's consumer protection, so you don't have to look at the proof of everything you buy. If you buy a straight spirit (whiskey, brandy, tequila, rum, gin, vodka, etc.) it will be no less than 80 proof and you can count on that. As it happens, most producers have adopted the minimum as the standard, so most straight spirits products are sold at 80 proof.

[ratcheer]

Can you give us a good recipe for sangrita? Or, is it just something you buy?

Tim

[CrispyCritter]

Could some of these 70 proof or 76 proof spirits be using the Sykes system rather than ABV * 2?

[cowdery]

I don't know, what's the Sykes system?

[Gillman]

I can answer that. Bartholomew Sykes was an English scientist who developed a proof ascertainment system which later was used to announce proof strength on whisky and other spirits labels. Under his sytem, alcohol spirits were considered proven, i.e., of sufficient strength, at 57.1% ABV. He ascertained this by burning mixtures of gunpowder and alcohol, at 57.1% ABV the mixture flared adequately in his view. To this proven strength he assigned arbitrarily the number 100. Pure alcohol or 100% ABV was however in his system 175 proof, not 200 proof as in the more logical U.S. system, and thus termed 75 overproof (75 OP in the old labelling). E.g., 70 proof is 30 underproof (30 UP) and this equates (when you examine conversion tables) to U.S. 80 proof. You can use a rule of thumb that for every number of Sykes proof over or under 100 this represents 1/2% alcohol by volume but this is approximate only apparently since conversion tables I have consulted show e.g., 70 Sykes proof as 80 U.S. proof (not 84 proof or 42% ABV: 57%-15%=42%). The Sykes system was adopted by the United Kingdom, its former colonies, and other countries within the U.K. trade orbit or otherwise in its influence. In the early 1980's, the Sykes system of announcing alcohol content was abandoned in the U.K. in favor of the European Union norm which uses the Gay Lussac system which measures alcohol by the volume of ethanol in the container. The suggestion (or rather query) is whether some countries, perhaps smaller ones where change proceeds slowly, may still use the Sykes system for the labels of whiskey and other spirits. Unless the alcohol by volume content is also shown on the label there is no way to know without consulting its applicable laws.

Gary

[Vange]

I really like this one sangrita made by sangrita real. Search for it on google, comes up easily. It has a nice thickness and a nice spiciness to it that I really enjoy. One bottle goes a long way.

As for a homemade sangrita this is from a member of the tequila forum I participate in. Here is a link to the forum and below that I pasted his sangrita recipe.

http://www.ianchadwick.com/forum/index.php?showforum=6

recipe for Sangrita (ala "reifer")

LARGE

1 litre of tomato juice

1/4 litre of fresh orange juice

juice of 3 limes

2 table spoons of maggi sauce

2 table spoons of worchestershire sauce

1 table spoon of tabasco

1 table spoon of grenadine (optional, will make it sweeter)

large pinch of salt (to taste)

large pinch of pepper (to taste)

shake well, refrigerate

SMALL

1 cup of tomato juice

1/4 cup of fresh orange juice

juice of 1 lime

2 tea spoons of maggi sauce

2 tea spoons of worchestershire sauce

1/4 to 1/2 tea spoon of Tabasco

teaspoon of grenadine (optional, will make it sweeter)

pinch of salt; pinch of pepper

shake well, refrigerate

grenadine is optional. I don't use it but some people do

[ratcheer]

Thanks. Sounds good! Seems to have quite a bit in common with a Bloody Mary, although more complex.

Tim

[gr8erdane]

I have to ask, what is maggi sauce? Never heard of it before. And how many maggi do you have to squeeze to get enough for a tablespoon?

[Vange]

It's available in most ehtnic aisles in a grocery store.

http://www.mexgrocer.com/2708.html

[gr8erdane]

Thanks for the info, I'll have to check it out.

[alphaiii]

If bourbon is often misunderstood and wrongly considered a harsh, unsophisticated drink, tequila has it even worse.

Isn't that a sad truth. I've tried so hard to get friends to appreciate tequila, but sometimes it's almost impossible to abolish preconceived notions.

[Paulbrad25]

Isn't that a sad truth. I've tried so hard to get friends to appreciate tequila, but sometimes it's almost impossible to abolish preconceived notions.

Too many people associate tequila with the cheaper standards which are blended with stuff like cane spirit. If it doesn't say 100% agave on it then don't bother, and I find that this is my best U.S.P.

[TimmyBoston]

I have a bottle of Cielo Anejo which I absolutely adore, it's rich and smooth with a strong citrus and floral character. It's a great drink and I would recommend it to anyone that enjoys a fine spirit neat. My guy at my favorite liquor store recommended it to me and I am very grateful.

PS Cielo Anejo just took the championship at the recent San Francisco spirits competition. It was awared a 96, the highest rating ever given to a tequila in the competition.

[Vange]

I think Cielo is a very good new tequila that has hit the market and agree with your tasting notes, but not the best anejo I have tried, not by a longshot IMHO.

[CrispyCritter]

I'd like to find good tequilas in smaller bottles (e.g. 200 or 375 ml). I've had Cuervo Gold from a (glass) miniature bottle, and wasn't impressed. However, Cuervo Gold isn't particularly well-regarded among tequila aficionados. Even so, I'm not sure I want to shell out a fair bit of change for something that I might not like...

I suppose I could look for a bar on Collins St. in Joliet - when I drive down that street, I sometimes wonder, ¿En qué país estoy? :slappin:

[cowdery]

I'd like to find good tequilas in smaller bottles (e.g. 200 or 375 ml).

Unfortunately, only mass appeal products are sold in anything other than the 750 ml. It was a big deal, for example, when Knob Creek was made available in the full range of sizes. It meant the brand had arrived. You probably can find something other than Cuervo in a smaller size, but not a top-of-the-line aged tequila.

[Vange]

I have been drinking 100% blue agave anejo tequila for years and have only come across a few 375 ml bottles. Typcially they are higher priced bottlings like Porfidio Barrique. The 750 ml is near $600 so the 375 ml is a way to taste it at a lower price. Off the top of my head I can't remember any others.

If you ever come across El Tesoro anejo try it. It's sub $40 and a really great tequila. Some of the traditional methods are still used to produce it. Also, Tonala Suprema Reserva. Sub $50 and really good as well.