• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

For Tequila Lovers

#21
Thanks for that, pedroims -- very nice explanation.

Sadly, I have much less experience with mezcal than tequila -- not for lack of desire or interest, but simply because I've had so little opportunity. I've lived for the last 20+ years in a place where liquor is sold only in state-run stores, so what is available in any store (even by special order) is limited to a master list maintained at the state level. Fortunately, the tequila selection available is not too terrible (though its downright pathetic by, say, Texas or California standards). But as far as mezcal is concerned, there is exactly ONE available for purchase in Virginia, and it is awful. I've gotten to try a few others when I've been travelling, though, and I really loved some of them.
 
#22
Before this thread, I didn't know anything about tequila. Standing in the tequila aisle in the liquor store was very confusing. I ended up buying Lunazul last time because I liked the wolf logo, the bottle shape, and the price.

The recipe we used it for was a big hit, so I assume it is a good brand.

-Mike
 
  • Like
Reactions: 47th Street
#24
MJ5150 said:
Before this thread, I didn't know anything about tequila. Standing in the tequila aisle in the liquor store was very confusing. I ended up buying Lunazul last time because I liked the wolf logo, the bottle shape, and the price.

The recipe we used it for was a big hit, so I assume it is a good brand.

-Mike
Click to expand...

I'm really glad to see that there are some folks appreciating the thread. I wasn't sure about starting it but I'm glad I did. Always looking for an opportunity to spread the word about the Mighty Agave!

Lunazul is a puro -- you'll find "100% de agave" somewhere on the label -- so it's definitely worth trying. And it's pretty good for the price: not a great "sipper," but perfectly fine for margaritas or other recipes.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 47th Street
#25
Lobster11 said:
I wasn't sure about starting it but I'm glad I did.
Click to expand...

Me too :hyper:

Informative stuff so far. Now I know why I've stayed away from the stuff since I was 20ish and had the typical 'bad experience'.
My wife goes on kicks where she'll drink it for awhile, now I know next time I go to the liquor store what to look for, aaaaand can try it myself (again). Puros it is next time!
 
#29
Lobster11 said:
As long as I'm at it, I might as well post about what I consider the other important thing to know about tequila -- though it's not as crucial as the puro/mixto distinction I wrote about above. This concerns the matter of aging.

Unlike whiskey, tequila is good-to-go right out of the still; it doesn't require aging to fully develop its flavors. However, it takes on different characters via aging in wood casks for different (and relatively short, compared to whiskey) amounts of time. Blancos (a.k.a. "silver," "plata," "crystal," or "platinum") are fresh out of the still, or aged no more than two months. Reposados (= "rested") are aged up to a year, and anejos (= "aged") up to 3 years. In general, as you'd expect, more aging generally means more expensive (within a given product line); it also means predictable changes in flavor profiles. There's a good summary and more info about all this here:

http://www.tequila.net/faqs/tequila/types-of-tequila-classifications.html

Now, you might think that more aging is always "better," as is often the case with whiskeys (up to a point), but with tequila that's not true: The differences are a matter of taste. Personally, I much prefer the snappy, fresh-agave flavor of a good blanco -- tequila in its purest, most glorious form. Aging tends to round off the sharp edges and add new flavors, both of which some people find desirable and others (like me) don't. Of course, more aging typically means more expensive -- anejos are pricier than reposados than blancos, all things equal -- making this probably the only domain in life in which I actually prefer the least expensive version among the available options!

One more thing: These aging categories generally apply only to puros; mixtos are rarely aged. However, mixtos often come with a designation of "gold," like the popular-but-awful Jose Cuervo product. The color in these cases does not come naturally from barrel-aging, as in the case of reposado and anejo puros, but rather from artificial coloring -- often with caramel, which also imparts some added (artificial) sweetness.
Click to expand...

To add to this, Anejos are aged in a pine barrel while reposados are aged in a chared oak barrel like whiskey.

I do not like silver tequila. Anejo is good but can be too smooth. I prefer the flavor and bite of a goos reposado. Whiskey doesn't have to be aged (moonshine) but tastes better when it is aged. Tequila in my opinion is no different.

All tequilas are mezcal, but not all mezcals are tequila. I have found that a great mezcal is much more expensive than a great tequila. For 35 bucks for a 5th Tres Generacionas is the best I have ever had.
 
#37
I like tequila. Tequila don't like me.
My college roommates & I once drove down to Tijuana for a drink on a Saturday afternoon. The waiter put this guy in a headlock & poured a bottle of tequila down his mouth; and the dude drank it all. In the words of Dave Chappelle imitating Lil Jon, wwwwwhat?
 
#39
chuck norriss said:
I like tequila. Tequila don't like me.
My college roommates & I once drove down to Tijuana for a drink on a Saturday afternoon. The waiter put this guy in a headlock & poured a bottle of tequila down his mouth; and the dude drank it all. In the words of Dave Chappelle imitating Lil Jon, wwwwwhat?
Click to expand...

The difference between how a good tequila and a rot gut cheap Tequila make you feel the next morning is night and day.
 
#40
Hopkins said:
I buy good tequila because I like tequila. I dont drink any licquor mixed other than a rum or whiskey and coke every once in a while.
Click to expand...

+100...Tequila is a noble drink IF you know how to drink it. IMHO it should be straight and sipping, lemon and salt is fine and can be consider it as a proper way to drink tequila.

Margaritas, gatoritas etc it's just a fancy name to mix cheap alcohol in order to get drunk.
 

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back