alphaiii

So what is everyone's favorite tequila to use in margaritas? I know most prefer silvers, but what brand? I've been using 1800 Silver. Its not bad, and it's a good price, but I'd I'm looking for something a little better. El Tesoro Platinum is outstanding, but I'd like something a little cheaper. I was thinking of trying the Sauza 3Gs Plata, but I have had the 3Gs Reposado and am not very impressed. Anyone use Herradura Silver, or tried it?

I completely agree with that first statement. I sub Gran Gala for Grand Marnier in drinks, just like I sub MB for Cointreau. I use either Gran Gala or MB Triple Sec when I make margaritas - it just depends whether I feel like using a cognac based orange liqueur or not.

Well here's how I look at it. There are other bourbons I would rather, and do, drink straight or on the rocks, all of which are fairly inexpensive (although not $10). So, if I'm going to buy a bottle of bourbon to mix with, why buy something that isn't as good as the 1783, but is still the same price? It may seem like a waste of good bourbon to others, and that's fine. But why pay the same price for an inferior bourbon just so others can feel better about the fact that I'm not using a 10 year old to mix with?

Yeah, they may. But it's $10 bourbon. It's just as cheap as Evan Williams black label, which many use to mix.

Some tequila is almost as, or even more expensive than it is here in the US. Don Julio runs ~$38 USD, at least in Mazatlan. I have been told that Casa Noble Anejo is even more expensive in Mexico (not sure where exactly) than in the US. Some brands are alot cheaper. Gran Centenario Reposado was $22 USD a liter at the Cabo San Lucas Duty Free, and $22 for 750 mL in Mazatlan, while it's $45-50 for 750 mL in the US.

Well that's not entirely true. It really depends where you live and the prices of the tequila there. In PA, the only tequila under $30 I'd recommend is 1800 Silver. However, I only use it for margaritas. You can get Cazadores Reposado, Cuervo Traditional, and Sazua Hornitos for less than $30, but I really don't like any of them, although alot of people do. El Grito was another supposedly good inexpensive tequila (I never tried it) that was under $30 here, but you can even find it in the state anymore. Milagro Silver and Reposado (both were under $30) seem to have done pretty well, but their prices have gone up here. If you live in Montomery County MD, or near it, then you can buy alot of good tequila for low prices. I, fortunately, will be near there very soon. Check out the sales they're running this week on certain tequilas: http://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/Apps/DLC...ts_specials.cfm El Tesoro Anejo for $30 - UNREAL. In general though, good tequila is more expensive, to a certain point. The tough thing about recommending a good tequila is that they can be vastly different from one brand to the next, not to mention the differences between blancos/platas, reposados, and anejos.

That Evan Williams is an incredible buy. That's my go to bourbon for mixing with ginger ale. But with tequila selling so well, even at those high prices, I wouldn't count on prices going down much, if any. Some have recently gone up here in PA (Tesoro, Sauza). Although, I would be a happy happy man if tequila prices dropped some.

Very rarely do I drink rum anymore. But if I did get a thirst for it, I'd probably get one of these three, depending what kind of rum I wanted: Ron Matusalem Gran Riserva Foursquare Spiced Rum Captain Morgan Parrot Bay Mango

Alright, lets post our favorite spirits, and our top 3 picks of each, out of the ones we've tried. You can base you ranking however you like - taste alone, value, versatility... Here's what I like to drink: TEQUILA (I bet you all knew this) 1. Cabo Wabo Reposado 2. Chinaco Reposado 3. El Tesoro Reposado VODKA 1. Pearl 2. Turi 3. Belvedere BOURBON 1. Eagle Rare Single Barrel 10 Yr 2. Van Winkle Special Reserve 12 Yr 3. Buffalo Trace GIN 1. Tanqueray No. Ten 2. Broker's 3. Bombay Original I've tried alot of tequilas and vodkas, while I've only been into bourbon a short time, and I'm still pretty new to gin.

Tequila from South Africa? I didn't know there was such a thing.

Updated List: Eagle Rare Single Barrel 10 Yr Van Winkle Special Reserve 12 Yr Buffalo Trace Evan Williams Single Barrel Woodford Reserve

This reminds me of a drink from Killer Cocktails, the Paloma, which uses grapefruit soda instead of the grapefruit juice, and includes a pinch of salt in the drink. It's great, as well. ← Interesting, any clue how one procures grapefruit soda or even makes it themselves? Would it just be a simple combination of soda water and grapefruit juice? ← Fresca is a grapefruit soda, as is Squirt, but I think Squirt is way too sweet.

I picked up a bottle of Corazon Reposado today - impulse shopping I guess. A little more sweetness and caramel flavor and alot less pepper than my current favorite, Cabo Wabo Reposado. It's nice and smooth, but I wouldn't mind it a bit more peppery. Also, it has a slightly bitter aftertaste that is a little weird. Overall, its a good tequila though, but there are a couple other reposados I'd pick first - Cabo and El Tesoro.

Well I'm gonna have to pick up a bottle of that Milagro sometime then. I've been wanting to for some time anyway. I just wanted to hear "it's good" from someone else first. The Milagro Silver was 24.99 here in PA, but it's recently gone up to 27.99. Seems that's still a good price though.

I've never had Milagro silver tequila either, but for what it's worth, I really like their reposado. ← I've been tossing around the idea of picking up a bottle of the Milagro Select Barrel Reposado. The bottle with the hand blown agave inside of it is a real eye catcher. I'm just not sure if the tequila inside warrants the $55 price tag. I've tried to find some reviews of this stuff but haven't had any luck. Has anyone here tried it?

I just found out that Sauza is now making a Tres Generaciones Reposado, to go with the Plata and Anejo. I went to my local PA liquor store to see if they can order one in for me, since of course, it's not available anywhere in the western half of the state right now. I'm crossing my fingers because I'd really like to try this one. Anyone else know Sauza was making this tequila?

The only sub $30 silver I can recommend is 1800 Silver. For around $25 in PA, its good buy. I've had better silvers, but not by much, and not nearly as inexpensive. Alot of people like Sauza Hornitos as a budget tequila, and while its a reposado, it is very light on the oak. I prefer the 1800 Silver over Hornitos for shots or mixing, but thats just my preference. Another 100% agave silver under $30 is Milagro, but I've never had it so I can't comment.

Which Tres Generaciones is it you like, the anejo or plata?

Your comment about Cazadores got me thinking. I have had an on again off again love affair with Cazadores and specifically for the overly smoky notes you mention. It's funny I'm not noticing that these days and am wondering if tequila like wine can change from year to year, harvest to harvest, depending on the weather, how the pinas are roasted, the people in charge, etc. What do you think? Do you think there is a possibility or is it just my taste buds? ← I would think its a possibility that the tequila could vary by year, especially, like foodi52 said, the ones distilled using traditional methods. There are so many factors that contribute to the final product - from the agave itself to production methods to the oak barrels used (unless unaged or course).

Gotta love that peppery flavor of tequila. What I don't like it the ones that seem to be overly smoky, like you're licking an ash tray. That is what Cazadores and Cuervo Tradicional tasted like - not that I've ever actually licked an ash tray.

I forgot to include that I've tried Patron Silver as well. Again, it's good for an unaged tequila, but not something I'd buy over the reposados I like. To date, it is the easiest to drink of the silvers I've tried, but with that smoothness seems to be a bit of a lack of flavor. Maybe the bartender just had too much ice in the glass. Maybe I'll try it chilled, not on the rocks.

El Tesoro Platinum is actually more expensive than Chinaco Blanco here in PA, unless there's a sale. The Chinaco was good, but I just can't see myself buying that particular tequila over several of the reposados I like. Too bad too, since generally the blancos are cheaper. I've only heard good things about the El Tesoro Platinum, and as impressed as I've been with the Reposado and Anejo, I really need to give this stuff a try. The bad thing is that there just aren't any places in my area that have good tequila selections, and it's hard to justify dropping $35+ on a bottle of tequila I don't know if I like.

That's why I've always opted for Reposados over Anejos. I've always felt that if I wanted my drink to taste like oak I'd drink bourbon and not an anejo. However, I just feel like I need to try all different tequilas instead of limiting myself to Reposados. So many people seem to like the anejos I just wanna make sure I'm not missing out. El Tesoro anejo is a good example of what aged tequila should be like. It's very well balanced - you get the smoothness of aging without the oak overpowering the agave. As for whites/silvers, I guess they just always seem a little too bold for me. For mixing drinks, I use 1800 silver, but for drinking neat I like the more mellow Reposados. Then again, maybe I'm just not trying the right blancos.

I wanted to get an idea of what everyone prefers when it comes to tequila. First, are you an anejo, a reposoda, or a blanco/plata drinker? Second, what are your top brand picks in whichever category you enjoy. I am primarily a reposado drinker. My top reposados: Cabo Wabo Don Julio El Tesoro Gran Centenario I was not impressed with Herradura, Hornitos, Cazadores, and Cuervo Tradicional. A couple I'd like to try are Herencia de Plata and Chinaco. I am condsidering branching into the anejo and blanco categories more. I've tried El Tesoro Anejo, and it's an incredible tequila. 1800 anejo wasn't bad, but too oaky - not nearly as balanced as the Tesoro. Other anejos, I'd like to try: Cabo Wabo Don Julio Chinaco As for blancos, Cabo Wabo and Chinaco are pretty good. 1800 Silver is also pretty good considering the price. I would like to try Don Julio and El Tesoro, but since I haven't been too wowed by unaged tequila, I'm not in a huge hurry to try these. So tell me what you like, and what you think I should try, even if it's not in my little lists.

I haven't tried many bourbon's so far, but here are my top picks: 1. Eagle Rare Single Barrel 10 Year (thanks for the recommendation Katie - so far, this bourbon can't be beat for $20) 2. Van Winkle Family Reserve 12 Year 3. Woodford Reserve 4. Evan Williams 1783 10 Year (at $11 a bottle, this is the perfect bourbon for mixing) 5. Maker's Mark A couple others I'm really looking forward to trying are Buffalo Trace and Bulleit. They are both in my comfortable price range. Has anyone tried the Buffalo Trace? I haven't really seen anyone mention it.