All about Tequila

[pkenna]

See if you can find a brand called 30 30.

I would recommend 3030 reposado. It has a great flavor and doesn't cost too much.

-pk

[rancho_gordo]

I find the trick is to drink only 100% agave tequila. After that, a lot of it is a matter of taste. Hornitos seems to be the cheapest 100% agave and it's fine. We've been drinking Don Eduardo but it's over $50 a bottle. Hornitos seems to be around$18, although before the "boom", it was about $14.

[Schielke]

I agree, find it in your wallet to get something 100% agave. For this purpose I usually go for Sauza's 100%

Ben

[rancho_gordo]

I could be wrong, but I think Sauza bought Hornitos and now the bottle has both names.

[QuinaQuen]

You are quite right about the buyout. That's why I'm all about the mezcal, now.

[beans]

I've noticed the number of selections, unfamiliar ones at that, a bit daunting when I've entered an establishment that prides itself on their tequila offerings.

Perhaps this article will be of some assistance. I have enjoyed many other writings of this DISCUS deemed Master Mixologist.

Robert Plotkin's Happy Hours feature article here.

In Mexico, it is referred to as Tequila Puro. In the United States, we know them as 100% agave tequilas. They have captivated the imagination of the American drinking public, making them the fastest growing category of spirits in the country. Interest in tequila has been nothing short of phenomenal. To meet demand, more than 30 new brands of tequila have made their way into the American market in the past eighteen months.

The proliferation of brands of tequila, however, has left many consumers feeling overwhelmed. “We carry well over a hundred different tequilas on our back bar, the majority of which are 100% agave tequilas,” says Raymon Flores, president of El Charro Cafe, a landmark eatery in Tucson, Arizona. “Consumer interest in these tequilas is huge. But as the number of new brands continue to increase, more and more people are asking us what’s the difference between the brands. If they’re made from nothing but agave, then how can there be such a huge disparity between quality, taste and selling price?”

Hmmm. Isn't Cinco de Mayo nearly around the corner?

Cheers!

[beans]

Most of the high-end tequilas were initially produced to be savored as a sipping liquor, in much the same fashion as a fine bourbon, scotch or cognac. The premium brands were never meant to become part of the Americanized margarita, those slushy drinks that generally mask the flavor of the tequila used in them.

But some of the high-end tequilas can be used in making a traditional margarita, bringing the drink to new heights. In an unscientific tasting from several bottles of high-end tequilas, along with one ringer priced in the teens, a few stood out as examples of the perfect margarita.

Today's Cleveland (!) Plain Dealer article can be found here, in full.

Cheers!

[foodie52]

How tacky. I can't believe they were putting that good tequila into margaritas. That seems totally bizarre to me.

[edsel]

That's an interesting comparison, but there's one glaring omission: what recipe did they use for the margarita? Let's hope they didn't use one of those prefab margarita mixes.

[HKDave]

I don't see this as different than using good liquor to mix any cocktail. The difference between a margarita made with speedwell tequila and premium tequila is definitely tasteable. But that's assuming we're talking about a stirred, fresh squeezed lime juice, on the rocks marg, not some awful blender kiddie drink.

Whoever invented invented the Island Oas*s machine has a lot to answer for. I hope when they get the the Final Judge, they get sentenced to an eterity drinking Island Oasis drinks.

[foodie52]

That's pretty funny. It's true that when I think about margaritas, I usually think about a prefab. I HAVE had exquisite hand made ones with fresh lime juice, on the rocks, gently shaken.

In fact, the last time I ordered a margarita that way, I swear the bartender was tempted to propose marriage to me!

Margaritas just can't get no respect.

[johnnyd]

A friend told me the story about how the Patrons in Agave country sit around on Sundays, sipping Anejos and a little fruit concoction that included a hit of tabasco.

I've forgotten what it's called and what exactly is in it. Anyone?

I think, tomato, grapefruit and orange are parts. Whatever it is, it's a surprisingly good complement.

[Old Number 7]

How many times do I have to run into someone that tells me they "can't drink tequila because it makes me crazy" before I spontaneously combust? Is there any hard evidence for this nonsensical claim? I'm not talking about old anecdotes about the time you got plastered back during your Tri-Delt days on some cheap margaritas or when you and your boys did Cuervo shots before playing naked flag football on the college quad. Was that tequila's fault? I also hear stuff like, "I can't drink tequila; I get mean when I drink it." Mean? You don't get mean when you drink beer, but you do when you drink tequila?

Does tequila with, say, 40% alcohol really make someone act wackier/meaner/drunker/stupider than vodka with 40% alcohol does? For that matter, what about certain brands? Some dude told me recently that he abstains from Wild Turky because it makes him obnoxious. Apparently Evan Williams has no effect on the levels of his obnoxiousness. Is this possible? I say "no." Actually, go ahead and make it a "hell no."

[wnissen]

Well, especially when we're talking about shots, most tequila tastes so bad that you've got to be crazy to drink it... That's almost the same thing.

[Andrew Fenton]

I have proven to my satisfaction that getting drunk on Jack Daniels will make me do stupid, stupid things. That may have something to do with the situations in which I've gotten drunk on JD, or with the speed with which one can get drunk on it. But I prefer to blame ol' devil Jack.

(No offense, of course, to JD, or to the original poster; and welcome, Old #7!)

Edited July 13, 2004 by Andrew Fenton (log)

[beans]

Different liquors provide different drunks. I've seen a very mild mannered fella become a real aggressive beast when he does shots of tequila. He's a fellow bartender and I've seen him drunk on other liquors that affect him differently too.

edit to add: sorry I don't have the medical citations and literature in support on this one

Edited July 13, 2004 by beans (log)

[Libationgoddess]

Sure, why not. It's a plant derivative. Gin, too with all the botanicals. Herbalists have been utilizing plants since the beginning of time for all of their medicinal qualities; each one having it's own, unique effect on the nervous system.

I am growing woodruff right now, as I want to make a batch of 'May Wein'; it's the base for this traditional German recipe. I asked a friend who works with plants, about woodruff and he chuckled......said he steeped it once for a party, and everyone definitely felt an 'alternative' buzz....

Audrey

[Libationgoddess]

.....and then there's cannibis; another plant.......Poppy.......etc, etc.

[NulloModo]

Hmmm, I have heard people say the same things. Personally, I think it is all just psychosomatic. When you get drunk you lose inhibitions, so if you go into getting drunk thinking you are going to be mean and nasty, or crazy and wild, when you lose those inhibitions then you will be that way.

[Joe Blowe]

A Blood Alcohol Content chart (available from your local DMV) clearly illustrates that:

one 12 ounce beer =

one 5 ounce glass of wine =

one 1.5 ounce shot of "hard" liquor

I've got a problem with people who disregard this information, claim that a couple shots of tequila will make them "crazy," but can polish off a 6-pack (or 12-pack) of beer over a 2 hour period with "no problems."

Of course, this doesn't explain why a martini makes my toes numb.

[sequim]

I don't think it's psychosomatic. I like to drink tequilla specifically because it does make me feel different from drinking other types of liquor. I want to go climb things! I feel more poised for action versus sitting around just drinking more.

[Busboy]

I have never found any scientific proof that different alcohols provide different drunks, but years of informal experimentation have convinced me that they do. I know for a fact that I am a different person after drinking martinis than after drinking wine or sipping vodka -- happy, of course, but a different kind of happy. I stay away from tequila, but I have no doubt that the stuff could reactly differently with someone's system than another type of booze.

[Libationgoddess]

There are definitely different types of drunkeness----big diff between whiskey, cognac (heady; numbing effect), champagne (perky, giddy high---carbonation), gin (sassy), etc. Absolutely. Like drugs---downers and uppers.

Audrey

[johnnyd]

Was that tequila's fault?

Yup!

Agave affects people, and probably other animals, in that peculiar way that science has yet to explain fully. Sure, it's a chemistry thing: the agave cactus pulp has compounds that do this and that to your brain, blah, blah, stifled yawn - etc. Same with Juniper and others.

That's why we drink! If it makes you crazy, don't do it... at least in public please.

...now where did I put my Herradura??

Edited July 13, 2004 by johnnyd (log)

[beans]

A Blood Alcohol Content chart (available from your local DMV) clearly illustrates that:

one 12 ounce beer =

one 5 ounce glass of wine =

one 1.5 ounce shot of "hard" liquor

I've got a problem with people who disregard this information, claim that a couple shots of tequila will make them "crazy," but can polish off a 6-pack (or 12-pack) of beer over a 2 hour period with "no problems."

Of course, this doesn't explain why a martini makes my toes numb.

That really depends upon one's metabolism and body fat content.

You do feel varied drunks -- I feel entirely different on a wine buzz than from one of Guinness, vodka, tequila, whiskey or Jägermeister. Take it from a liver that knows... (lighthearted fun, no room for stabbing judgmental calls here about overall alcohol consumption please)