What Tequila Should You Buy?
https://ift.tt/2C4JkUt Tequila: It isn’t just an ingredient for margaritas, nor is it just for shots during happy hour. Tequila is a spirit with a rich history and a wide diversity of styles, production distinctions, and flavor profiles. Just as you have to keep tasting wines, gins, or whiskeys to find the ones that are right for you, so it is with tequila. Once you do, you’ll discover a spirit that’s subtle, playful, and full of flavor—with none of the cheap burn you may remember from your youth.
READY TO BECOME A TEQUILA EXPERT?This tequila guide will cover what makes a tequila a tequila and go over some basic definitions so you can dazzle yourself and others with tequila knowledge. I’ll provide some recommendations for tequilas that are widely available so you can begin to stock your home bar and ensure the best tequila experience for your next party or quiet night at home. WHAT IS TEQUILA?Just as French law states that champagne can only be made in the Champagne region of France using specific ingredients and methods, Mexican laws detail what is and is not a tequila. These laws are recognized by more than 40 countries through various trade agreements. Mexican guidelines state that tequila must meet the following guidelines:
Fun fact! The name tequila comes from the city of Tequila, which was established in 1666, though tequila was produced long before the town was born. HOW IS TEQUILA MADE?While grapes, wheat, or corn can be harvested a few months to a few years later before being processed and distilled into alcohol, the blue agave plants used to make tequila are different. They take about 10 years to grow before they’re ready to be harvested for tequila. The labor-intensive harvesting is done by hand by agave farmers known as jimadores. Here are the main steps for turning agave into tequila:
MIXTO TEQUILA VERSES 100% AGAVE TEQUILAA tequila can be organized into two categories, mixto tequilas and 100% agave tequilas. Mixto tequilas are made with no less than 51% agave, with the other 49% usually being fermented sugar cane juice. The result is a tequila that’s very sweet in both smell and taste. However, the flavor usually stops there. These mixto tequilas are often harsh in flavor, burn on the way down, and thus are inferior to other tequilas. Golden-colored mixtos are called joven (young) or oro (gold) tequilas and have oak flavoring and coloring added. The reason these are made in the first place is because they’re affordable to make for producers and, frankly, they sell well in stores due to their low price point. Mixtos aren’t ideal and I generally don’t recommend buying them. But if you’re planning a big party with a tequila-based punch that has a lot of juices and flavors to help mask the mixto, then a mixto is a practical option. If a tequila is labeled as “100% agave,” this means that the tequila in question was made with only blue agave. Generally, it’s recommended by most bartenders and tequila enthusiasts (and by your friendly Simply Recipes team) that you only buy tequilas which clearly state this on the label, as it will guarantee you a much better product that has a more complex flavor and significantly less burn. LET’S TALK ABOUT AGING TEQUILAThe amount of aging and the amount of agave used to make a tequila are what create the different varieties. Each variety has a different type of flavor, aroma, and price point. These are blanco, reposado, añejo, and extra añejo.
Keep in mind that añejo doesn’t mean “best,” it just means “oldest.” If you prefer the flavor of blanco, then buy blanco. Extra añejos are often the most expensive tequilas. A BUYING GUIDE TO TEQUILASThe tequilas recommended here are by no means a comprehensive list, but rather suggestions for widely available tequilas across many price points. Some good buying guidelines are:
MixtosThe only mixto on the list, meaning it’s not 100% agave. Its affordable price point and general smoothness make it a good workhorse tequila.
Blancos1800 Silver Tequila 1800 Silver is a smooth tequila that spends 15 days resting in American oak barrels with a little bit of French oak added in. The name 1800 comes from the year tequila was first successfully aged in oak casks.
Don Julio’s distillery steam-cooks their agave for 72 hours before being fermented and then going through two distillations, resulting in a richer and sweeter flavor. The tequila sees zero wood aging and goes straight to the bottle.
Introduced in 1989, Patrón Silver Tequila is often associated with premium tequila due to aggressive marketing in the 1990s, which branded Patrón as a sophisticated spirit. The slow-roasted agave is processed using half tahona-crushed agave and half modern roller-mill crushed agave before fermentation in wooden vats. Fun fact: this brand was co-founded by John Paul DeJoria of John Paul Mitchell hair products.
ReposadosLeyenda del Milagro Reposado A triple-distilled tequila, this brand’s iconic tall, skinny bottle has made it a popular choice for tequila. The hay-colored reposado spends six months aging in American oak whiskey barrels. Leyenda also produces an excellent silver tequila worth trying, as well as a wonderful and affordable añejo.
Casamigos Tequila Reposado Casamigos (loosely translated to “house of friends”) is the popular tequila created by George Clooney. Celebrity brands of alcohol are often disappointing; however, Casamigos tequilas are all solid (they come in plato, reposado, and añejo). The reposado is aged for seven months in whiskey barrels. Most tequilas are 76 proof (38% alcohol) but this one is 80 proof (40% alcohol). However, it’s so smooth you’d never know it.
AñejosOlmeca Altos Añejo A strange origin story for tequila, Olmeca Altos was started by two UK bartenders and an expert tequila master from Mexico. The agave is slow roasted in brick ovens and tahona-crushed before a double-distillation in copper stills. The tequila is aged for 18 months in bourbon oak barrels.
MezcalsVida Mezcal There aren’t a lot of widely available mezcals on the market, but you can usually find Vida at liquor stores and certainly online. Mezcals are a love-it-or-hate-it spirit, and how much you enjoy the flavor of smoke will be the deciding factor for you.
TRY THESE COCKTAILS WITH TEQUILA!Recipes via Simply Recipes https://ift.tt/2F9fkDA August 31, 2018 at 08:56AM
The Flat Belly FixThis is the only 21-day rapid weight loss system that allows you to easily lose an average of 1 lb a day for 21 days without feeling hungry or deprived. The unique and brand new techniques used in this System are proven SAFE. And they do not cause the rebound weight gain common to all the other rapid weight loss systems that are not backed by the latest science. The Flat Belly Fix System takes advantage of a recent scientific discovery that proves the effective weight loss power of an ancient spice. Combined with other cutting-edge ingredients in the patent-pending Flat Belly Fix Tea™ — that you can make right in your own kitchen in minutes — this System is the quickest, easiest and most enjoyable way to quickly get the body you desire and deserve. Click Here
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
The Flat Belly FixThis is the only 21-day rapid weight loss system that allows you to easily lose an average of 1 lb a day for 21 days without feeling hungry or deprived. The unique and brand new techniques used in this System are proven SAFE. And they do not cause the rebound weight gain common to all the other rapid weight loss systems that are not backed by the latest science. The Flat Belly Fix System takes advantage of a recent scientific discovery that proves the effective weight loss power of an ancient spice. Combined with other cutting-edge ingredients in the patent-pending Flat Belly Fix Tea™ — that you can make right in your own kitchen in minutes — this System is the quickest, easiest and most enjoyable way to quickly get the body you desire and deserve. Click HereCategories
All
Archives
November 2020
|