Best Aejo: Don Julio Aejo
Courtesy of Reserve Bar
Region: Jalisco | ABV: 40% | Tasting Notes: Caramel, Baked yam, Ginger
Don Julio, Chasse notes, takes care of its raw materials. When the producers were planting their fields, they used much more land than other producers and spaced the agave out so as not to overtax the soil and sap it of its nutrients. Thats important when the plants take so long to come to maturity, and it leads to some lively flavors in the spirit.
Hurley notes the baked yam, toasted oak, caramel and vanilla notes that two and a half years of wood aging give this añejo. But its round, sweet qualities are balanced out, says Chasse, by a gingery, peppery spice.
Good to Know: Want to nibble while you sip? Try fatty things with a crisp blanco, like guacamole and chips, a grilled steak and carnitas tacos. For aged tequilas, Hurley advises dark chocolate. And any sipping tequila goes great with spicy or salty foods, chased by a Mexican lagerjust the way the distillers like to drink it themselves.
How Do You Choose A Good Tequila
Most people un-schooled in tequila give very little thought to to what they are buying, opting for either the fun bottle or, for a more serious occasion, a generic bottle of Jose Cuervo.
However, much the same as a brandless bottle of whisky off the supermarket shelf isnt going to taste as smooth as a 25 year Talisker, choosing a good tequila involves quite a bit more understanding and thought.
Here are the main things to look for when choosing a good tequila.
The 7 Best Liquors To Drink On The Rocks
Ill have a whiskey on the rocks. Weve all heard it, read it, and probably even said it before. When exactly is it appropriate to order liquor on the rocks? Its true some liquors benefit from the addition of ice, while others are meant to stand solid on their own, consumed neat. So how do we know which liquors fall into each category? Of course, everything is subjective to the taster, but there are some basic rules you might want to follow. When it comes to Scotch, single malts are meant to be enjoyed without ice, as they are more terroir-driven spirits, while blended Scotches can actually be brought to life with the addition of some ice. With tequila, we keep our higher-end anejos neat, yet love dropping an ice chip or two into our favorite silver or reposados. Gin is generally always enhanced by the addition of ice, and bourbon is a little more subjective.
Sometimes you just want a cold drink. Heres a list of seven of our favorite liquors to drink on the rocks:
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Trap It In A Tiny Glass
The smaller the glass, the less room there is between your nose and the tequila. Hinojosa likes to sip his tequila from a wine glass so that he gets the entire bouquet. I call it Mexican chardonnay, he says. I like a big belly glass from which to soak up all the aromas.
Champagne flutes are also good. And if youre really serious about your tequila sipping, shell out a few bucks for Riedel Bar Tequila Vinum glasses, an elegant cross between a wine glass and a Champagne flute. What the hell, youve come this far.
What About Tequila Hangovers
The day after my tequila tour I was hangover free and I was absolutely staggered by that fact.
The tequila tasting had been liberal and the drinking period extended, however Id stuck to the tour guides tequila tasting rule: never mix tequila with sugar. Long island ice teas , orangey tequila sunrises, sugary margaritas our westernised tequila consuming ways are intrinsically linked with the one substance that should be avoided to keep a clear head the next day.
If you want to keep the hangover at bay, dont feed your body sugar and tequila in the same sitting.
All that said, sometimes all you want is a fun tequila cocktail, headache be damned. If youre in the mood for a party of a long, cool cocktail on a hot day, check out my 8 Tequila Cocktail Recipes To Try At Home.
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How To Order Tequila Like A Pro
Tequila is one of the worlds most truly unique liquors. Whether you prefer clear or gold, smooth tequilas or a more flavorful spirit, tequila is a great spirit to include in any drink or to enjoy on its own. If you love the taste of tequila but sometimes get overwhelmed with all of the different choices available when it comes time to order a beverage, here are some tips on how you can order tequila like a pro, no matter what bar you may be attending.
What to Know About Aging Categories
Not all tequilas are created equal. A great way to determine what type of tequila you are ordering and what type of taste you can expect with your tequila is to learn about the aging categories typically used for tequila. This category will tell you whether or not the tequila has been aged and how long it has been aged. Typically, the longer the tequila has been aged in the barrel, the more fruity notes and flavors will make their way into the spirit.
Here are the four main aging categories that any tequila drinker needs to know.
Anejo
Tequila that is aged one to three years in an oak barrel is classified as Anejo tequila. This type of spirit typically has a darker color and typically includes flavors like cocoa, toffee or vanilla. You can expect a deeper flavor with these tequilas.
Extra Anejo
Blanco, Silver, Plata, Crystal Platinum
Reposado
Drinking Tequila on Its Own
Ordering a Mixed Tequila Drink
The History Of Tequila
Tequilas history dates back to 1000 B.C. The Olmecs drank a fermented drink known as pulque, made from the sap of the agave plant. Its a sugary, milky liquid. Later, the Aztecs adapted it. Then, during the Spanish invasion of the Aztecs in the 1400s, the Spanish appropriated pulque because brandy supplies were at critically low levels. Spaniards used mud and agave to distill spirits.
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This Is The Rock’s Favorite Way To Drink Tequila
In the year and a half since Dwayne Johnson launched his tequila brand, Teremana, he has learned a lotincluding the best foods to pair it with.
In March 2020, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s tequila brand, Teremana, was supposed to launch with a full-scale marketing campaign. But when the pandemic hit, Johnson decided to take a different approach. He started hosting “Teremana Tuesdays” on Instagram Live, addressing the isolation that everyone was feeling in the early days of the pandemic.
He’d make , answer questions, and talk about silver linings amid a confusing time. “I did that every week and developed a real connection with the consumers,” Johnson said. His unique style paid off: By the end of 2020, Teremana had sold 300 cases of tequilaa record-breaking amount of sales in comparison to any other spirit in its first year of business.
“I’m really grateful that consumers didn’t only trust the new brand, but they all made a point of sending in these videos of themselves enjoying Teremana,” he said. “It became this really unique experience with a tequila.”
While Teremana has been 10 years in the making, it wasn’t until five years ago that Johnson connected with a family-owned distillery in the highlands of Jalisco, Mexico. Together, they built a new distillery exclusively for Teremana, and 113 distillations of Teremana Blanco were created before Johnson was satisfied. “I wanted to make sure that I went into the venture with respect and reverence to the culture,” he said.
How Do You Drink Avion 44
AviónAvión
. People also ask, how do you drink Avion tequila?
Simply take 2 ounces of Avión Añejo, agave nectar and a few dashed of bitters , stir with ice and strain into a glass with fresh ice or a large ice sphere. Once you try Avión in your Old Fashioned, you will never go back.
Beside above, how do you drink good tequila? Follow the sipping protocol.
Similarly, you may ask, is Avion a good tequila?
Avion Silver is clean-tasting, with a crisp alcohol bite: it struck us as a tequila for people seeking unflavored spirits. The tequila is mellow and soft in the mouth, rich but with a hint of charred flavor on the finish, and a little clove-like spice.
Does Mark Cuban own Avion tequila?
The show’s back story for Tequila Avion is fiction but the tequila is very real. In the real world, Tequila Avion is based in New York City and run by Ken Austin a former Senior Vice President of Seagram’s and CMO of Marquis Jet.
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How To Make A Strawberry Margarita On The Rocks
Blend the ingredients together and serve over ice.Blend until smooth puree forms.Combine all the ingredients in a blender or a food processor and blend until completely smooth.Cover and process until smooth.
Dip the edges of the glasses in salt.Empty the limeade concentrate into a pitcher.Fill a second saucer with kosher salt or coarse sea salt.For a smoother cocktail, blend the sweet and sour mix and the strawberries.
For this simple mango margarita on the rocks cocktail, just throw the very few ingredients in a cocktail shaker and serve over ice.How to make a strawberry margarita on the rocks:How to make a strawberry margarita.How to make strawberry margaritas this easy cocktail is made in a blender.
However, this margarita isnt like other margaritas.Hull the strawberries, slice lengthwise, and add to the pitcher.In a blender add strawberries, jalapeño, lime juice, and agave.In a blender, combine the tequila, triple sec, lime juice, lemon juice, superfine sugar, limeade concentrate, strawberries and crushed ice.
In a cocktail shaker, add 4 ice.In a cocktail shaker, combine the margarita cocktail mix, strawberry puree and tequila.Just use fresh strawberries instead of frozen!Or pour directly over the top of ice inside of your glass.
Shake well and strain into a glass.Strawberry margarita on the rocks.Strawberry margarita on the rocks.Take a margarita glass and dip rim in lemon juice, followed by salt.
How To Drink Tequila Like A Non
Before we get into the details of how to drink tequila like a Mexican, lets take a good hard stare at how the rest of us tend to approach the subject of tequila drinkingor should I say tequila slamming.
More often that not, it goes a little something like this:
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Tequila Tours In Mexico
For now, tequila tours havent hit the stage of mass tourism outside Mexico . For that reason, I was one of only two non-Mexicans on a 52-seater coach tour. Dont worry if your Spanish isnt great the guide on the bus and the tour guide at the distillery could speak good English. Plus, drinking tequila with 50 Mexicans is the perfect time to learn some new words. Salud!
Tequila Gift Box Tools
At 180 Drinks, we can also provide high quality professional barware for your tequila presents. Our curated set of bar tools are selected for building drinks with the best practices and durability in mind.
Remember what we said earlier about using herbs and spices in tequila cocktails? The key to extracting the herbs delicate flavors is to use a bar tool called the muddler.
Adding these little touches to your gift ensures that the tequila gift is both thoughtful and useful.
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History Of The Tequila And Coke
Mixing liquor with cola has a long history of over 100 years! The tequila and coke is a spin-off on the Rum and Coke, also known as the Cuba Libre. This 3-ingredient cocktail made with lime, cola and rum originated in Cuba in the early 1900s. It quickly spread to America and around the world, and people started mixing all sorts of alcohol with cola. So people have been drinking tequila and coke informally for years.
When it comes to the Batanga, most credit Don Javier Delgado as the inventor of this cocktail in 1961! He was the owner of La Capilla in Tequila, Mexico. Read more about the Batanga here.
Which Tequila Is The Smoothest
Here are the best sipping tequilas our experts recommend to drink right now.
- Best Highlands: El Tesoro Reposado.
- Best for Beginners: Casamigos Blanco.
- Best Under $30: Espolòn Reposado.
- Best Under $50: Cazadores Añejo.
- Best Splurge: Don Ramón Limited Edition Extra Añejo.
- Best Gift: Casa Dragones Añejo Barrel Blend.
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Tequila Themed Gifts With Chocolates
Its a bit more difficult to pair tequila with chocolates. But tequila works well with mint chocolate or any other fruit-flavored chocolate.
We have also found that chocolate with spices such as cinnamon balance the harshness from the flavors of tequila.
Adding chocolates to your tequila gift basket makes the gift even more attractive to the recipient!
Apart from chocolates, we offer other snacks as well to compliment our tequila gifts. To learn more about the other food accompaniments consult the individual gift descriptions.
Best Gift: Casa Dragones Aejo Barrel Blend
Courtesy of Casa Dragones
Region: Jalisco | ABV: 40% | Tasting Notes: Pepper, Nuts, Oak
Our job as bar pros is to be skeptical, but when I took the first sip, I was like, Oh, this is divine, says Chasse. A lot of bottles that people think about for gifting are on the sweeter side, but this one is not super sweet. Instead, the aging program, in both new French and new American oak, lends it complexity and balance.
Chasse finds plenty of peppery spice, nuttiness and a hint of cacao but with a lush mouthfeel that makes Casa Dragones tequila feel luxurious. Its sleek, charcoal-colored bottle and turquoise box present the kind of packaging that makes it giftable without wrapping paper.
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What Is The Best Tequila To Drink On The Rocks
Here are the best sipping tequilas our experts recommend to drink right now.
- Best Overall: Tequila Ocho Plata.
- Best Blanco: Don Fulano Blanco.
- Best Reposado: Siete Leguas Reposado.
- Best Añejo: Don Julio Añejo.
- Best Extra Añejo: Gran Patrón Burdeos.
- Best Valley: Fortaleza Blanco.
- Best Highlands: El Tesoro Reposado.
Is Liquor Included In My Tequila Gift Box
Liquor is included in our tequila cocktail gifts as an upgrade. We include liquor optionally because sometimes customers would like to pair their drink gift with a specific liquor that is not included, or because customers would like to ship our drink gifts to other provinces in Canada or internationally to the US.
We always endeavor to accommodate special requests. For an additional fee, we will allow substitutions for a preferred spirit, or we will coordinate liquor delivery through a local merchant. For a quote for either of these options, please contact us.
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Silver And Gold: Whats The Difference
After distillation, all tequila is clear in color. It can be bottled right away and sold as blanco tequila. Often, though, tequila is aged in charred oak barrels. Over time, the wood imparts a gold hue on the spirit as well as mellowing flavors of oak and vanilla, much like whiskey.
Generally, the darker the spirit, the longer it has been aged and the more the barrel impacts the flavor. .
100% agave tequila is almost always classified as either blanco, reposado or anejo labels determined by how long the spirit has aged. Heres a breakdown:
How To Drink A Tequila Shot
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In Mexico, tequilas homeland, people often drink it straight, sometimes with a side of sangrita.XResearch source Outside Mexico, however, its common for tequila to be served as a shot, along with salt and a slice of lime or lemon. These additions help to compensate for the harshness of lower-quality tequila, and are consumed in a specific order, as outlined below.
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