What Do You Drink Tequila With

Other Flavors To Explore

Club soda and seltzers are having a boom. With so many seasonal flavors adding additional variety, you can alter your flavor profile based on the season, holiday, or to best fit your day. Add that together with the variety of pop already on the shelves, you can really get experimental with new flavors. Since club sodas offer a more subtle flavor than sodas, you can make tequila the star of your combinations. Here are a few ideas to get you started.

• Lime tonic or seltzer

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.

Raspberry Mint Tequila Smash

This breezy booze tastes like summer in a glass.

And not just any summer. The kind of summers that are drenched in sunshine, full of good times, and seem to last forever.

This magical blend of fresh berries and leafy mint is gorgeously refreshing.

Its spiked with tequila and sharpened with a dash of zesty lime to really kick things into high gear.

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What About Golden Tequila

As tequila ages in the barrel, the colour of the liquid changes, creating the difference between white tequila and gold tequila . However, dont be fooled unless the tequila is añejo , then any golden colour has been added artificially to give the illusion that youre drinking a premium product. Some joven tequila may get its gold colour from being blended with añejo tequila read the label.

If youre looking for a drink that can be sipped instead of taken as a shot, but without spending a huge amount of money then look for tequila that is reposado. In Spanish that translates as rested meaning the tequila has sat in the barrel a little while allowing the sharpness to dissipate, the flavour to develop and the drinkability to enhance.

If you can, try añejo or extra añejo for a smoother taste.

Want to try it at home?

Cocktails Of The Movies

Tequila and tacos goes hand in hand, adds Josh Rooms, the bar manager of Cartel in Battersea, which stocks 70 types of tequila. Anejo go incredibly well with slow cooked beef marinated with chipotle chillies, tomatoes, white onion and cooked with chorizo.

Still, even these top bartenders have had some fun with a few shots of cheap mixto.

I remember my first experience with a cheap ‘tequila-flavoured spirit’, says Talapenscu. We had back-to-back shots and an attempt to play pool which turned into a sword fight using the pool cues. Im pretty sure I lost the fight and ended up sleeping on the beach that we were on.

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Bonus: Crme De Violette

Admittedly not a particularly common or versatile ingredient, anyone whos ever bought an entire bottle of crème de violette to make the classic Aviation cocktail can understand the desire to find something anything! to mix with this fragrant purple liqueur. Luckily, a tequila like Milagro Silver offers the right level of floral character to pair remarkably well with crème de violette, while an older tequilas typical vanilla and baking spice notes can ease the liqueurs otherwise cloying sweetness. Just remember: A little bit goes a long way, unless you want your drink to taste like the perfume counter at Bloomingdales.

What To Mix With Tequila

So you bought a bottle of tequila to make margaritas one time and now you’re left with half a bottle and no idea what to do with it. We’ve all been there and while margaritas are delicious, there are so many more tasty tequila drink combinations you might be missing out on. From cocktails involving other boozy elements to simple non-alcoholic mixers, these are the best things to combine with your tequila.

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How To Make Tequila

Mexican Style With Sangrita

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How To Drink Tequila Like A Mexican

Do you have a fear of tequila? Do you flat-out hate the stuff? If so, I can almost guarantee that youre drinking it wrong. After spending a year in Mexico, I finally learned the secret: how to drink tequila like a Mexican and actually enjoy this potent drink.

You might also like my post with 8 tequila cocktail recipes to try at home. El Niño anyone?

Best Type Of Patrn To Use In Drinks

The best type of Patrón to drink is really up to you and what cocktail you’re making. In general, silver and reposado tequila are used in mixed drinks. Añejoand extra añejo are typically sipped on the rocks. However, as the consumer, you get to decide what you like best!

Here’s a quick rundown of the flavor profiles of each Patrón tequila so you can decide which one is best for your drinking needs:

• Silver: Silver Patrón has a very smooth and light taste. It has a bit of sweetness, with notes of citrus.
• Reposado: If you like more of an oak, woody flavor, reposado is best. There are also notes of vanilla and florals.
• Añejo: Añejo tequila is even more warm and woody than reposado. You should taste notes of vanilla, caramel, and honey.
• Extra Añejo: Extra añejo is filled with dried fruit flavors, and of course an oaky, woody flavor from the barrels it’s aged in.
• XO Cafe: Just for fun, try out a coffee flavored tequila with notes of chocolate, vanilla, and coffee.

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Definitely Leave The Line Of Salt And Lemon At The Bar

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Theres not much thats dignified or delicious about taking a shot of tequila. Sprinkling grains of salt onto your hand from a bottle thats sticky for reasons you dont want to think about. The awful, harsh flavour as the shot hits your tongue and attacks your tastebuds. And the mouth-twisting lemon to erase any trace of the drink, simply proving that tequila is totally disgusting.

But, surely, tequila cant be all bad. If Mexico gave us guacamole, burritos and chocolate, tequila isnt the issue here. Its the drain water posing as tequila that the rest of us are drinking giving the decent stuff a bad name. There must be types of tequila that dont have the flavour of the aftertaste of vomit. There must be a way to consume it without having to mask it with salt and lemon.

Use Guadalajara As Your Base

Guadalajara is a beautiful and lively city north of Mexico city where Mariachi bands still play for the enjoyment of the locals , the street food is stomach expanding, the salsa clubs are packed, and the prices are noticeably lower than other parts of Mexico.

Guadalajara is also know as the gay capital of Mexico if youre looking to experience Mexicos gay scene.

Guadalajara in Jalisco state is a great, affordable base for visiting the town of Tequila.

Guadalajara is around 6 hours northwest of Mexico City and the town of Tequila is around a further 1 hour from Guadalajara.

The two main choices for a tequila tour are:

• a coach tour . I booked locally, which will also be cheaper but if you prefer to book in advance, or
• a small group tour if you want to swerve the large coach groups, take a smaller group tour. Youll see the same sights without the crowds.
• the Tequila train called theTequila Express. This looks like it would be amazing fun complete with Mariachi bands.

Of course, you can drive too, but youll need a designated driver.

The coach tour will generally include a visit to a distillery to see the tequila making process from the harvesting and trimming down of the agave plant to the entire distillation process.

Afterwards you will visit three or four additional distilleries for tastings as well as stopping in the sleepy town of tequila where Jose Cuervo has a significant presence.

Expect the day to be long and get ready for some insanely early tequila tasting .

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Visiting Tequila In Mexico

If you want to level-up your tequila knowledge, then go and do some tasting in the town of Tequila in Mexico.

Occupying little more than two dusty streets, I was pleasantly surprised to find that the town of tequila retained a sleepy, small-town vibe. Of course, the peace was interrupted each day when a coach load or two rolled a bunch of tourists into town, but Tequila was otherwise absent the mass tourism that has bulldozed through other parts of Mexico .

Taking pride of place and owning much of the main street in tequila is Jose Cuervo..and boy do they have some big plans.

Before leaving the town of tequila I tried to burn the image of the street into my memory because Jose Cuervo has announced its intention to pump around USD$25 million into developing the town of Tequila with the intention of driving international tourism to the town.

Of course, it has to be a good thing that more people visit tequila and taste this drink in its home location, but I fear it will be at the expense of the towns authenticity.

So, if there were ever a place to visit sooner than later, tequila is it. And why not because there is no better place to learn how to drink tequila like a Mexican?

Tequila + Agave Syrup

Mix these two ingredients together, and you have a tequila Old Fashioned without the bitters. You just need a mixing glass, bar spoon, tray of nice ice, agave syrup , and a bottle of your favorite tequila, and youre a twist of the wrist away from having yourself a delectable drink. While a blanco tequila will technically work as the base of this cocktail, it is best to use a reposado or añejo that has more depth, flavor and richness.

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Know What Youre Drinking

There are three basic classes of tequilablanco, reposado and añejoand different ways to maximize the drinking experience for each. I am always aware of what kind of tequila Im drinking, says Bolivar.

Blanco: When drinking blanco, or silver, a 1-ounce pour neat for a shot does the trick for me, he says about this category, which is usually aged minimally or not at all. However, Im not against a good blanco tequila with soda and lime, just in case you want to drink it slow.

Reposado: Reposado, or rested tequila, is aged in barrels from two months to one year. Reposados hold hidden notes of vanilla, caramel and butter, and many times a touch of citrus is also present, he says. Drink repo tequila neat, preferably in a snifter glass, he adds. Bolivars top picks for reposado tequilas include Casa Noble, Fortaleza, Siembra Azul and Clase Azul.

Añejo: Barrel-aged for longer than year, this tequila style tends to have robust flavors, often layering on plenty of caramel, toffee and spice. The añejo drinker is considered to a mature drinker, says Bolivar. He likens añejo tequila to scotch and suggests consuming it similarly: with one ice cube or a splash of water, or mixed into an Old Fashioned-style cocktail.

Some Great Food Pairings For Tequila

Despite the recent increase in interest in Mexican street food like tacos consumers in the UK still have to take to tequila but in fact its an attractive and versatile spirit to pair with food

The style youre most likely to come across is silver tequila, the type thats most often used in a margarita, but you may also come across reposado tequilas which are aged in wood and anejo, older tequilas which are ideal for after-dinner drinking. .

Obviously the natural starting point is Mexican food but theres no reason why you shouldnt drink tequila with other cuisines such as Latin American, Caribbean and newly fashionable African.

Here are the type of dishes that I think work best

TacosThe street food of 2017, especially fish tacos which with a white or silver tequila. Try a reposado if youre eating meatier tacos like pork

Raw fishParticularly ceviche and punchily seasoned fish tartares but there’s no reason why you shouldnt try a silver tequila with sushi or sashimi

Grilled seafood like squid or prawnsEspecially with garlic or a touch of chilli. Silver, again

A wide range of vegetables especially asparagus, green peppers and tomatillos and corn Also avocado which of course is technically a fruit but counts as a veg in my book – guacamole being the obvious option

Recipes with citrus especially lime and orangeCitrus works particularly well with the flavour of agave

There’s a useful longer article on pairing food with tequila here.

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Is Patrn A Good Tequila To Drink

When looking through the shelves at the liquor store, you’ll notice Patrón definitely isn’t the cheapest option or coolest looking bottle available. So, why purchase Patrón over other brands on the shelf?

First, and most importantly, the best type of tequila is a very personal preference. The alcohol you drink should taste good to you regardless of the price, quality ratings, or look of the bottle. This means, if you like the taste, it’s a good bottle of tequila for you.

However, not all tequila is created equal. One of the biggest factors of the final taste of tequila is the ingredients it’s made with. Quality bottles of tequila use 100% agave. Since alcohol is created from sugar, better bottles of tequila use 100% of the sugar from the blue agave plant .

Patrón tequila is made with 100%agave and zero additives, which is part of the reason many people love the flavor! They take great care in growing the agave, distilling, and packaging each bottle of Patrón. To learn more about the process of how tequila is made, check out this video.

Tequila + Bloody Mary Mix

Forget making this brunch staple with vodka. You should have been making it with tequila all along. If you really want to take the Bloody Maria to a whole other level, you can add a spicy flavored spirit like Tanteos jalapeño-infused tequila. Just scale back on the hot sauce or else your lips will burn for hours.

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American Style With Lime Or Lemon