What Is The Best Way To Drink Tequila

How Strong Is A Shot Of Tequila

Tequila is typically 35 to 50 percent ABV, or 76 to 100 proof. A standard tequila shot is 1.5 ounces and, since the only ingredient is tequila, your drink will be 75 to 100 proof. While shots are small and fun and easy to drink, be careful. They can quickly lead to extreme drunkenness or alcohol poisoning if you’re not careful. It’s wise to stick with one of these shots a night and enjoy a lighter drink before and after.

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.

Best Tequila For Tequila And Coke Aka The Batanga

We uncovered the Tequila and Coke in our tour of all the variations on a rum and coke. But turns out, its a popular drink in Mexico, where its called the Batanga! Like a Rum and Coke, its very loose and not considered a high-brow cocktail. But its a legit cocktail in its own right, especially when you use good tequila.

• The best tequila for a tequila and coke? Tequila reposado. Tequila reposado is aged tequila, which is stored from 2 to 12 months. It has a nuanced flavor, with notes of oak and vanilla. It makes Tequila and Coke taste fancier than it should.
• You can also use tequila blanco. Blanco is unaged tequila, and it works too! It has a more straightforward flavor with that signature burn.

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Best Splurge: Don Ramn Limited Edition Extra Aejo

Courtesy of Liquorama.net

Region: Jalisco | ABV: 40% | Tasting Notes: Vanilla, Cocoa, Dark coffee

Only 5,000 bottles of this limited-edition Don Ramón extra añejo were produced. Made with 100% blue agave from the Tequila Highlands, this expression has been aged for three years in American oak barrels. The tequila provides notes of toasted coconut and vanilla, with some cocoa powder and dark roasted coffee, Hurley notes. But thats only part of the selling point for him.

The tequila is great, but the bottle is whats really gorgeous, he says. The glass is embedded with gold flakes and decorated in wooshing lines composed of Swarovski crystals, which frame the dark amber liquid inside. It makes a showstopping centerpiece for any bar.

What Is The Smoothest Tequila

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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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 To Choose The Best Tequila

There are two simple rules you can use when deciding which bottle of tequila to buy. The first tip always make sure it has 100% Blue Agave, or 100% Agave label on the bottle. The best sorts of tequila are made purely from agave plants. Secondly, try to drink the oldest tequila available to you, as you will discover a big difference in flavor with the younger sorts.

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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.

Best For Beginners: Casamigos Blanco

Courtesy of Wine.com

Region: Jalisco | ABV: 40% | Tasting Notes: Vanilla, Citrus, Agave

To help guests appreciate the nuances of a great sipping tequila, says Hurley, My job is to get people away from drinking tequila chilled with lime and salt. Casamigos helps. With its sweet, vanilla intensity, its a great entry tequila. Its like vanilla ice cream, Hurley says. Yet, it doesnt completely sacrifice that classic cooked agave flavor, and theres a touch of balancing citrus to it.

Medina enjoys its smoothness, a quality that helps make it friendly for beginners, who might want to drink it on the slightly cool side. If somebody has a wine fridge and wants to bring it down a few degrees from room temperature, Im not opposed to that, says Hurley.

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Sipping Neat Enjoying Slowly

American Style With Lime Or Lemon

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How To Drink A Tequila Shot

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In Mexico, tequila’s homeland, people often drink it straight, sometimes with a side of sangrita.XResearch source Outside Mexico, however, it’s 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.

Optional: Add A Salt Rim

In Mexico, sometimes the Batanga features a salt rim on the glass. Not sure about you, but we never turn down a salt rim! The salt enhances the sweet and tart flavors in the drink, much like in the popular . Of course, making a salt rim is an extra step, so you can skip it if youre in a rush. Heres how to make a perfect salt rim:

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Tequila Goes In More Than Just Margaritas Find Out What To Mix With Tequila From Juices To Syrups And More

Everybody knows tequila! Its the smooth liquor we all love in an icy margarita. However, tequila is much more than that! This capable liquor has a versatility that rivals vodka, which is why it works as well in fruity drinks as it does in carnitas or fruit salads.

But those are just the tip of the iceberg! Get a bunch more mixer ideas ahead.

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.

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Youre Drinking Your Tequila Wrong: Heres How They Really Drink It In Mexico

Mexicans sip tequila with a side of sangrita.

If youre like most Americans, you probably only drink tequila at bars, shot down as quickly as possible after a lick of salt and chased with a squeeze of lime. The tequila itself is something of an afterthought a nearly-unpalatable means to a drunken end. Well, weve got some news for you: Youre drinking the wrong tequila, and youre drinking it the wrong way. If you want to graduate to drinking tequila like an adult, do as the Mexicans do.

First of all, when youre knocking back shots of Cuervo Especial, youre not drinking real tequila youre drinking mixto, which is only 51 percent actual tequila . See the top-shelf stuff up there, the Herradura, Patron, and 1800? Thats the good stuff. Its made with 100 percent blue agave, and it tastes the way tequilas supposed to taste.

We know that youre thinking: Why would I want to pay $12 for a shot of tequila? The answer? You shouldnt be doing shots of it! Because in Mexico, not only do they only drink 100 percent agave tequila , they also dont only do shots of it. One hundred percent agave tequila is made for sipping and savoring from a snifter, like a good scotch. No lime or salt is necessary to mask the flavor. After every sip or two you can dip a wedge of lime into a little salt and suck on it if you want to, but if youre drinking mezcal skip the lime and opt for an orange slice instead.

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.

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How To Make Aejo Tequila On The Rocks

Start with a large clear ice cube or crushed ice in a rocks sized glass or whisky glass.

I like the Clearly Frozen large ice cube maker. Or just run crushed ice though your fridge ice maker.

Pour 2 oz. of Añejo Tequila over the ice. Give the tequila a stir around the ice.

Optionaladd an orange or lime coin to the drink. A coin is just a round piece of citrus peel.

Also optional, add 2 tiny drops of agave syrup. Give it a really good stir around the glass. It doesnt change the flavor of the drink, it just takes the initial bite out of the tequila. And adds a super subtle sweetness that pairs really nice with the vanilla-caramel finish of the Añejo.

How To Drink Tequila According To A Texas Bartender

Tequila has inspired songs, cocktails, raucous evenings, and interminable mornings-after for the unfortunate among us. The Distilled Spirits Council reports that tequila volumes in the U.S have increased at an average rate of 5.8 percent per year, driven in part by the growing popularity of premium tequilas.

The agave spirit shows no sign of slowing down, either. According to Mexicos National Tequila Industry Chamber, global consumption of Mexican tequila is on the rise and is estimated to grow 3.2 percent annually by 2021.

Alba Huerta, co-owner of Houstons award-winning agave-centric bar The Pastry War, and owner of Julep, has personal and professional connections to tequila. She got her start at bartending at the ripe age of 19 in Houston. Originally from Monterrey, Mexico, Huerta attributes some of the milestones in her career to H-town, her adopted hometown since the 80s.

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I feel like theres a huge investment in the city that youre from and I love that. We can talk about spirits, bars, cocktails but its really about the people, Huerta says. Its always a pleasure to serve people in Houston. Theyre wonderful.

From where Huerta sits, there is no right or wrong way to drink tequila. Your tequila style is ultimately contingent on your craving, and whats in your glass. A blanco might be enjoyed differently from a reposado, for example, while beautifully aged anejos are best suited to slow sipping.

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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.