Tequila has developed a reputation of being one of the toughest boozes out there. It really isn’t any stronger than other spirits with most being around 40% alcohol. It’s reputation probably comes as a result of the salt, slam, lime ritual of doing tequila shots. While old coots like me are at the other end of the bar clicking ice around in our Scotches, the college kids are knocking back tequila shots and sucking on lime. The process itself is great fun and happens so fast that it’s possible, even likely, to put a lot more alcohol in yourself that you meant to.
I’ve been there and it is a helluva a lot of fun. But you wouldn’t want to waste good tequila on it. Mid-range tequilas are just fine for doing shots. These are brewed with more corn than agave, the original source of tequila. They taste vaguely of tequila in much the same way that orange soda has a passing resemblance to oranges.
But, before you do your shots or when you realize that it might be time to slow down, try a glass of top shelf tequila. Make sure that your server understands you want to taste the drink otherwise it might arrive with a thick dusting of salt on the rim or a chunk of fruit floating in it.
Real tequila, made 100% agave, is a beautiful thing. The flavor is light but unmistakable. It has an under-ripe vegetable quality to it; it tastes like cool, spring air and is certainly worth savoring.
This is why it is such a great alcohol for mixed drinks. Unlike Scotch or bourbon whose flavors dominate anything that they are involved in, tequila blends.
So, doing tequila shots? Go for the cheap stuff. Taste isn’t really your goal here, is it? Wanting to enjoy a drink or make a mixed drink? Spend a few extra bucks. It is so worth it.
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Something needs to be done. There’s a real problem looming on the horizon and I’m not sure that we have done enough to properly prepare ourselves for it.
Al Gore and environmental activists have finally, after years of persistence, convinced the world that global climate change is an issue that must be dealt with. As a result more hybrid cars are being sold than ever before, alternative energy sources like wind and solar are gaining more and more prominence. And alternative fuel sources to oil are being produced in greater quantities than ever before.
That’s what’s causing the problem. Corn is a popular choice as a bio-fuel alternative to oil. But there are only so many farmers in the world and they haven’t been sitting idle all of these years just waiting for a bio-fuel revolution. They’ve been growing other crops but with demand for corn rising and driving up the cost, it’s hard for these farmers to say no. And when they say yes to corn, they have to say goodbye to whatever it was that they were growing before.
Do you see where I’m going with this? Farmers that used to grow crops that are turned into our favorite booze are being replaced. Barley, grown for beer, and agave, grown for tequila, are both falling to king corn. As a result beer is becoming more expensive and that trend is expected to continue in the future. Tequila will also grow more expensive and, worse, become harder to find. I’m sure it’s only a matter of time before we see the same trend begin to affect Scotch, vodka, Irish whisky, bourbon, rum, etc.
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Have you ever noticed that the fickle designation of “hip” never seems to slip from tequila? In the world of booze different types of alcohol rise and fall on the cool-o-meter. Gin, once the hippest drink around, is now as stodgy as shuffle-board. It is so out of fashioned that when martinis enjoyed a revival a few years ago it was only if they were made with vodka instead of gin.
And the same cyclical truth applies the currently chicer-than-thou vodka as well as cognac, scotch, bourbon, etc. But tequila remains perpetually cool. Why is that? Well it’s hard to say. It could be the ritual of salt, shot, lime - three simple steps that are easy to remember no matter how many times you repeat them.
But tequila may have finally met its match. It’s becoming ultra chic, something that it’s never really been before. There’s always been cheap tequila and better tequila but now that it’s slipped into the upper strata of super expensive booze where there’s always a danger of a lash back.
Chic or not, the big T will always have a place in my home bar. Nothing else even comes close to the fresh, green flavor of 100% agave tequila. I know that might sound like I’m embracing the hip image but a decent 100% doesn’t cost more than a good bottle of scotch or bourbon as long as you’re paying for quality and not image. Cheaper tequila cut with inferior types of booze is good for a party but I always go with the good stuff for sipping and enjoying.
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