So I've decided that this spring is going to be the spring of Tequila. We're already in 75+ degrees and 70-80% humidity down here, so when this past weekend we had a bit of a shrimp taco/mexican beer freakout I decided to get some "sippin' tequila" as well. you know, the good stuff.
we've had a few bartenders in the past encourage us to higher shelf stuff for shots that always turn out to be lovely because, really, being raised in the south when you think "tequila" you think "horrible initiation rite death precluded by table salt and followed by weeks old limes." turns out, according to a bartender friend, most low-end tequila is a blend (surprise) of agave and grain alcohol...which is why it always seems to make people go nuts. the stuff that's $3 on the Specials Blackboard is basically watered down, tequila-flavored everclear.
But when you move even incrementally up the ladder, into anything that says "100% Agave," things get much better. So this past weekend I've been making Hornitos and tonics with lime. wonderful. It's also smooth enough to just do casual shots of between sips of Pacifico or Modelo.
But further along I'm going to be experimenting with cocktails and other high-end labels. There's some stuff out there that's as old as 12-18 years and tastes like scotch, supposedly. Then again, everything starts to taste like scotch when its that old except for bourbon, which starts to taste like bad taffy.
anyway. If any of y'all have some favorite tequila stories or cocktails, feel free to post them. I think tequila definitely lends itself to cocktails a lot better than some other spirits because it's not just providing an alcohol base but also adding a flavor. so bring it on!
