TRAVEL THERAPY

Okay, this photograph at the One&Only Palmilla pool shows how I felt after a recent tequila tasting in Mexico. Talk about your TRAVEL THERAPY. You just want to kick back and relax with the knowledge you now know how to pick a top-shelf tequila and can venture far away from the “popular” brands that are often overrated and over priced. Perhaps the most important thing to remember is if you’re going to drink any brand of tequila is make sure you’re drinking 100% blue agave, non negotiable, even in margaritas or else it can get ugly really fast! Here’s why…

 If tequila isn’t 100% blue agave then it’s usually blended with more sugar and lower quality grain alcohols that end up causing a wicked hangover. You’ve heard of this saying:

One Tequila
Two Tequila
Three Tequila
Floor!
Five Tequila
Six Tequila
Seven Tequila
Morgue!

Chances are it comes from someone who didn’t drink 100% blue agave tequila!

What a lot of people don’t know is ALL 100% agave tequila is bottled in Mexico…the cheaper stuff is bottled in the U.S.

There are primarily three types of tequila to choose from and here are the basics.

Blanco (silver) doesn’t undergo any aging so it has a sharp “bite” to it.

Reposado is middle-aged tequila that has been in an oak barrel for 6-12 months has a citrus and oak flavor

Anejo is the top choice. It must have at least 12 months of aging in white oak barrels and has a smooth vanilla and caramel flavor.

Just like you’ll find with a good scotch the aging process adds flavor and smoothness to the tequila.

While a blanco is fine for a margarita, if you don’t mind the strong flavor, you’d want to choose a good Reposado or Anejo for sipping. There are more than 600 different kinds of tequila being made in Mexico and more than 2,000 different brand names have been registered so keeping up on the best of the best can be tough but here are some of my top choices for the best tequilas.

 TOP TEQUILA CHOICES 

*Herrandura Reposado (For Margaritas)

*Don Julio “1942″ Tequila Añejo. (Sipping)

*Clase Azul Reposado (Sipping-Coolest Bottle)

*Cabo Uno Anejo (Sipping-Special Occasions)

 AND the research continues… 

Also check out the last blog on making the perfect margarita! Salud!   

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