:rolleyes:
I will step up to the plate and say that I can down shot after shot of Cuervo just fine. Sure, I can tell the difference (especially compared to, say, Patron, the God Of Drink), but it’s not the lack of quality that results in sickness.
Thank you SPOOFE, thats what i was aiming for…here’s what i hate about this board: my title was Jose Cuervo, never in the message itself did i mention this, i asked only about TEQUILA…jim had to go and say jose cuervo was crap, however he never asked what TYPE i was drinking…it wasn’t until my second message that i said $20 (just a random number, first bottle of alcohol price i thought of) that he had any guess that it was prob Cuervo Especial (the gold colored)…my point is that Jim’s first response set a tone for the entire thread, yet later in the messages we find out that Cuervo 1800 or something is some killer shit…so how did Jim know right off the bat i wasn’t drinking it? Thanks to T-keela, Devena, and Spoofe for actually reading the question, not assuming or editorializing with their own comments…and bibliophage, not knocking your work (its quality) but jim’s comment calling me a dumbass is an insult…mine was simply a suggestion with what he can do during his free time- jim, please turn your attention to the pit
I have had the pleasure of drinking some home made bacanora, a tequila-like drink made from a different type of agave. Quite potent and was highly prized by the man who owned the land and made the spirit. He sipped it like a fine liqueur, so that’s the way we drank it…sipped a gallon over a couple of days. Then went to Herradura for a few days…
I would like to readdress the issue of tequila and it’s “hallucinogen” properties. While it is true that there are no active drugs in tequila. It is NOT a drug in the sense that LSD or opium or etc. So the “myth” is contradicted by the absense of any active drug agent.
BUT…tequila acts as such, it is a mimicker of dopamine which does affect the central nervous system. While I have no cites available at this time. I assure you I am not making this shit up. Check it out yourself by googling dopamine and tequila. It’s in the FDA and the ATF cites as well as my advanced pharmocology textbooks…peace
** rico** you’re welcome
Duke of Rat 
Balthisar 1800 is now being distributed by Skyy–I believe through the subsidiary Campari. That is why the label now only says 1800 instead of Cuervo 1800. According to my liqour distributors it is exactly the same product, just with slightly different labelling.
And I will put in another vote for drinking a better tequila than cuervo gold. I rather like tres generacions both the anejo and blanco varieties. It is reasonably priced, about $30 and is smooth enough for sipping.
Everything Rib Eye said.
I always thought it was just the alcohol that caused hangovers until I read up on congeners. Only drink 100% blue agave tequila, and of course drink in moderation. Cuervo does make a few 100% agave tequilas, but if it isn’t marked on the bottle, you’re looking at about 40% agave and 60% rot gut.
I like Herradura Silver for margaritas, but I would add (to what Rib Eye said) that if you are really cool, you will use “Controy,” the Mexican version of Cointreau, for the orange liqueur in your margaritas. And always fresh squeezed limes (lemons work okay too, I think). I have only seen Controy for sale in Mexico - it comes in a green square bottle.
To the ones describing a drug-like high… I think you might be talking about mescal, not tequila. And I’m not even sure this is true of mescal.
Oh, and another favourite: Tres Generaciones.
Googled “dopamine tequla” found nothing linking the two. Went to the ATF website, found nothing. Went to the FDA website, found nothing.
When you can scrape together a few minutes, send the rabble here some links (or a quote from your textbook), we’d be interested in seeing the facts on this.
[nitpick]
Mexican law requires tequila to contain a minimum of 51% agave sugars.
[/nitpick]
Not true at all, actually.
Jillgat mentions “mescal” and that is from where I think the problem stems: “Mezcal” and Mescal are two different things: Mezcal is tequila derived from a Oaxacan cactus. The word itself is derived from the Náhuatl word mexcalmetl, meaning “agave species.”
Mescal refers to the peyote cactus from which Mescaline is produced, which is an alkaloid hallucinogenic.
Aside from the regional difference, (Tequila is from Jalisco exclusively, Mezcal is from Oaxaca exclusively), the only other real difference is that Tequila can come from several different kinds of agaves, whereas Mezcal only comes from one specific agave. Also, there is less distillery involved in Mezcal, due to the single plant vs. varying varieties as the source. This also leads to a much better flavor in Mezcal, IMO.
So, to sum up, there are no dopamine qualities in neither Tequila nor Mezcal. There are all kinds of dopamine qualities in the peyote cactus known as Mescal. I too would like to see FDA, ATF and / or pharmacology textbooks that say otherwise.
As for the OP, I stick with Don Amado Reposado Mezcal. A little more costly, but so is my precious time the next morning. 
-Dooku, que se pasé mucho tiempo in Huatulco, Oaxaca, donde no les gustaban discutiendo ningún cosa de Jalisco, especialmente Tequila en vez de Mezcal.
A couple of points, Dooku.
Agave is not a cactus.
Mezcal refers to distilled licors made from agave. In Oaxaca it is also known by that name, in other parts of Mexico it has different names such as raicilla here in Jalisco. Tequila is a form of mezcal.
Tequila, the unadulterated 100% blue agave stuff, comes from one species of agave, agave tequilana Weber azul,whereas mezcal can come from different agaves. It can also be distilled outside of Jalisco, such as Corralejo which comes from Guanajuato (¡salud!, Balthisar).
A little off topic. I thought that true “gold tequila” was tequila that was aged in old Bourbon or Tenessee whisky barrels. A dash of this stuff can mellow the taste a bit. Although it likely adds a whole mess of those cogeners.
Oh, and BTW, the level of hangover is most related to just how much alcohol was consumed within a certain time period, regardless of the source. The non-alcoholic impurities are a factor, but not as much as the alcohol. The difference for me, I sleep off and on until 4pm the next day, compared to I sleep off and on until 4 pm the next day, but with more of a headache.
Sorry; bibliophage, the warning’s deserved by both of us. Letting youngsters push my buttons is why I stay out of the Pit. Hopefully it won’t happen again, and certainly not in any respect to rico776.
For people that matter and have a genuine interest in the OP and appreciate the obvious, thanks for the support. Likewise thanks for providing the links pertaining to the congeners. I think between us all we successfully answered the OP (unless, of course, our answers still aren’t what want to be heard). bibliophage?
In the meantime, I may venture into IMHO and see if there are any good tequila threads, now that my interest in the variety of good ones has been reignited.
Dang lack of preview. Call me what you will.
While it is true we can argue whether tequila is a succulent and whether succulents contain alkaloids. It is probably better done in another thread.
I know that many cites will support either stance on this issue. Perhaps I can find the time to better argue my position later. Sorry, I know this may sound sheepish, but I’ve been under the gun lately and pressed for time. I would love to get into this in detail.
If I’m wrong, well it wouldn’t be the first time, but I know what I learned in grad. school in my pharmacology classes. (Sorry about the appeal to authority or whatever false logic this is.) It is just an explanation on my part for the firm belief that there is more to this than meets the eye.
DeVena nailed the OP for the most part. I was just trying to explain why a tequila drunk is a little different.
and I think we all know that the AMOUNT/time consumed is probably the biggest factor of all.
Besides, I see that Rico is no longer with us…
Y’all have a great day, I gots-ta-go.
I’m with you all the way on this. Conmemorativa is my tequila of choice. (I’ve tried a couple pricier kinds and wasn’t impressed enough to justify the cost. Same with vodkas: I’ve been most satisfied with the mid-range brands.) If you live anywhere near the Rite Aid drugstore chain area (West Coast) they have it on sale for $13.99 a bottle every third week or so. Over the Xmas/NewYears holiday that distiller was having a rebate on their products (they also do Malibu Rum and I think Smirnoff): $5 a bottle for up to six bottles, so I ended up getting 6 bottles of it for $8.99 each – SWEET!
I also think that everyone is wired differently and some people can just not handle tequila. Personally I can drink it all night and wake up fine the next day. One gin drink though and I have an icepick in my brain. Rum hits me especially hard if it’s cheap. I was visiting my parents once (beer drinkers) and the only liquor they had in the house was some rum they got free for looking at a time share. I was hatin’ life the next day, believe it!
Thanks for the clarifications, CBEscapee. Sobriety usually wasn’t present anywhere on the many occasions this was explained to me in Huatulco.
I’v done some side-by-side taste testing, and I found IIRC “El Grito”, in a purple bottle, to be the best tasting for the price. Tastes similar to Cabo Wabo, for about half the price. Of course, further testing is required, and this thread has given me plenty of suggestions…
I can’t even drink Jose Cuervo anymore.
Virgo: (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Certain shortcomings in your education and upbringing cause you to read meaning into the relationships among various celestial bodies.