What's the name of a really good tequila?

[CBEscapee]

In my liquor cabinet are the following:

Don Julio Añejo and Reposado

Herradura Añejo — a tad bit sweeter than the Don Julio

José Cuervo Tradicional Reposado

These are sipping tequilas.

For mixing:

Don Julio Blanco and Cuervo Tradicional Plata – for my wife’s margaritas

Arette Blanco — for margaritas when we have guests

Jimador Blanco — for party margaritas

All are 100% agave, not what is called mixto which contain alchol distilled from a source other than blue agave.

[Joey_P]

@pulykamell

This may be a big difference. For me, a margarita should be tequila, a triple sec of some sort (Patron Citronage works well for a compromise between Cointreau and cheap well triple sec), and freshly squeezed lime juice (key limes if you’re being very particular). Hell, I don’t even want simple syrup in mine, although most people do, so when I make them for parties, I cut it with simple syrup. But always on the rocks, and only enough syrup to take some of the acidic edge off, not enough to make the drink sweet.

When I make a Tequila/Triple Sec/Lime Juice* margarita the good stuff comes out. But, honestly, I really do like that sweet stuff you can buy in a bucket at Bed Bath and Beyond…and I’m not dropping a $40 bottle of tequila in it. If you go look in my bar area right now, you’ll find Don Julio, Cabo Wabo and Patron (and various Triple Secs) as well as a few buckets of the margarita mix and a bottle of Jose Cuervo Gold for each one. Plus an additional bottle of JC Gold for when a random person wants a random drink/shot as well as for cooking.

*add a splash of tonic to give it a bit of fizz and cut the burn out of it.

[Tully_Mars]

My favorite tequila is Tres Generaciones reposado. I think it’s bottled by Sauza. It’s a decent sipping tequila, very smooth.

[Gray_Ghost]

@Joey_P

When I make a Tequila/Triple Sec/Lime Juice* margarita the good stuff comes out.

*add a splash of tonic to give it a bit of fizz and cut the burn out of it.

I was wondering if I was the only person that did this with margaritas. I omit the triple sec, as my GF hates the taste, and add some tonic water for the reasons you mention. Works a lot better than I would have guessed.

[Svejk_1]

@Joey_P

That’s true for Vodka, but once you get into liquors you can taste, it’s a different ball game.

Like others have said, it’s not true for vodka. Try some Źubrówka, Polish grass vodka.

[akira5822]

I love the Don Julio 1942 smooth and mellow. aged in oak casks

[pulykamell]

@Svejk_1

Like others have said, it’s not true for vodka. Try some Źubrówka, Polish grass vodka.

Zubrowka (which I do love, because it has flavor) really should be lopped in with the other flavored vodkas or infused/macerated spirits. It shouldn’t be counted among the regular distilled stuff.

[slowlearner]

Don Juan Matus has long been a popular tequila in Mexico. “In a world where death is the hunter, my friend, there is no time for regrets or doubts. There is only time for decisions.” That was not said by the most interesting man in the world but by Don Juan Matus in “Journey To Ixtlan.” Seeing a dusty bottle of Don Juan Matus on a shelf in a small town in Chihuahua was a great realization for me…

[Oslo_Ostragoth]

My basic margarita tequila was Jose Silver. The Gold doesn’t work as well. Ahh, the memories…

I have never been drunk on tequila, but I have been bat-shit crazy.

[voguevixen]

@Telemark

If you’re going to get hammered it won’t matter. If you want to taste the tequila you won’t get hammered. If you are ordering margaritas you don’t want to taste the tequila.

Thanks for explaining what I want to taste and what makes me hammered. :rolleyes:

[DSeid]

To respond a bit more broadly, I am a fan of mezcal. Tequila is, strictly speaking, a variety of mezcal, but for practical purposes “mezcal” refers to a more rustic and smokey drink made from the same agave plant, albeit different varieties. Most mezcal is produced in smaller scale operations. Whereas tequila uses steam ovens (basically autoclaves), mezcal is made by baking it in wood charcoal fired underground ovens.

I have a bottle of Patron because it was on sale but it is for company that likes that sort of (to my taste bland) smooth stuff. For me it’s a bottle of Mezcal Vida and for the price it is a steal.

[FoieGrasIsEvil]

@Bridget_Burke

their “Gold” is the source of some very bad memories…

Ah, for me its more of a lack thereof…
Another to avoid: Two Fingers. Blech.

[OpalCat]

@voguevixen

It’s not about taste, it’s about how shitty you’re going to feel the next morning. It’s worth the extra couple bucks per drink to avoid wanting to stab ice picks into your eyes the next day.

I’ve never felt shitty in the morning no matter what I’ve had to drink. I must have a really solid GI or something because I’ve never had a hangover. The worst that has ever happened is that I have a mild headache that is solved with a glass of water or, at worst, an analgesic.

So I can’t report about tequila based on hangover resistance. I can report on it based on taste, however. In a margarita you can mask pretty cheap tequila without much problem, but if you want a tequila that is smooth to drink straight, as a shot, I’d recommend Patron silver or Cabo Wabo. Those are the two that go down easiest for me.

Now, fwiw, my husband’s family has the best frozen margarita recipe I’ve ever tasted. If you like margaritas, try this: frozen margaritas.

[Spice_Weasel]

I’m not exactly an expert on drinking, but I beg to differ with the folks saying you can’t taste the quality of alcohol in a margarita. The best damn margarita I ever had was made with Patron Añejo, to the point that I asked the bartender what she used and wrote down the brand to not ever forget. I recently bought a bottle of the stuff, and though it didn’t make a great tequila sunrise, its pure taste was very smooth. Alcohol perfection right there.

[Hunter_Hawk]

@pulykamell

Hell, I don’t even want simple syrup in mine, although most people do, so when I make them for parties, I cut it with simple syrup. But always on the rocks, and only enough syrup to take some of the acidic edge off, not enough to make the drink sweet.

You might want to try using light agave nectar rather than simple syrup, since the agave nectar will add a little bit of complementary flavor rather than just be a neutral sweetener like simple syrup.

Another interesting variation is to add some angostura bitters to the margarita.

@Maggie the Ocelot

There are 3 different grades of tequila, as an FYI

Personally, I don’t consider it differences in grade so much as differences in flavor profile. You can have very good silver tequila, for example.

@Maggie the Ocelot

Anejo is tequila that’s been aged for a year or more. The flavor is still distinctly tequila, but it’s much much mellower and smoother. To shoot this stuff or to mix it in a drink is criminal - it’s meant to be savored, straight. This is a sipping tequila.

Oh please. Tequila is just another kind of brandy, so anejo works fine in cocktails. The flavor profile means that it’s not as flexible as grape or apple brandy, but there are still plenty of uses for it. To claim that “to mix it in a drink is criminal” is just wankery.
As for brands, I personally tend to gravitate to Chinaco; I prefer the silver. Aha Toro is also good.

[pulykamell]

@Hunter_Hawk

You might want to try using light agave nectar rather than simple syrup, since the agave nectar will add a little bit of complementary flavor rather than just be a neutral sweetener like simple syrup.

Another interesting variation is to add some angostura bitters to the margarita.

I’m familiar with agave nectar in margaritas. Angostura bitters, though, are new to me in that application. I’ll have to try it next time.

[Stan_Shmenge]

Tequila lover here. I have tried a lot of different kinds and I really like Tenoch. When I first discovered it, it was selling for $19.99 a bottle. Next time I bought it it was up to 24.95. The third time it was 29.95. Now it is up to $40 at BevMo, but still worth it, as it is still less than most of the “premium” tequlas. One of the best, far better than Patron which is to my tastes very harsh in all it’s varieties. Great sipping tequila. Pick up a bottle and you will thank me.

[BlueKangaroo]

DSeid, I almost mentioned a few mezcals, but figured this wasn’t the thread. Glad you did!

I do just love that smokey flavor. I’m the only person I know personally who does, though. My husband’s father & step-mother are very into tequila, and even they don’t like the lovely mezcals.

Del Maguey is so nice. I have a couple new bottles from Mescalaro that I’m looking forward to trying, though I’ve never had the brand before. It’s going to be fab, I’m sure.

[Darth_Nader]

Sadly, around here most tequila must be served out of glass machine-gun bottles. Add one neck-tattooed bartender for extra points. Very classy.

[jsc1953]

When I toured and tasted at a tequila distillery in Puerto Vallarta a few years back, our guide said that blanco is what you serve your friends; reposado is what you serve your family; and anejo is what you drink yourself.