TEQUILA IS…
…Made in a limited area of Mexico from the ‘cactus like’ blue agave plant. These plants grow for 10 years or more under the hot Mexican sun, giving the drink made from them a special quality and power. Tequila must have a minimum of 51% blue agave sugars. The other sugars are usually from sugar cane.
From brand to brand and type to type there exists a marked difference, depending on areas of growth, and type and style of production.
100% Blue Agave has a distinctive, full agave taste. Only sugars from the blue agave plant are used.
Mezcal is a distillate of the agave plant made outside the tequila region, often with a worm in the bottle!
*TEQUILA CLASSES
.BLANCO – Colourless, young tequila.
.GOLD – Young tequila with caramel added.
.REPOSADO – Aged in wood for 2 – 12 months.
.ANEJO – Aged in oak for 1 and not more than 3 years.
.EXTRA ANEJO – Aged in oak for more than 3 years.
Tequila drinking can be done in so many different ways. I would suggest the following,
DON JULIO BLANCO OLD FASHIONED
2 oz Don Julio Blanco Tequila,
2 Dashes Fee Brothers Orange Bitters,
1 Bar Spoon Demarera Sugar,
1 Orange Zest (1sq inch in size)
METHOD
This drink is ‘built’ which means your going to make it in the same glass your going to drink it from so with that in mind, let’s go.
Get your orange zest and carefully remove the pith then add your brown sugar, orange zest and orange bitters to your 12 oz tumbler. With a muddler or a rolling pin, press the ingredients together until you start to get the oils from the orange zest. Don’t tear the orange zest! Then half fill your glass with hard ice cubes (you’ll get better quality ice if you buy it, try not to make your own from the tap!). Pour in 1oz of your tequila and with a bar spoon stir carefully for 2 minutes. Now fill your glass with more ice and add your remaining 1oz of tequila and stir for a further 2 minutes.
The stirring process is so long because this not only chills the drink to a perfect temperature and amplifyies the flavours of the tequila but it slightly dilutes the drink too, water softening and balancing the drink perfectly!
Jay