Mezcal & Tequila

In honor of Cinco de Mayo, a day that commemorates a Mexican army victory over the French in 1862, I decided to focus this weeks picks on Tequila and Mezcal instead of wine – twist!

Tequila, a national liquor of Mexico, has for a long time been thought of as a drink that you have as a shot, with salt and lime (do you remember that college party… or perhaps not remember it at all?!?!) Either way, this isn’t the case anymore. Tequila is regarded as a top quality sipping drink and a great cocktail ingredient. Due to the advancement of technology and producers’ interest in making a first-class product there are now hundreds of really amazing Tequilas and Mezcals out there.

So what’s the difference between Mezcal and Tequila? Mezcal is a distilled beverage produced from the maguey (agave) plant, which is native to Mexico. Tequila is a form of mezcal, that’s produced specifically from the blue agave plant. Given that you can make Mezcal from over 23 different species of agave plant, there’s much more variety in flavors than you’ll find in Tequila. Something that they all have in common though, is the awesome smoky flavor they get from the production process. After harvesting the agave plants, the hearts of the plant (or piñas) are cooked and roasted on hot rocks in underground pits giving mezcal its distinctive smoky flavors. One thing to note is that, unlike grapes, which are harvested yearly, some species of agave plants (usually those used to make Mezcal) can take decades to mature – meaning lower production and higher prices.

Quality classes of Mezcal and Tequila:

Blanco (silver/white) – unaged and considered to be the purest expression of agave.

Joven (gold) – also unaged but with caramel or other additives used to alter the color aka not so great (think Jose Cuervo).

Reposado (rested) – aged for a minimum of 2 months in wooden vessels, giving it its pale golden color and added flavors.

Añejo (aged) – aged in oak barrels for at least a year.  You’ll see most of your really nice sipping Tequilas in this quality range.

Extra Añejo (extra aged) – super premium Tequilas that must be aged for at least 3 years in oak barrels. Think high-end wines that have been aged in barrel for a number of years before being released, super pricey.

So here are my top picks for this Cinco de Mayo:

1) Vago, Mezcal Espedin – Vago produces some of the best mezcals out there from different species of agave plant. This mezcal, made from the Espedin variety, is delicious and has just a hint of the smoky quality, which makes it an awesome smooth sipping drink. You should definitely stock some Vago in your home bar.

2) Del Maguey, Vida – This is a textbook example of what mezcal should be. Smoky and spicy notes with some agave fruit flavors showing. This mezcal though, has less alcohol, which means you wont be dancing on top of the table after two glasses (well…maybe).

3) Cimarron Blanco Tequila – Can we say margarita tequila?!?!?! Cimarron blows my mind because it’s tasty and affordable. This is the tequila you want to use this Cinco de Mayo when you’re making cocktails if you don’t want to break the bank.

4) Dulce Vida, Reposado Tequila – This reposado is pretty cool because it’s aged 1yr in Makers Mark whiskey barrels. Aging the tequila in the whiskey barrel gives it aromas of nuts, cinnamon and cream soda. Such a smooth tasty tequila.

Happy Cinco de Mayo!

As always, if you like what you’ve read or have any questions, just shoot me an email. Also if you’d like to add anyone to the distribution list, just let me know.

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