Jump to content

Tequila y Mezcal


NoRagrets

Recommended Posts

On 4/5/2018 at 1:44 AM, Bone3421 said:

Tequila is a mezcal but not all mezcals are tequila...ya dig

Tequila is only from blue agave and the state of jalisco (kinda like champagne)

Sort of true. Tequila comes from one varietal of agave, the Weber Tequiliana if grown in the right region, as you mention. Mescal comes from 5 varietals.

My understanding is that for Tequila, the agave hearts are baked in an autoclave. For mescals, they are pit roasted. If you like smoky flavors then Mescal might be the way to go, especially if you can find one that they rest in barrels for a few months. That sounds yummy but I've never looked into the Mezcals about their aging process.

I like to use fresh squeezed grapefruit juice and lime juice and mix it with tequila, then add club soda over crushed ice.

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Sort of true. Tequila comes from one varietal of agave, the Weber Tequiliana if grown in the right region, as you mention. Mescal comes from 5 varietals.
My understanding is that for Tequila, the agave hearts are baked in an autoclave. For mescals, they are pit roasted. If you like smoky flavors then Mescal might be the way to go, especially if you can find one that they rest in barrels for a few months. That sounds yummy but I've never looked into the Mezcals about their aging process.
I like to use fresh squeezed grapefruit juice and lime juice and mix it with tequila, then add club soda over crushed ice.
So a paloma...they are tasty
Link to comment
Share on other sites

2eb762259dd7ba2bf0609d0785194e6b.jpg

fb81491644e5c99d60f6fa64c8837929.jpg

Just brought those back from my wife and I’s recent trip to Mexico City. All mezcal.

Gonna be a long post, so TLDR if u want

For about a decade, ive been mainly into tequila and not so much mezcal, but i had still enjoyed it. However, about a year ago, that began to change. I had read more and more about the differences in Mezcal and Tequila, how they are made, marketed, etc. I had come to the realization that Tequila is now boring to me.

Tequila is made from only one agave. Its made in an industrialized process, typically distilled until there is very little flavor left, marketed like vodka, and corners are cut almost everywhere by every brand (diluting with water, mixing in other sugars, harvesting the blue agave too soon, etc)

There are over 1000 tequila brands registered with the mexican government, and only about 100 distilleries. You are getting the same product over and over, with marketing being the major difference the lay-person notices. That being said, there are some good tequila’s out there. The best blanco on the planet is Fortaleza Still Strength. Its not diluted with water, and made is a more traditional/rustic process. Also, barrel aging an agave spirit is bullshit. Sorry, but its a “yankee” way of taking the flavor of the agave away and making the spirit more subdued for the average American. This isnt bourbon... aging agave is just wasting plants and time

Mezcal, on the other hand, can be made from any one or number (blend ie “ensamble” or “mezcla”) of 240 or so agave varities that grow in mexico. It has a protected DO, but most people in the industry think its pretty shitty, as mezcal has been indigenous to Mexico for over 500 years.

Mezcal differs greatly on taste between brands due to a large number of factors. Agave type, region, wood used to roast, length of roast, length of fermentation, type of still (typically copper or clay pot), how the mezcal is “cut” by the mezcalero, what is growing nearby, what ambient yeasts are in the air used to ferment the “tepache,” etc etc.

Most people when they try mezcal for the first 10-20 times will only taste smoke. However, the more mezcal one drinks, the less the smoke is noticable. I wont say better mezcal brands necessarily have less smoke, but most of the time its more agave flavor than anything.

I started with a few bottles from Del Maguey and my collection grew from there. I currently have maybe 70 bottles in my mezcal collection and growing. It’s the best spirit in the world, imo, because its impossible for it not to be authentic, its all about the flavor of the agave and not some silly barrel, and its made primarily by people who have been making mezcal for generations. I cannot urge you enough to try every mezcal you can. Typically, the good mezcal is not going to cheap.... its likely gonna be $70 and up, with some of the best stuff topping out around $150-$200 a bottle. Its a fascinating spirit. Here are some good brands to start with:

El Jolgorio
Real Minero
Rey Campero
Mezcalosfera
Mezcalero
Del Maguey
Vago


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

  • Like 5
Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 hours ago, burntorangebongos said:

Sort of true. Tequila comes from one varietal of agave, the Weber Tequiliana if grown in the right region, as you mention. Mescal comes from 5 varietals.

My understanding is that for Tequila, the agave hearts are baked in an autoclave. For mescals, they are pit roasted. If you like smoky flavors then Mescal might be the way to go, especially if you can find one that they rest in barrels for a few months. That sounds yummy but I've never looked into the Mezcals about their aging process.

I like to use fresh squeezed grapefruit juice and lime juice and mix it with tequila, then add club soda over crushed ice.

I don't think there is any real regulations for mezcal other than being some sort of agave. Or at least any that make a significant difference in taste. Last year when in central Mexico we got some that tasted like vodka. I also got a bottle that was supposed to be better stuff that tasted like smokey vodka after I got back to the states and tried it. I did taste some while we were there that had a nice smokey agave flavor. There is a huge variation because the definition is so vague. 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

13 minutes ago, texasdago said:

Where did you get all that mezcal in CDMX?

 

I've become a big fan of pechuga, as well... really appreciate the flavor.  

The labels with the animals are all from Erick Rodriguez/Almamezcalera. Many would say its the best mezcal money can buy. His tasting room in Mexico City is an incredible experience.

Also stopped by Sabra Dios (expensive), La Oriunda (overrated, bad selection), and Mis Mezcales (my favorite place).

  • Hook 'Em 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

Buddy of mine made me a tequila drink the other day.  He cinnamon sugared the rim of a rocks glass, then poured a couple fingers of good resposada in it.  Then he put some more cinnamon sugar on a slice of orange and torched it to brulee.  You take a sip of tequila and follow with a nibble of cinnamon sugar orange.  It was very tasty.  I'd prefer that to 99% of desserts nowadays.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

8 hours ago, hopkinsnhorns said:

Buddy of mine made me a tequila drink the other day.  He cinnamon sugared the rim of a rocks glass, then poured a couple fingers of good resposada in it.  Then he put some more cinnamon sugar on a slice of orange and torched it to brulee.  You take a sip of tequila and follow with a nibble of cinnamon sugar orange.  It was very tasty.  I'd prefer that to 99% of desserts nowadays.

What.the.fuck!?

  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

6 minutes ago, GreenspointTexas said:

Is that the $200 bottle? They were giving away free pours at the Las Perlas all you can drink mezcal and tequila event last fall and I didnt care for it. Thoughts?

It was fairly smooth. $125 at Sam's Club Cozumel.

 

Not nearly as smooth as Tierra Noble, which is my new favorite. $170 at La Europea.

 

tierra-noble.jpg

 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Pogo's here in Dallas has a killer Tequilla and Mezcal selection.  Andy Cody who is the spirits expert is a walking encyclopedia on all things tequilla and mezcal.

Tapatio Blanco is my go to value drinker and have been a big fan lately of Siembra Azul.  They made a special 12th anniversary repasado and it is outstanding for the $.

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guys guys... 275 pesos for tequila in Mexico?  Please y'all... get yourself some high end stuff for Mexican prices.  Don't bother with the cheaper stuff.  I'd rather pay $50 for a bottle of pechuga in Mexico knowing a) I can't find it here and b) if I do, I'm paying $200.00.  You can tequila of that other quality all day long in the US.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 hours ago, texasdago said:

Guys guys... 275 pesos for tequila in Mexico?  Please y'all... get yourself some high end stuff for Mexican prices.  Don't bother with the cheaper stuff.  I'd rather pay $50 for a bottle of pechuga in Mexico knowing a) I can't find it here and b) if I do, I'm paying $200.00.  You can tequila of that other quality all day long in the US.

Kinda have to be in a bigger city or resort area to find really good stuff in Mexico. A small village with a couple thousand people isn't exactly going to have that in their tiny liquor store. Even a medium sized city isn't going to have much above the 400 or 500 peso range.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 months later...

Just checked out La Viuda Negra (speakeasy next to El Come Taco) in Knox-Henderson area of Dallas.  Bartender was great and tasty mezcally cocktails.  Place is tiny and was hopping at 11.

Good place to learn about mescal.  (Although I already have forgotten the three main house mezcal's they use -- one for heavy smoke, one regular and I forget what the other one was.  Had a very simple topo chica and mescal with lime and a much more complicated spicy mezcal concoction with egg whites.  Sampled some pulque which was tasty too.

Daughter lives down the block so will use that as an excuse to make some regular stops. 

1559836564-LaViudaNegra02.jpg?fit=clip&q

Edited by tantric superman
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

26 minutes ago, GreenspointTexas said:

Was the pulque canned? Very curious because its almost impossible to find in the states due to its constant fermentation

Though available in Texas only in canned form, La Viuda Negra will serve pulque as a curado, blending it cold with other ingredients such as strawberry, mango, peanut or pistachio.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 2/25/2019 at 5:15 PM, Horn Under a Bad Sign said:

Don't get me wrong: I love women.  But this craft mezcal/marketing exercise bullshit is getting to be too much for me. Take Gem and Bolts Mezcal.


"Alchemist-artist duo AdrinAdrina and Elliot Coon grew up together in a bohemian enclave deep inside Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains, and it was there they learned the importance of plant knowledge and how to create elixirs and tinctures from found herbs and botanicals.

Living as artists in Oakland the duo created their herbal elixirs for speakeasies and galleries around the city, eventually running their own space."


 



 


https://chilledmagazine.com/gem-and-bolt-mezcal-interview


 "Tribe of wild warriors?"  "Our mighty feminine spirits power and brand and our Mezcal with DEEP DIVINE MAGIC?"


JEEEEEEEEEZUS!  It's fucking mezcal. And every time I hear the word "infused"  these days I know that a) it's going to be expensive b) it's going to make you say "what the fuck were they thinking"  and c) it's going to be expensive

Gem and Bolt is trash

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Current agave collection bottles: 

El Tosoro Reposado 

El Tosoro Blanco 

Del Maguey Vida 

 

Question for the thread: If I had $100 to spend, do I reach for a nice Anejo/Extra Anejo or a top shelf mezcal? 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

15 hours ago, Eggo said:

Current agave collection bottles: 

El Tosoro Reposado 

El Tosoro Blanco 

Del Maguey Vida 

 

Question for the thread: If I had $100 to spend, do I reach for a nice Anejo/Extra Anejo or a top shelf mezcal? 

Mezcal, but im biased. The premium/ultra premium tequila industry is hilariously overpriced and a caricature of itself

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Current agave collection bottles: 

El Tosoro Reposado 

El Tosoro Blanco 

Del Maguey Vida 

 

Question for the thread: If I had $100 to spend, do I reach for a nice Anejo/Extra Anejo or a top shelf mezcal? 

I'd go with the tequila at that price

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...

I know next to nothing about craft tequilas and mezcals, so I need some learnin'.  I recently polished off a bottle of Don Julio Anejo (gift from a friend), which I enjoyed.  Now I find myself with a tequila-less collection of alcohol, and I intend to remedy that situation.  What are your recommendations in the $100 or less category?     

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 6/25/2019 at 4:54 PM, Eggo said:

Question for the thread: If I had $100 to spend, do I reach for a nice Anejo/Extra Anejo or a top shelf mezcal? 

 

1 hour ago, Carl Spackler said:

I know next to nothing about craft tequilas and mezcals, so I need some learnin'.  I recently polished off a bottle of Don Julio Anejo (gift from a friend), which I enjoyed.  Now I find myself with a tequila-less collection of alcohol, and I intend to remedy that situation.  What are your recommendations in the $100 or less category?     

 

Abandonado. The Anejo and Extra Anejos are incredible for sipping. The silver is better than many extra anejos I've had, certainly better than Alacran and Revolucion.

abandonados.jpg

 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 8 months later...
  • 1 month later...
7 minutes ago, Eggo said:

I still don't know much about tequila, but I do know bourbon. Picked up these two Corazon Anejos aged in a couple of my favorite barrels. Did I just get had by gimmick or are these going to be good? 

103863221_564229144289969_7441708568513249426_n.jpg

what was the price?  i've bought one aged in a thomas handy barrel.   it's pretty good sippin tequila but not sure it was worth what i paid (somewhere between $70-90, from what i recall).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 11 months later...
  • 3 weeks later...

That weird blue bottle is Clasé Azul and it’s excellent. I saw the extra anejo on a menu the other day for $89 a pour.

I’ve been going through Tanteo Jalapeño like crazy since last summer. Mix it with Topo Chico, a huge squeeze of lime, and a splash of Sprite Zero for a spicy variation on ranch water. I really wish they sold it in handles.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.



×
×
  • Create New...