Alacrán Tequila – Does the Scorpion Have a Bitter Sting?
April 12, 2011 
8 Comments
All around Mexico City, tucked among the usual tequila fare, we’ve seen a new contender – Alacrán tequila. The brand is based here, which explains its ubiquity, but it has been making its way far and wide, and we were curious to find out what was in its mysterious matte black bottle.
The brand only offers a blanco, so we picked up a bottle and eagerly opened its screw top. It has a mild alcohol aroma when you first pour it, but it opens up nicely over time. That’s when you start to smell its faint coconut, raw agave and butter aromas.
In the glass, its legs are thin and that plays out as a somewhat watery mouth feel. There isn’t a lot of oils in this tequila presumably because of the fast cooking process the makers chose by using a column still (also called a continuous still). Slow cooking retains more oils from the agave, and the oils carry aromas and flavors.
But the proof is in the mouth, and once we tried it we had a draw: I didn’t like it and Grover thought it was “okay.” We explain why here:
Alacrán, which means “scorpion” in Spanish, is made at the Tierra de Agaves distillery in Tequila, Jalisco, where they also make Luna Azul and La Certeza. They promote the brand as an “authentic” tequila for independent people.
Whether it is considered authentic or not, my real problem with the scorpion was its sting. It left me with a strange bitterness at the top of my palette/back of my throat that lingers unpleasantly. As it turns out, the sting was the one element that Grover didn’t mind, especially compared to the typical tequila found here in Mexico City. Go figure.
So, what you think?
-Scarlet
Hit my gag reflex around where Scarlet had the same problem. Almost puked and threw the rest down the drain. Nice bottle.
I did get the burnt vanilla/coconut feel, but there were also a bunch of “small little things” that seem out of place: the thin body, the olive tingle on the sides of the tongue, a weird palate attack that leaves the upside of the mouth all puffy…The agave presence is never allowed to go live, and just as Scarlet did: the “swallow” part leads to this “gag reflex” kind of reaction that I simply dislike too much. I think it has too much attitude and too little personality, IMO.
Congrats on the NICe bar! (guess the cats were sleeping, ?)
I have tasted Alacran from 5 different bottles over the past weeks.I was very impressed when I first tasted it. I think it has a fruity sweet flavor of agave with a touch of citrus and pleasant finish.I find it very exciting to drink!
We got 2 bottles at agave after I tasted it and went through them in 1 week because one of the bartenders and myself have been sipping it constantly.Then we got 2 more and those are mysteriously light as well!
There was one night when I poured a newly opened bottle for someone to try where it let me down, but overall I think its great for what you can find in NYC.
Scarlet,I would encourage you to give it another shot at some point.
BTW the bar is amazing!! love the seats!
I should be embarrassed to live in MX City and know nothing about tequila.
Additives? Well, the bottles are recycled Drakkar Noir bottles!
Love the bar, congrats!!
Nice work as always guys. My two cents: if it’s column distilled, thin AND you’re getting coconut and butter aromas, I would also think it was probably manipulated, as Grover suggested. Salud!
definitely watery with not allot of pop, but not exactly a tequila that should make you gag…thats if you truly like tequila
Really like your reviews. I was wondering what you guys think of Deleon Anejo?
It really packs a sting! Makes a mean Margarita.