Calling all tequila addicts! We’re introducing a new weekly feature that will give you the lowdown on all the latest tequila news, posted each Friday. If you have tequila-related news of your own, please let us know.
With that, let’s get started!
TequilaAficionado.com set to relaunch Feb. 1st – bigger and better.
Tequila reporter Mike Morales tells us that the online tequila magazine is set for a major revamp. It aims to be the premier website for tequila news, views, and reviews, along with content that won’t be available anywhere else on the Web.
Right now they’ve got the coolest looking online countdown clock we’ve ever seen.
Golfer John Daly has his own brand of tequila in the works.
The former hardcore drinker, known primarily for his love of beer, has yet to announce the name for his tequila but he does have a tagline: “Grip it and sip it.”
Kate Hudson says she loves tequila.
However, the starlet recently gave up drinking wine and tequila to lose weight for her new movie “Nine.” We have news for you Kate—it wasn’t the tequila that was doing you in since it only contains about 100 calories per shot.
Milagro Tequila gets “fresh” with new duty free promotional pack.
The presentation box includes the recipe for “the world’s freshest margarita” using Agave Nectar and fresh squeezed lime juice in place of the traditional triple sec and sour mix. We laud any brand that helps promote “pure” margaritas over the sweet and sour sugar bombs made at most bars.
Republic Tequila expands into Colorado, and encourages mustache growth.
The brand was previously available only in Texas, so to celebrate its expansion they’ve done the only natural thing to do: hold a mustache-growing contest. I guess (most) tequila-loving women are left out. Sigh.
Partida Tequila soaks up growth.
What’s the best way to wash away your recession worries? Drink tequila. The good stuff. Maybe that’s why Partida owner Gary Shansby experienced 20% sales growth last year. Shansby, who started Vitamin Water, is only happy to help us get through these tough times, tastefully.
Former dot-commer makes a mean drink at Mission watering hole.
If there’s one thing a Bay Area dot-commer can do well, it’s spend venture capital cash, and drink. The San Francisco Examiner wrote a profile on Velvet Cantina bartender Peter Zimmer and his love of tequila and beer. This joint is in our neighborhood and it has a great atmosphere, if you can get a seat. It’s packed most days, for a reason.
We love tequila, but not all tequila. Case in point: Chaya Añejo. Both Scarlet and I found it rather unpleasant, although the bottle has a cool design. Unfortunately, a unique bottle doesn’t correct its unpleasant taste.
This video of us tasting it should speak for itself:
Chaya Añejo is said to have “earthy tones,” and I suppose that’s true. We smelled and tasted “cut grass” and “peat moss,” and not any agave at all. Honestly, we don’t want those kinds of tastes in our tequila.
We must assume that there are people in the world that like this stuff for the simple fact that BevMo makes it available on their store shelves. The bottle caught my attention, so I thought I would bring it home to Scarlet as a gift, since neither of us had ever tried it. I would love to hear from people who like this stuff – so leave a comment on this post if you do.
Previously we mentioned discovering Pueblo Viejo Añejo in Mexico and being pleasantly surprised by both the taste and price. During a trip to BevMo in San Francisco, we saw that the San Matias Distillery produced another aged tequila called “Pueblo Viejo Orgullo,” so we had to try it.
Orgullo (which means “pride” in Spanish) is a rich amber color with medium viscosity. It has a vanilla and slightly floral aroma. Upon sipping, it has a soft touch on the tongue and fades to a little bit of spice in the front of the mouth as opposed to the back.
You can pick up caramel and mocha flavors with a faint earthy taste.
At around $46 a bottle this tequila is a real steal. It’s aged for 24 months in white oak barrels and offers unbeatable smoothness for the price. As a result, Pueblo Viejo Orgullo has earned a permanent place in our home bar. (We have a back-up bottle to the back-up bottle.)
We recently got our hands on a bottle of Alien tequila, a relatively new brand brought to us by Alien Tequila Spirits, headquartered in Area 51, Hiko, Nevada.
These guys certainly know how to market – the bottle is shaped like an iridescent alien head and all their marketing materials fit in with the extraterrestrial theme.
Their tagline is “Be Abducted” so we had to see what would happen when we uncorked a bottle of their silver tequila. (See exactly what happened by watching the video below.)
I usually prefer aged tequilas but this one went down smooth with a gentle fruity flavor. If you are considering sharing this bottle with a few friends, I’d say go right ahead and try some of the specialty cocktails that they suggest, including ones with names such as “Alien Tequila Sex With An Alien”, “Alien Tequila Red Planet” and “Alien Tequila Encounter.”
Of course, since both their añejo and extra añejo won a gold medal in last year’s San Francisco World Spirits Competition, I’d love to get my hands on a bottle of their aged spirits as well, but they not available in San Francisco yet (although a company rep said they are looking to distribute here soon.) If you’ve given it a try, let us know what you think.
The most common question we’re asked is almost impossible to answer without additional info.
“What’s the best tequila?”
We will always ask, “What’s your budget?”
So we decided to take this question to Mark Alberto Holt, of the SFT Tequila Bar in Sayulita, Mexico, and Gabbi Villarrubia of the Sayulita Tequila Journal. Specifically, we asked them to tell us their favorite tequila for the money. Under $50, and under $100.
(click image to see video)
Gabbi’s choice is just about anything from the Corralejo family of tequilas. He shows the camera a bottle of triple-distilled Corralejo Reposado, which sells for under $50 in most places.
Mark’s choice was the very smooth and popular Don Julio 1942, which we’ve seen for sale for $99 in various retail stores in California, and some online liquor stores.
