We aren’t in Mexico right now. We’re not in California or New York either. We’re in Macon, Mississippi – and we have come to the realization that we are spoiled tequila brats. We are here to attend a family function (Scarlet’s family lives here) and today during our errands we went looking for ingredients to make a Pure Margarita.

This is an easy task in Mexico or California, but a little more effort (and money) is required if you want to pull it off in Macon, Mississippi.

The first, and most important ingredient, tequila, required a 30 minute drive to the “package store” – one of maybe two places you can get liquor here since until recently it was a dry county. Once we arrived, we realized that choice was not only limited, but scary. We never heard of “Two Fingers” tequila. “Aristocrat Silver” and “Pepe Lopez” didn’t ring any bells either, and considering they are all in the $14 price range, and none of them have “100% de Agave” listed on the label, we avoided them.

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For two full months I had been mentally preparing myself for Mark’s visit to our new apartment in Tlaquepaque. Mark is the mastermind behind the SFT Tequila Bar in Sayulita, Mexico. He’s a great friend, and Scarlet and I were really excited to have him at our house for a few days.

In a previous entry, Mark and Gabbi Villarrubia mentioned that Don Fernando’s TKO tequila is the best tequila to drink when you’re hang out with your buddies, so I made sure we had a bottle in the house in plenty of time for his arrival.

It was a good call.

Don Fernando TKO Silver is a special edition double-distilled 100-proof, 100% agave tequila that comes in a red bottle shaped like a boxing glove. The 50% alcohol volume makes it a strong contender as a fun party guest.

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The legend of the sommelier, sitting in the cellar to taste and rate wines by candlelight, is alive and well in Mexico. Except here the cherished spirit is tequila and the expert tasters are known as “catadores.”

We recently had the opportunity to sit in with a group of catadores in downtown Guadalajara for an official “cata,” or tasting. Our tequila consultant David Ruiz invited us to visit with the Academia Mexicana de Catadores de Tequila, Vino Mezcal A. C. during one of their monthly tastings, and they were kind enough to let us taste along with them.

As soon as we entered the conference room where the tasting was being held—at 11 a.m. on a Saturday morning—we knew we were over our heads. Setup in front of each chair was 10 glasses of tequila labeled only by number, and a small glass of vodka, a bottle of water and a plate of crackers, all to cleanse the palate. There were also spittoons (11 a.m. is awfully early to drink all 10 glasses of tequila) and candles placed around the room, presumably to represent the tradition of the sommelier.

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There’s something about Siete Leguas blanco that serious tequila drinkers really love. It has a pleasant nose of agave and earth aromas and the taste is strong and traditional, yet smooth. Many think it is what a blanco should be — it carries a true agave flavor, with a medium spicy finish at the back that is memorable.

So imagine our surprise when we visited the Corrido distillery last week and some people in our group started comparing Corrido blanco with Siete Leguas blanco. Corrido has its differences, for sure. The nose is a little more pungent and fruitier, but it too is packed with agave flavor. The Corrido coats your mouth in a more viscous way than Siete Leguas and is smoother overall.

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It’s unusual for us to visit a distillery that makes a brand of tequila we’ve never heard of before, that turns out to be a real must-have. But that’s exactly what happened last week when we visited the PRASA distillery, which makes both Sol de Mexico (which we already reviewed) and a new line called Corrido.

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