What’s a “tequila cage”?

Grover and I went to Santa Fe last week and we thought it would be the perfect opportunity to see what New Mexico has on Old Mexico in terms of tequila.

I was dreaming of great New Mexican cuisine, accented with fully stocked tequila bars, but the reality was somewhat different. If the food was good, there was no decent tequila in sight, and if the tequila was good, the food was just mediocre.

Some friends had recommended two places downtown, near the plaza – the Blue Corn Café and the Ore House On The Plaza. We were told that the food at Blue Corn was better, but that Ore House had a “tequila cage” that we must see. I had no clue what a tequila cage was, but it sounded enticing, as though the agave was so fierce it needed to be locked away from lesser tequila drinkers.

We stopped at Blue Corn first, saddled up to the bar and examined the selection. While the choices were not bad, they did not excite us. Listed as their “finest” were Corazon Reposado, Don Eduardo Añejo and Patrón Añejo. I’m not crazy about the Corazon line, and there’s something about all tequilas that start with “Don” (with the very notable exception of Don Julio) that signals that they should be avoided. So, we ordered margaritas with Herradura Reposado and were pleased with the resulting drinks. The food was also commendable, and Graham, the bartender, was friendly and informative. Next up for dinner was Ore House on the main plaza.

The Ore House was decorated in classic Mexican style, including tiled tables, a cantina-like bar and inviting balcony. At first glance we were excited by the rows of tequila and the atmosphere. We grabbed a table on the balcony and began inspecting their tequila list, looking for brands we had never heard of or hadn’t yet tried. There were many, but most of them were blancos and reposados, and many of our old favorites were suspiciously absent.

However, they did offer Herradura Seleccion Suprema for $50 a shot, El Tesoro Paradiso for $25 and Cuervo Reserva de la Familia for $20.

We chose two that we hadn’t tried – Chamucos Reposado and Reformador Reposado, both priced at around $12 a shot. As soon as the Reformador arrived we had our suspicions. It was completely clear, and the consistency of water. The nose was very faint, with a slight floral smell. Grover took the first sip and I saw confusion spread across his face. “It tastes like water!” he said. “Actually, rose water.”

I took the next sip, and to my surprise, he was right. It barely tasted like anything at all, it had no legs, and there was just a slight floral aftertaste. Perplexed, we decided to go for the Chamucos. This one was much closer to the tequila we liked, with a smooth front and an agave burst mid-tongue. It had a faint, sweet aroma – all and all a decent repo.

When the waitress returned we investigated the mysterious Reformador. “Is this really the reposado?” Grover asked. “It’s completely clear and it tastes like water.”

Sure enough, after checking with the bartender, our waitress told us that she actually served us the Reformador Blanco. She brought a shot of the reposado and we were curious to see the difference. The Reformador repo couldn’t be any more different than its unaged cousin. It was bright and herbal, with a flavor explosion at the back of the throat. It’s not particularly smooth tequila; there seems to be too much going on.

The food at the Ore House was also disappointing. Although the menu sounded good, everything was overcooked and bland. We left still hungry and thirsty and wondering about the “tequila cage.” It turns out the Ore House has a small tequila shop that was locked up the evening we were there, behind a cage-like encasing. The search for a fine Santa Fe tequila experience continued.

-Scarlet