The other day we visited David Yan, Marketing Director for Casa Noble tequila in Mexico, at his house in Guadalajara. Part of David’s job is to bring guests to the…
Have you ever wished there really was a bar where everyone knew your name and were always glad you came? Few of us have this in real life, but there…
Even if you are a regular tequila drinker, the first sip can sometimes be a shock to your mouth. It might bite and tingle a bit, and there’s no way…
Dear Mezcal, I don’t think we should see each other anymore. Don’t get me wrong — I had great time with you in Mexico City the other weekend, but I…
Have you ever gone tequila tasting with someone who has a great nose? They swirl their glass around, hold it to the light to checkout the “legs” and the “tears”,…
Tequila lovers in the U.S. should think about clearing some space on their bars this month because El Tequileño is bringing their excellent — and affordable — 100% agave line…
It’s 11 a.m. on a Tuesday and I’m sitting in La Tequila, the largest tequila bar-restaurant in Guadalajara. The older gentleman sitting next to is holding a small glass vial to his nose and smelling deeply. He looks at me, shrugs, and hands me the vial. I know this one is going to be a tough one.
It’s Day One of a four-day hardcore seminar on tequila tasting and evaluation and almost everyone is having a hard time identifying the unmarked smells in the little glass vials. We have to identify what aroma group the smell comes from—floral, herbal, spice, fruit or other—and name the smell if we can. I take the vial the man has passed to me and take a deep whiff. It’s floral … no, it’s punchier than that. An herb? I write down “herbal” but I have no clue what kind. I move on to the next one.
For this website, I have tasted a lot of tequilas. I always try to be observant and descriptive as possible about the tequilas, but I realize I’m no expert. Tequila is complex. It has over 600 possible aroma and flavor components. Some, like vanilla and caramel, are easy to spot because they come from the barrel and are present in many aged tequilas. Others, like apples, gardenias and solvents, are more challenging. Is it baked apple or fresh apple? Is it thinner or is it gasoline? These are things that expert “catadores” (tequila tasters) can identify immediately.
For some tequila lovers it’s not enough to simply go to the store and pickup their favorite brands. They crave the rare, the undiscovered, the known but forgotten—in short, they…
The other day our good friend Mark Alberto Holt, creator of the SFT Tequila Bar in Sayulita, Mexico, stopped by with a very special gift. He had managed to obtain…
Añejo tequilas — meaning tequilas that have been aged in a barrel for one to three years — are often rich in flavor and aromas. These are the cognacs of…
Put down that shot glass! Not because we’re encouraging you not to drink – don’t be silly – but because you are probably cheating whatever tequila is in that glass….
Update-Since we ran this story the President of Casa Partida in Mexico contacted us to let us know that there is no shortage of any of their products. They are…
El Gran Jubileo recently asked us to shoot some hi-def video for their new website. It was a great opportunity to be out in the agave fields and to get…
We moved from San Francisco to Mexico a little over a month ago and I’d say we’re pretty settled in. Getting here was easier than we thought—we notified our landlord…
Ahh, Cinco de Mayo—margaritas, tequila shots, mariachi music, crowded bars and trouble waiting to happen. At least, that’s the U.S. version of this curious holiday. But here in Mexico, Cinco…
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…
For two full months I had been mentally preparing myself for Mark’s visit to our new apartment in Tlaquepaque. Mark Alberto Holt is the mastermind behind the SFT Tequila Bar…
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…
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…
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…