Cape Town - Tequila has come a long way over the last 250 years.
From its early days as a drink for bandidos and rancheros it has grown in popularity and refinement and premium craft tequila is fast showing its appeal to sippers worldwide.
A press release says that in Mexico, tequila is sipped rather than slammed, shot or mixed in Margaritas. It is best drunk in a caballito (a tapered long shot glass) with sangrita or cold beer, while some even drink it in a cognac snifter glass.
Award-winning bartender, tequila aficionado and official ambassador for Jose Cuervo Tradicional, Siavash ‘Marshall’ Behaein explains what to look for, how to drink it and what to pair it with.
Marshall says that nobody seems to know how to drink tequila other than in a cocktail or as a shot but when enjoyed correctly tequila can be as fine a spirit as a single-malt whisk(e)y, bourbon or cognac.
“To start off you need a great tasting 100 percent blue agave tequila,” he says. “Only premium craft tequila is made from blue agave (pronounced: Ah-Gah-Vey). You will find ‘100 percent de agave’ on the bottle to indicate this.”
He explains: “This essentially means that the alcohol contained within the bottle is a direct result of the fermentation of the agave and only the agave; no sugar or other additives have been included which results in a better tasting tequila.”
“Set aside the shot glass and choose the right glassware - a snifter or traditional caballito glass (slightly more tapered and longer than a shot glass) works best,” he says. “You can apply most of the same tasting rules to tequila as you would to whisk(e)y or cognac but here are some basic steps to get you started:”
Look at its colour:
You can tell if it’s a 100 percent blue agave tequila by looking at the consistency of the liquid. Tequilas that have been aged for longer will have a heavier, thicker body.
Savour the aroma
Whatever you do, do not sniff the liquid like you would wine, this is 40 percent proof alcohol so by doing this you will oversaturate your nose. Little sniffs are best and try to see what you can identify without swirling the liquid. Next, swirl the glass and take note of the different aromas.
Sip it slowly
Take a small sip and take the tequila on to your tongue. Keep the liquid in your mouth and breath in with your mouth slightly open to taste the flavours. Finally, swallow it and the back-end notes will emerge.
What to drink it with
Tequila comes from Mexico so pairing it with food from the region is the best option. Salsas, roasted tomatillo, tacos and citrus flavoured desserts will all go well with sipping tequila. Pairing tequila with food is much like pairing wine; you look for things like acidity, freshness and bitterness to bring out the flavours.
In Mexico it is customary to sip Tradicional with sangrita or a cold beer. It’s best served chilled in a snifter glass or sipped from a caballito shot glass with craft beer (signature serve).
For more information go to Facebook.com/ JoseCuervoSA or join the conversation on Twitter @JoseCuervoSA #TradicionalSA
IOL, adapted from a press release.