Tequila has long established itself as a party drink. It is customary to drink national Mexican alcohol in one gulp along with salt and a slice of lime, which serves as great entertainment at youth parties. Bartenders believe that the choice of method and temperature for serving tequila directly depends on its brand, quality and aging time. Proper serving will help you appreciate the aroma, bouquet and all the flavor notes of a Mexican drink.
Correct tequila temperature
Experts advise choosing tequila for tasting, which is made from 100% blue agave. Preference should be given to proven brands, and choose brands that belong to small family companies, and not to large concerns. Tequila mixto (mixto), created with the addition of distillate from cane sugar, will not bring such pleasure as añejo (añejo) or reposado (reposado) from blue agave.
With lime and salt, it is customary to serve tequila blanco (White), which is ideal for making cocktails. Good varieties are made from pure agave, but this category of drinks is either bottled immediately after distillation, or undergoes minimal exposure. The traditional supply involves pre-cooling to 9-13 °C. Then tequila is mixed with carbonated water in equal proportions and a cocktail with salt and lime is served.
Mexicans prefer to store tequila in the refrigerator and drink it neat without additives. The drink is poured into chilled piles of caballitos (translated from Spanish for “horses”) with a thick bottom and narrow walls. At the bottom of the glasses there is a notch, and their volume does not exceed 60 ml.
The prototype of the cups was the horn-shaped glasses that are still in use in local bars. It is impossible to put them on the table, which encourages visitors to drink quickly and in one gulp. Today, in good restaurants, tourists are served a tasting kit on a tray, including a bottle, caballitos, salt, and a lime wedge. It is customary to pour a drink right at the table.
The taste of reposado tequila aged up to a year is rich in honey, citrus and peppery notes, which the cold will make it difficult to feel when tasting. The drink is usually served at room temperature and tasted like a fine wine. Reposado is suitable to start and end a meal, and chocolate, coffee or ice cream is used as an appetizer.
Añejo is aged for 1-3 years, and it is considered bad form to cool such a drink before drinking. In the taste of mature tequila there are notes of honey, vanilla and toffee, and by the richness of the bouquet it is often compared with cognac.
Bartenders believe that traditional tequila glasses are not suitable for serving premium añejo and advise tasting it in cognac glasses (snifters). If the strength of the drink is too strong, it is permissible to dilute it with a little water.
Ways to drink tequila
The most common way to drink tequila is with salt and lime, which came into vogue in US bars in the 1920s. A pinch of salt is poured between the thumb and forefinger and sent to the mouth just before drinking a glass of tequila in one gulp. The final chord is a slice of lime, the acidity of which will not be felt so sharply after alcohol.
The traditional way to drink tequila is in cocktails. Connoisseurs recommend combining:
- blanco – with orange, pineapple or grapefruit juice;
- reposado – with sparkling water, tonic or sprite.
Mexicans prefer to eat a jalapeno pod (medium-sized chili pepper) before a glass of tequila, and drink Sangrita – a non-alcoholic cocktail of orange and tomato juice in approximately equal proportions with the addition of a mixture of hot peppers or Tabasco sauce. A mix dominated by tomato juice is also popular. As an appetizer, fruit or traditional Mexican dishes are served: burritos, tacos, nachos, etc.