With regards to Tequila, there are five main aging classifications:
· Blanco, Silver, Plata, Crystal Platinum – the youngest distilled, aged for 59 days or less or at all resulted in a clear color; flavors citrus, floral, or pepper.
· Joven or Oro – a gold-colored mixto basically a Blanco mixed with aged tequilas
· Reposado – “rested” for two months to one year in European or American oak barrels; a light caramel-colored with flavors consisting of oak, pear, caramel, and vanilla
· Anejo – aged one to three years; darker color flavors cocoa, toffee, or vanilla
· Extra Anejo – aged three or more years, color similar to whisky and is the most expensive of the five classifications
Anything other than 100% agave printed on the label, is considered a low-quality mixtoconsisting of a mixture of fermented agave juice and cane spirits.
Stocking Your Bar Perfectly
Aficionados will only enjoy tequila neat and sip, either straight, chilled, or on the rocks. Similar to wine, the process of experiencing tequila is to look and admire the color of the liquor, then swirl, sniff, sip and allow the tequila to sit in your mouth before swallowing. This is a slow sipping drink to appreciate the flavor and time taken to produce. Salt and lime should only be used for shots. Tequila, typically labeled as the college party alcohol for margaritas and shots has transitioned into a decadent sipping experience.
Best Sipping Tequilas include (full list at Town and Country Magazine):
· Casamigos Tequila – Super-premium brand launched by former co-founders George Clooney and Rande Gerber
· Don Julio 1942 – limited-edition created for the 60th anniversary of Don Julio
· Herradura Seleccion Suprema Extra Anejo Tequila
Cocktails Consideration:
When stocking your bar, the addition of Blanco or Silver tequilas are ideal for mixed drinks including the essential Margarita (now produced in different flavors), Tequila Sunrise, Paloma, Long Island Iced Tea or offering a round of shots with a slice of lime and salt or alternatively sipping Sangrita and Tequila.
Bartenders over the decades have pushed the envelope in creating innovative cocktails using a variety of flavored tequilas (i.e., fruits, chipotle peppers, cucumbers, etc.) such as 1800 Tequila’s coconut or YaVe flavored Tequilas launched in 2017 (choice of either jalapeno or mango) and just reinventing cocktails known for other liquors like Pina Coladas and Sours. Here’s a provided link for a variety of new tequila cocktails recipes.