After being off last week and on vacation the week before, I returned to Cocktails with Nick and Jerry on 1220AM WKRS yesterday.  The topic of the day was tequila.  Tequila is made from a specific Agave plant in the Tequila Area near Jalisco in Mexico.  Sometimes people confuse it with Mezcal (which may have a worm in the bottle).  Mezcal is made in a similar fashion to Tequila, but several kinds of Agave may be used which impart different flavors.  Mezcal is traditionally made in the Oaxaca (pronounced like Wacaca) area.

There are several kinds of Tequila.  Silver, which is unaged or aged in Oak less than 2 months.  Oro or Gold, which is also unaged, but caramel is added for coloring and some aged or rested tequilas may be blended in.  Reposado, which is aged in Oak 2 months to a year.  And Anejo, which is aged over 1 year in Oak.  The longer it is aged, the more expensive it is (by brand), the smoother the spirit should be.

We tasted 4 tequilas.  The first was Milagro Silver at $19.99 for a 750ml.  I found this to be a great universal Tequila, great for shooting or mixing.  As it is unaged, it does have that harshness on the finish, which some people prefer.  The second was Hacienda Vieja Reposado at $19.99 for a full liter gift set.  This spirit is also great for shooting or mixing.  A little less harsh than the Milagro, and maybe a little citrus aftertaste and nose to me.  The third was Don Julio Anejo at just under $40.00.  I had not tried this in a while and was very impressed.  Great for sipping, it was very smooth.  Also a little citrus in hear to my taste.  The final spirit was Vida Reposado at just under $60.00.  This was really nice, as it should be for the price.  I prefer it to Patron.  Nice Vanilla and Butterscotch tones.

Hope you listen in next week.  If you have comments on these or other Tequilas, please leave them here.

Adam