People often ask me what tequila they should buy, so I planned to write about the top five starter tequilas for the novice. Five gets tough because there are so many choices now compared to six years ago when I first started tasting rather than just shooting tequila. One thing hasn’t changed though in those six years: my favorite brand then is still my favorite brand now. And since it is easy to find wherever you are, I think everyone should just start with the authentic Tequila Don Julio.

Important note: Patron is generally priced higher and isn’t even in the same league.

A Quick History
Don Julio the man, started making Tequila in 1942. For all the details on the authentic, personally crafted process, the Official Don Julio Site explains it much better than I could. Having been to Atotonilco, the town DJ is from, I can tell you one thing the site can’t: There is an immense pride among the people living there and working for them. Pride in the fact that they represent one of the most respected tequilas in Mexico.

The Blanco
A newcomer should start with a blanco (white) and move up through the aging process. Blancos are the purest tequilas. When first entering any tequila distillery, there is a strong and pleasant aroma from the steam-cooked agave. The Don Julio blanco exceptionally  maintains this agave flavor in both it’s nose and taste. Blanco’s aren’t aged at all, but many still lose a lot of that pure flavor in the process. So enjoy that Agave-ness before you sip and after it goes down.

The Reposado
Reposado means rested. Aged 8 months in Jack Daniel’s Whiskey barrels, the flavor starts to develop hints of spice, vanilla and citrus, but continues to bring that agave flavor. It also starts to take on a golden amber color from the aging. And no, this is not the same as the color of a Cuervo Gold or Sauza Gold. Those are artificially colored and contributing to your hangover. There is no hangover from 100% Agave tequila, like Don Julio.

The Anejo
Aged for 18 months, those hints from the Reposado are now much more prominent, with more sweetness that makes it even smoother. There are many wonderful characteristics showing up as it ages longer, but I find that everyone recognizes something different. So i’ll leave it for your taste buds to discover.

The Reservas / Extra-Anejos (Don Julio 1942 and Real)
If you are just beginning, I recommend that you save these for later. Trust me, there is so much to enjoy in the many varieties of blancos, reposados and anejos. Besides, as wonderful and super smooth as the Reservas are, a true tequila lover will often prefer the younger aged tequilas for that pure agave flavor. Especially after you visit the tequila regions of Mexico and see the process for yourself.

Welcome to the start of that journey.

This is a first in a series that highlights dynamic use of color in the dry and arid desert landscape. I love the warm and vibrant colors of Mexico, but they need to be carefully and tastefully applied in this landscape, or they can be loud and overpowering. My subscription to Phoenix Home & Garden magazine often provides incredible examples, like this one from an old July 2006 issue, taken by Michael Woodall. (i’ll post another soon from the October 2009 issue that completely blew my mind). Things I especially love:

• The rust-orange stucco with the fuschia and violet cacti combination
• The modern mosaic tiles against the rough stucco
• The cacti matching oxidized copper water spouts
• The agave of course makes me think of Tequila.

Here is my second post of something beautiful that I would love to have some day in my home. All I can say is that I would absolutely love to come home every day through this door. I found this image on Flickr (by Janet Towbin). I especially love:

• The contrasting colors of the stucco
• The rustic door itself
• The yellow numbered spanish tile 

The other night I had a flight of Tequila Ocho, a relatively new entry into the premium tequila market. Tequila Ocho differentiates itself from other premium tequilas by treating it like wine. Each year they harvest agave from different altitudes in the highlands of Arandas, therefore creating unique characteristics. And they label the “Rancho”  and year on each bottle.  I went to the town of Tequila where the soil was somewhat light, and then to the highlands where Don Julio is made. The Don Julio fields have such a rich, deep red soil and the agave is much more flavorful.

The one thing I loved most about Tequila Ocho was that they really brought out the natural agave flavor in all three ages. The Blanco was deliciously pure. The Reposado had more pure agave than most other Blancos. And the Anejo, to me tasted more like a smooth Reposado. This isn’t surprising because they age both the Reposado and Anejo the absolute minimum time required so that they can preserve as much of that flavor as possible. 

I look forward to new varieties in years to come.

Okay, so you are drinking tequila at a Mexican restaurant and the Mariachi band comes up to you. You could let them choose a song, OR you could have a few excellent requests of your own. The latter would not only impress your date, it would show some added respect to the band. This is the first in a series of my favorite requests. After all, there are just so many great Mariachi songs.

• Cielito Lindo (Beautiful Sweetie) is a great Romantic choice
• El Rey – Should test the vocal chops of the singer
• Guadalajara – Big, loud and fun
• La Malagueña – About a poor man professing love to a beautiful woman
• Volver, Volver – I actually read somewhere that this is the “Freebird” of Mexico

Volver, Volver – Performed by Mariachi Sol de Mexico

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The bandera is the perfect shot (well, three shots) for anyone in need of convincing that tequila can be delicious and not always make you sick. The name, “Bandera” or “Banderita”, called both depending where you are, means flag or small flag. And the three shots lined up create the colors of the Mexican flag. Here is how it goes:

• Take the first shot of fresh squeezed lime juice, but don’t swallow it yet
• Add the second shot, a nice 100% Agave blanco tequila and swallow both together
• Chase with the third shot, called Sangrita (description below).

Sangrita is comparable to a spicy V8 juice. But there are various homemade recipes that can make it much better. My friend Greg Neises makes an amazing one that adds fresh squeezed orange, lime, horseradish, salt, pepper and tobasco to tomato juice. Start with a little of each and add until you have the right amount of spice for your liking.

I have personally converted more non-believers to tequila lovers than I can remember. Thanks to this shot.

Expect to hear me talk about the band Calexico a lot on this blog. They are a truly amazing band with Mariachi, Spaghetti-Western and alt/country influences in their sound (just to name a few). The name is derived from a town on the California/Mexico border, which also perfectly represents how their music crosses borders.  This track is an instrumental that sounds like a John Wayne film score and comes from my personal favorite record of theirs title “Feast of Wire.”

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I first saw this picture in an ad for Eldorado Stone over a year ago and I have had it on my fridge for inspiration ever since. It beautifully blends Tuscany, Seville and San Miguel de Allende. I especially love:

• The tile staircase
• The separate Casita at the top of the stairs

Okay, so I love the bottle, and have read that this is a delicious tequila. And that includes the blanco, reposado and anejo. So first I want to know – where is it sold? And where can I acquire the beautiful lighted base? This would look fantastic on my tequila bar. BTW – I found this photo here.