Having a few friends over tomorrow for Ceviche, Enchiladas, Sol Beer and Margaritas and I need recommendations for a good inexpensive ($20-30) blanco or reposado tequila? A silver would be nice but I doubt there's a good silver in my price range. I'll probably buy a cheaper tequila for frozen margaritas and a better smoother tequila for top-shelf on the rocks margaritas. Also, your best recipe is greatly appreciated? Clase Azul Reposado is my favorite tequila but its made for sipping and its awesome with sangrita. Thanks in advance.
Need Tequila Recommendations
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One of my favorites for margaritas is Hornitos reposado, and plain 'ol Sauza works great for a less expensive spirit.
I use 3 parts tequila, 2 parts Cointreau or Cintronge (triple sec in a tight pinch), 1 part lime. Shake the bejeezus out of it and strain over fresh ice or up in a cocktail glass. Salt is optional; if you're unsure, just salt 1/2 the rim. You can tweak the proportions to your taste(s), add a little simple if you like sweeter.
edit: I'm not a fan of anything frozen, so I can't comment on those varieties.
I use 3 parts tequila, 2 parts Cointreau or Cintronge (triple sec in a tight pinch), 1 part lime. Shake the bejeezus out of it and strain over fresh ice or up in a cocktail glass. Salt is optional; if you're unsure, just salt 1/2 the rim. You can tweak the proportions to your taste(s), add a little simple if you like sweeter.
edit: I'm not a fan of anything frozen, so I can't comment on those varieties.
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What about 1800 Reposado or Silver Select?
I'm not a fan of 1800 reposado (has off putting flavors like a Gold might). I've never had their Select Silver, but at 100 proof, I'd be concerned that it might interfere with correct cocktail propotions.
How much is El Tesoro de don Philipe where you are? I would think it would be worth the price of the upgrade if there really is an upgrade price from what you were talking about where you are. Blanco or reposado, would do. I think their Blanco holds up very well against much more expensive brands. I agree that that it is generally harder to get a good blanco than a good reposado at lower price points.
I find Cazadores kind of bland. I used to drink a lot of Hornitos and liked it. Now I am not so sure. It is at least 100% agave and has flavor. I have tended not to like 1800 because it seems so commercial and ubiquitous, but at the price point, it is really pretty good.
For margarita recipes, Cointreau for sure, if you are willing to spend the money. Cintronge is sort of okay but a big step down in quality and not much of a money savings, around here anyway. Gran Gala (a Gran Marnier knock-off) is actually pretty good in a margarita, but it is rather different, more woody/brandy than Cointreau, by far. And Gran Gala can often be obtained for a pretty good price. I have never found a triple sec that was very good and I have tried a lot.
I would suggest a half and half or mixture of lime and lemon juice, or really one lime to on lemon ratio, and the lemon is going to larger and put out more juice than the lime. The lime flavor is great and should be there, but I find limes a bit overly tart, and if you use too little juice you start to lose too much of non-tart citrus component. Fresh squeezed, of course. Given how little a place like Costco charges for big bags of limes and lemons it is hard to justify not using fresh given how much any tequila and Cointreau costs!
Others may disagree, but what I find really brings up a margarita is to sweeten with agave syrup instead of sugar (or God help us all high fructose corn syrup pre-made bar sugar syrup). Should be able to get in many grocery store and any health food store. Certainly in Trader Joe's and the like. Really adds a nice flavor complementary to the tequila and is not overpoweringly sweet. Actually on that note, I would err to the side of undersweetening rather than oversweetening. With the quality of tequila we are talking about and the tartness of the lime tamed with lemon, we have ingredients that could nearly be consumed without any sweeter, too much sweeter is going to mask other wonderful flavors.
I would go rocks or strained over ice into a cocktail glass rather than frozen, too. And I hate a salted rim myself, although find just a very little bit of salt mixed into the drink itself adds flavor and nuance.
Just my two cents. I love good tequila and I love an excellent margarita. To me, though, if one is really going to go inexpensive and, say frozen, not fresh-squeezed, etc., they are really better off with rum. To me cheap rum is a much higher quality product than cheap tequila is and any rum is likely to stand up to less expensive ingredients better than almost any tequila that is worth drinking. Again, just MHO.
Have fun.
I find Cazadores kind of bland. I used to drink a lot of Hornitos and liked it. Now I am not so sure. It is at least 100% agave and has flavor. I have tended not to like 1800 because it seems so commercial and ubiquitous, but at the price point, it is really pretty good.
For margarita recipes, Cointreau for sure, if you are willing to spend the money. Cintronge is sort of okay but a big step down in quality and not much of a money savings, around here anyway. Gran Gala (a Gran Marnier knock-off) is actually pretty good in a margarita, but it is rather different, more woody/brandy than Cointreau, by far. And Gran Gala can often be obtained for a pretty good price. I have never found a triple sec that was very good and I have tried a lot.
I would suggest a half and half or mixture of lime and lemon juice, or really one lime to on lemon ratio, and the lemon is going to larger and put out more juice than the lime. The lime flavor is great and should be there, but I find limes a bit overly tart, and if you use too little juice you start to lose too much of non-tart citrus component. Fresh squeezed, of course. Given how little a place like Costco charges for big bags of limes and lemons it is hard to justify not using fresh given how much any tequila and Cointreau costs!
Others may disagree, but what I find really brings up a margarita is to sweeten with agave syrup instead of sugar (or God help us all high fructose corn syrup pre-made bar sugar syrup). Should be able to get in many grocery store and any health food store. Certainly in Trader Joe's and the like. Really adds a nice flavor complementary to the tequila and is not overpoweringly sweet. Actually on that note, I would err to the side of undersweetening rather than oversweetening. With the quality of tequila we are talking about and the tartness of the lime tamed with lemon, we have ingredients that could nearly be consumed without any sweeter, too much sweeter is going to mask other wonderful flavors.
I would go rocks or strained over ice into a cocktail glass rather than frozen, too. And I hate a salted rim myself, although find just a very little bit of salt mixed into the drink itself adds flavor and nuance.
Just my two cents. I love good tequila and I love an excellent margarita. To me, though, if one is really going to go inexpensive and, say frozen, not fresh-squeezed, etc., they are really better off with rum. To me cheap rum is a much higher quality product than cheap tequila is and any rum is likely to stand up to less expensive ingredients better than almost any tequila that is worth drinking. Again, just MHO.
Have fun.
El Jimador has recently re-introduced their brand as 100% puro de agave after a short misguided stint as a mixto tequila. I find it to be an agreeable and inexpensive (~$20) blanco well suited for margaritas.
First, as much as I want to love Tequilla, I drink it on occasions but it will never replace my Bourbon.
Second, I am unable to drink silver/white spirits, I need a yellow/brown spirit.
From what I tried so far, in a mix, Sauza or El Jimador (as already mentionned) would be perfect for that. 1800 is all right but nothing fantastic. I would recommend to stay away from very cheap tequilla such as Tequila bang bang. It must cost $10 for a gallon of that stuff, my sister drinks it, go blind and is happy. Can't do it!
If you want something that you can sip like a bourbon, I would recommend Herradura. I can get it in 3 different bottles. A young, medium and old... Don't waste any time and go for the old one if you love tequilla, that's a great one to sip!
Second, I am unable to drink silver/white spirits, I need a yellow/brown spirit.
From what I tried so far, in a mix, Sauza or El Jimador (as already mentionned) would be perfect for that. 1800 is all right but nothing fantastic. I would recommend to stay away from very cheap tequilla such as Tequila bang bang. It must cost $10 for a gallon of that stuff, my sister drinks it, go blind and is happy. Can't do it!
If you want something that you can sip like a bourbon, I would recommend Herradura. I can get it in 3 different bottles. A young, medium and old... Don't waste any time and go for the old one if you love tequilla, that's a great one to sip!
I actually thought of that and then forgot about putting it in my response. I agree completely. The 100% Agave El Jimador--which is what all EJ used to be as far as I know until Jose Cuervo took them over--is a very good deal, and I would say well worth drinking. I think it is probably the best deal in that price range.
Be real careful to get the 100% agave though. Around here (DC), as far as I know, only the Virginia state stores are carrying the 100% agave so far, and it is side by side on the shelf with the mixto version for exactly the same price. The Maryland Montgomery County-owned stores where I shop most frequently still have only the mixto, and unless they have done something recently to make it better, the mixto is rather shocking bad.
Jose Cuervo should be ashamed. El Jimador was a well-known brand in Mexico and very reliable brand before JC gutted it. I used to buy EJ all the time and did not notice the change to mixto when they first made the change. I tasted the change immediately though. I really felt that JC had put one over on me by making a change like that and not making it clear that they were.
Don't get me wrong. The El Tosoro is still quite a bit better and not that more expensive. I would go for the El Tosoro over the El Jimador, but the EJ to me stands a good bit above things like Hornitos and 1800. More flavorful to me than Cazadores, but the Cazadores probably has cleaner, purer, better flavors. So maybe the EJ for margaritas and the Cazadores for shots, although I think the Cazadores may be about as expensive as the El Tesoro.
Don Juuulio Blanco. Good for mixing + shots.
Casco Viejo.
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- #12
OK, I''m thinking that cstrothers and I need to get together for a tequila drink off! Would love to pick his brain!
hornitos +1 it's a bargain and you could pour it in a patron bottle and most people couldn't tell you the difference. It's affordable and really good quality.
Another plus one for the Hornitos - I'm not a huge tequila fan, but this one is great bang for the buck.
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- #15
Not a Patron fan, it's the Corona of tequila. If the Mexicans won't drink it, why would I?
I like this better than Patron honestly.
What's left of my brain, anyway. I had not noticed the No Va and Austin locations. You must have access to some really nice tequilla. You should be giving me advice, not vice versa.
How do prices compare between the DC area and Austin? Prices and selection not so good in No Va, I guess, exept at least you can get that Jimador 100% agave. I find DC prices not so great either, except, say, Schneider's on Capitol Hill. Actually they have had Equis tequila on sale forever for a really good price. I really like that one. Selection in DC is pretty good. Darn hard to find Casa Nobles though. The Montgomery County stores have great prices though and not too bad a selection. The Westbard store still has some Casa Nobles reposado for $38 a bottle. Perhaps my all time favorite tequila at any price, although it does not seem to be come out all that well in some tastings that folks on this forum have had, which I really do not understand!
But with Casa Nobles we are definitely getting into more expensive tequila, which I am more comfortable with, anyway. I completely agree with you about Patron and the analogy to Corona is a good one. (Not that Patron is bad. It is so smooth as to lack character and to be rather bland.) And I like whisky and whiskey myself, but I am not overly drawn to anejos, much less the super anejos. I had a blanco from the Wine Spe......t--no idea of the name and have never seen it since, that was so flavorful with pure agave peppery, minerally, vegetal type flavors. That is more what I am looking for in a tequila as opposed to what I am looking for in a Scotch or bourbon.
Don Julio, even though it is everywhere, I am admitting to myself more and more is consistently pretty darn good, but, again, not talking inexpensive anymore.
Anyway, I should have nothing to offer someone from Austin!
Another thought I had was that recipes often give specifc amounts for "lime" juice and sweetners. Not only are the ratios somewhat a matter of personal taste, I find that lime and lemon juices vary hugely in how tart they are. As in cooking something, tasting and adjusting is key. And usually put in some water, too. No reason to keep the citrus juices at full strength. Good tequila and Cointreau tastes mighty good. Should be enhanced, not overwhelmed!
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- #18
I've always been a bourbon and whiskey guy and never cared for tequila until recently, when my wife and I went to Mexico for our honeymoon. The hotel we stayed at had a very large selection of tequilas and the bartender was very knowledgable about the different brands and types. Our favorite tequila was Clase Azul Reposado in a chilled champagne glass followed by Tres Generaciones. I have not had a chance to visit local liquor store to view their inventory, Tres Generaciones should be readily available but Clase Azul is only available online, which I can have shipped to my wife's work address in DC. I've been to Schneiders for wine but never looked at their liquor selection, may need to do that pretty soon. My goal is to have a few tequilas, like my bourbons and vodka, that I can always have around the house for when to mood strikes me. I like Margaritas on the rocks so I need to find a nice smooth silver tequila for mixing in a shaker, something smooth but still has a little punch and flavor.
V
VR6ofpain
Years ago I found a really cheap gold Tequila that is absolutely great. I drink it straight up as it is perfect for sipping like a Whiskey.
It is called 100 Anos Reposado. I believe Sausa either imports or makes it. The great thing is you can pick up a bottle for less than $20.
It is called 100 Anos Reposado. I believe Sausa either imports or makes it. The great thing is you can pick up a bottle for less than $20.
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- #20
Sauza really produces some good tequillas. So far, I found that they produce:
1. Tres Generaciones
2. Hornitos
3. 100 Anos
Any more?
1. Tres Generaciones
2. Hornitos
3. 100 Anos
Any more?
