Recorded June 2023

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hJX5tkj_4W0

Welcome To Tequilacation where we Deep dive into all things tequila and imbibe a little bit of the sweet juice ourselves I'm Stephanie Acker and I'm joined today by Chris Quintanilla the CEO of Azulejos tequila welcome Chris yeah hey how are you excited to talk about today always right by myself right not at all well today I think we're going to jump in and talk a little bit about so we're going to talk a little bit about how to actually drink tequila yeah so you know how to choose your tequila literally how to drink it and prepare it because I know there's some you know some specific ways that will help to really bring out the flavors and notes and I'd love to hear your thoughts because you have such a huge background on this of course in addition to this being your family business but you've been in the distribution business and I know you're a big foodie and and drinky I like to say um you know about like how do you understand like how does somebody kind of become more educated in tequila in the notes and things like that does that make sense yeah no absolutely and that's kind of why I'm here today is a lot of people have their first experience with tequila and you know they're they're drinking out of a little sock glass and take a shot and bite the lime and the Slit the salt and you know cringe face um well a lot of times uh they're they're drinking low quality tequila something that's not a Harps and Agave so it's not a true oligado product and this is definitely the wrong glass to drink tequila from um these shot glasses are the traditional how they look but if you look at it has a very small opening um and so you they're not really made to sniff the tequila and then your hands are so close to the top that you're gonna smell your hands and uh perfume so you're not gonna get a great great uh flavor on tequila you want to look for a glass that's more tulip shaped you know whether it's uh specific tequila glass like this or a champagne champagne flute but it's going to have a little larger opening there's a stem here so you can hold it and it's large enough so it still concentrates the spirit we can sniff the the spirit very nicely you can see the color and really appreciate it um and that's going to be if you're sipping it right like obviously if you're making a mixed drink so for example I'm drinking mine and like more of a rock's glass if this is if you're sipping it right yeah and I have an example of one of my favorite uh um quick cocktails as well so we're gonna make that here together but uh to really understand that you really don't understand the the base of tequila so on tequila it's very important that the label on the tequila you're drinking says 100 Agave it might be an extra five dollars but um but being 100 Agave you know that it's certified from the Mexican Government it's uh the tequila regulatory Council make sure that the bottle of serial number the batches are are correct and you're going to get a high quality product so um if people watch our first episode then they would have learned more about the history tequila you know kind of that piece which I think is really important why it's called tequila the significance of the town of tequila Etc but just to kind of briefly recap so what you taught us last time was obviously it all comes from Agave right you know and it's if it's the blue Weber Agave which I know says then 100 that obviously that's a completely different level but in order for it to even be called tequila it's got to be 51 Agave is that right yes correct so tequila on the label it has to be 51 percent Agave 49 alcohol from other sources usually they're going to put in a cheap room to kind of it's very expensive very hard to make agave it takes seven to ten years to grow the Agave it's very difficult to process so so inexpensive tequila is going to say just to kill the bottle but it was just tequila 100 Agave that means you're getting a full refined product right okay and then the categories from their code Blanco on A's Reposado which is a 2 to 362 months to 364 days more than a year but I'm drinking today so actually I have a little cool little set of uh tequila glasses oh beautiful you can see here I got the blanco the clear bottle the clear tequila the reposado is going to be in the middle so it's going to be aged just a few months and then Nick on the right is going to be aged a little longer this is a little tequila set that uh made by I have to get one of those but um you can see the three different types of tequila glasses so question so on the Anejo I noticed that which of course is more of a sipping tequila right because it's aged for so long it's much it's um it's a very mellow tequila right like I like proposado because it's still mellow but it still has you know it's still got that Agave flavor to it uh and then Anejo was what I like to sip at night time I said this in the last episode I love to sit out on my patio with a little bit of just slightly chilled Anejo and just sip it um one of my I just what a great way to have a you know a Friday night but it but the glass of urineho is a little bit different is that because it is more of like a Sif like a sipping kind of drink yeah so actually I bought another example so this is a cognac lifter right so you want something a little larger so you can really have a good look at the legs and how it Swirls and really nice concentrated Aroma because because it's made from agave and um in this Asian barrels you're gonna get a lot of really complex Aromas and uh you want a glass that you can really see and appreciate the darkness of the color the clearness of the product and you know you're gonna get the Aromas in the snow um another famous type of glass is called The Glen Karen which is used for Scotch perfectly suitable for drinking tequila or onion okay you really do have a little bit of everything around there Chris but but definitely not this okay the question for you is the different colors I know there's the new is it the crystalino is that what's coming like the new just like extra nejo but just filtered so there's no color right but four Tequilas that don't add anything to them much I know a lot of Tequilas do have a lot of additives so just the pure tequila right the blanco the reposado and the Anejo is the color difference because of how long it's been essentially um like sitting yeah and aged in the barrels yeah that's exactly right so when you get a Blanco and I'm gonna answer your question by by pacing through our three Tequilas let's love it somebody has to do the hard work here that's right we do have a tough job don't we I mean I tell you what so Blanco when you want us and I really recommend understanding Aquila sipping it so that way when it's a cocktail you can really understand it but I'm gonna go through this kind of quickly but uh really what we look for right so you're gonna see a really clear bright product on Silver um you want to swirl a little a little bit see the legs they're gonna really go down slow and and wide wait okay so what are legs okay now you're starting to talk a language yeah so when you swirl it you see little drops forming down right and it really shows the the viscosity of the product and you know it's it's pretty to look at and uh you can see how slow it drops and uh here's an idea of the viscosity you don't want it to be too thin and drop very quick so you want to see some discussion there it's not the ultimate um this decider of what's a great tequila or not but it's definitely something to look at enjoy and as you try different Tequilas like you try different wives you can kind of see the different types now much more important is the smell so before you taste it you want to sniff it get your nose in there and and really try to think about what flavors and train your brain to to understand what you're about to taste and see if it matches what you taste so right here I'm smelling a little bit of herbal flavors which makes sense for the Agave kind of different uh notes on that and I'm getting a lot of peppery flavors so very common in the blanco so after I've done that then I'm going to do a little sip and I'm going to breathe in and try to hold my breath a little bit sip it okay and then breathe out through my nose Okay salute the I'm going to let it coat my palette kind of get a little diluted with your saliva and just coat your entire palette and then see if you can taste the same Aromas that you smell then actually I'm getting a lot of herbal green flavors I'm getting the pepper and uh really nice aftertaste so after all that's gone the the flavor remaining is a finish I'm getting some really nice gentle pepper notes and some different spices so so it's really cool to think about that and then as as you drink more and more um your palate's already used to the alcohol on it so you're going to have uh it's gonna change over the and as it warms up the flavor is going to change a little bit so it's really cool to think about that so do you serve and drink that Blanco room temperature uh you want to do I'd recommend room temperature um or a little bit below um you can drink it whatever temperature you like and and uh some people drink it right out of the freezer but um I've always had it room temperature and uh in Mexico um room temperature is pretty common for her tequila okay nothing wrong with a nice chill tequila either so um you you probably get a little more notes on the on the aroma when it's room temperature but okay that makes sense it kind of like opens up a little bit absolutely okay so now I'm going to Reposado so Reposado you're gonna have a nice little golden hue kind of like a pale straw color also very clear you can also look at the legs very similar to my Blanco um now go for the aroma okay so you're still gonna get some Agave notes some really intense uh Agave herbal notes because it's not aged very long but you're also going to pick up now some Vanilla some caramel some Oak from from the Aging um and I think it's just enough to smoothen out the edges it's not going to give you uh overpowering Oak flavor where you lose the Agave so again the most popular in Mexico is going to be Reposado you can still get a lot of that garlic flavor but it's a little smoother on the edges right so now I'm assuming while you're doing that that you're doing the same kind of experience absolutely right which what you did with the blanco so you're taking a sip you're letting it sit there for a minute breathing out for your nose is that right absolutely yeah same same process now I'm still getting getting quite a bit of agave right in the front but then as the lingers in my and I guess I do to myself I'm getting definitely some of that Barrel the oak the caramel the vanilla flavors you get from a nice little and then uh really quick on the onyeko this is going to be a really nice treat so especially side by side drinking them so right on the nose I'm getting caramel and vanilla a little bit of chocolate you know um really nice flavors and you get a lot of complexity because on top of that you have the Agave right so right yeah just so many layers and uh I get a hint Agave right at first and then it's just an explosion of uh of the flavors you get off the oak barrels that it's aged in um now we're getting a ton of vanilla kind of almost like a sugar cookies flavor that's exactly how I think um like it's like a I get a little bit of that bite at the beginning which I love right yeah but it's not it's not a bite it's just it's sharper right and then it really just melts out into almost like I'm having a little bit of a dessert yes yeah and it's not sweet it's not sugary it's not like uh maple syrup it's uh it's a natural from the barrel like like uh you know straight vanilla without sugar right you get that really nice flavor um but not definitely not overly sweet just a very nice Oaky round flavor so Anejo is very special and definitely great after after drinks if you um do cigars right with a cigar or or whatever you're doing but um but uh all three tequilas are amazing and uh I do recommend you try some sipping Tequilas or going to you know they have these events the tequila dinners is things where you can learn a lot more about it yeah like some tastings and everything it's it's interesting because it feels like like very complex like you know in wine and wine I mean I love going to wine tastings and and learning about the wine and the why and everything but that the vastness within the type you know the different wines which is what I really encourage people to do is I'm a big tequila fan I love tequila I've tried tons of types you know and I have a lot of around the house obviously I'm a massive azalez fan as you can see in my background um but you know it's because the same type of tequila an Anejo let's say like if I try six different types they taste so different right and of course I'm always looking for the ones that don't have additives and sugars like azalejo says it but you know it's just it's so complex it's shocking because you do think of you know back in the day tequila when you're doing shots and you know in college and just feel terrible the next day and I mentioned this in our last episode but you know I can drink a tequila at night a really good tequila at night and I feel fine the next day and I think it's because it is such a pure liquor yeah you'll have I agree herb said and you know on tequila maybe when I get into a segment about how it's made right you have the the highlands which have this Red Dirt very nice mineral um the lowlands and Tequila it's a volcanic soil very special water different types of minerals then when you either you cook the agave in pressure cookers or in or in a brick ovens and get the caramelization there's so many other types of barrels So Many Factors into a good tequila and that's why it is like a Cabernet where you have from different regions of different styles you get very all great but all different very different styles and types so it's it's great and and definitely makes tequila fun and interesting and always looking for the next best thing for sure so now I'm going to go into one time you mentioned you have a drink that you're going to tell us about I am yes that's that's next so okay one of my favorite uh quick drinks um start with any kind of rocks glass right you uh add a little ice here we're just ready to go Chris I love it it's absolutely ready okay and you're adding the blanco hermani Blanco yeah um you can go upside as well or you can do one and one right okay next uh I like to make a topo Chico and uh this is really what I'm making is a tequila soda um okay more called The Ranch Water and this is a a carbonated mineral water and the potucos famous is from Mexico but it has very big bubbles so you get a really nice uh mouth feel now what if somebody can't get that specific Ranch Water because I know you can get Branch water at different places bubbles here um yeah you can use any mineral water okay so it really is a tequila soda so now I'm going to pour some purple Chico here all the way up and lastly I'm going to squeeze some some limes into my drink a full lime so I got my little squeezer here yep gotta have the squeezer your hand you get so tired I learned that at the bartender back in the day uh you might want to rim this with salt maybe not if you're you like that I I usually do or uh some you know like tahin which is a nice trimmer but uh one lime topochico and an ounce of tequila and you have a a great drink of Ranch Water tequila soda salute friend ly with extremely refreshing and it's actually only 64 calories one of the first calorie drinks there is 400 plus calories this is 64 calories on an ounce of tequila and um in the summertime which we're about to be in great great by the any kind of party that's very helpful to hear yeah I make a skinny Margarita or like a pure Margarita that's what I'm drinking like I squeeze my own limes and everything um but you know it's still obviously because you've got to add that that simple syrup in there so yes so the only difference between this and a margarita is adding a few more limes uh add some simple syrup and maybe some either Grand Marnier or Triple Sec which you both are going to the purest and in a margarita you're looking to find a balance between not too acidic not too sweet and try to mix the the lime with with the simple serpent uh or the cure to get a nice balanced uh Margarita but um these Ranch Water is less than 30 seconds and you get an amazing cocktail that looks delicious okay we'll put that on the screen as well the the uh recipes for that also you know something that looks amazing thank you for showing us that yeah this is going to be my new summer drink um something that I found like so as I mentioned obviously I'm a tequila Drinker I mean obviously we're doing a show called tequila gations but um one of the things that I found is that so I love a good uh Margarita I love a bloody Maria it's probably one of my favorite things I love a good bloody Maria which if anybody doesn't know it's essentially a bloody mary but made with a good tequila instead it's fantastic um and I love to sip tequila but when I make a margarita and I do you know I do squeeze my own limes and all that good stuff and I've got the simple syrup occasionally I've tried making simple syrup I've not done a great job with that so typically I have to buy this levels are not a huge cook but something that I've learned I absolutely love an orange in my tequila in my margarita versus a lime part of it said I don't I'm not really into super tart flavors I think that's part of it yes but there's something about that orange that just really balances it out I think maybe because of the grand mom that's in it but you know especially with a Reposado because it's mellow and it's got a little bit of that vanilla and a little bit of that caramel in there I just find a an orange to be a better topping for it yes um you know the the sweetness in an orange and the natural sugar is an orange uh or orange liqueur uh who's gonna balance out that acidity in a in a you know green lime so so if it's a little too acidic for you definitely that uh any any orange orange the cures uh is gonna take away cut a little of that acidity and uh you know you can always experiment and and keep make it fun that's the best thing about tequila right is you get to experiment and enjoy the whole right like the whole way through and it's amazing if I put a blank Reposado in the same cocktail that it's and it's only a few months it completely changes it it does uh a very different you get some of those vanilla notes and from the Aging so in fact I have a bloody Maria I like a Blanco in it that's my favorite tequila in it I think a tomato sharp right so you know I want to be I want to know that there's some tequila in there because I love how to steal a taste that makes perfect sense I agree yeah and I think a Blanco works really well on that well Chris this has been amazing so much information and we're going to be doing another episode where you talk about how tequila is actually produced yes and if you missed our first episode you actually talk about the history of tequila the importance of the talent tequila and why 100 of what you know um Agave whether agave and kind of the differences between that which I find really fascinating and I think you know if our audience ends up really liking this we're going to do a lot more and have more people on it's going to be great I mean it's just yeah and new drinks and things and that like that is there anything before we close out that you'd like to mention that people should if they're walking into a liquor store right and they're ready to start their tequila germy yes what is your top piece of advice for them look on tequila you want to make sure you're getting a 100 Agave product that's what I recommend that's you're going to get a good quality tequila there um you know there's a lot of very unique bottles um you know Tequila collections are are more and more popular every day and uh I encourage you to try different Tequilas and and experiment just like you would with wine and you know it's it's uh you'll have a lot of fun with your friends it's a great talking piece and uh you know I'm very passionate about what all articulate producers do and it's amazing industry and you know I'm glad the world's discovering the Hidden Gem of tequila well thank you so much Chris for joining us this has been fantastic I look forward to seeing you all again to everyone that is watching enjoy a sip and we'll see you cheers cheers