The Moderately Priced Tequila Thread
 

Forget drinking like a king. We need a thread for each little detail here.

I have two goals:

a) mix into margaritas (real ones, 3 parts tequila, 2 parts lime, 1 part orange liqueur + splash of sweetness and dash of maybe water so we all dont get shitfaced too fast)

ideally: a cheap silver with good agave flavor. Jose and Pepe can stay home in yo mama's toilet tank.

b) sipping libation with awesome flavor and class.

ideally: something aged either a little or a lot, good flavor, not tooooo subtle and enough tequila flavor to make you think of dusty zarapes and burros.

so far my limited research (based on text, not sips) led me to try these:

a) milagro silver, dos manos blanco, 1800 silver

b) herradura anejo



Try to leave out the more premium bottles like Don Julio (so delicious) and the like. "Patron" gets thread crap points.

My favorite is Sauza blue agave tequila silver. It's my staple:
Blue Agave Tequila: 100% Blue Agave Silver Tequila | Sauza®
I like it better than Don Julio.
Around $19 for 750 mL IIRC, often on sale for less at CVS.

I make tequilas the same way as you, using Cointreau, but I add no other sweetener.

BTW I use Nunaturals Stevia drops as sweeter in other drinks - no sugar hit, tastes good, more convenient.

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1380831014

Great thread. I've been on a margarita kick lately. I'll have some more specific input later, but I need some guidance in terms of "moderately priced." Around here, a handle (1.75L) of Milagro silver is about $50. I would consider that premium.

I like Camarena for cocktails. This should be closer to $30 - $35 for a handle.

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1380830716


Cazadores is a good anejo, but not really cheap. I've got some others, and some good recipes, I'll add later.

A good value priced ($25-30) bottle I've found at Costco:

Tequila Don Pilar

Tried their anejo, sure it's not as good as the 1942 Don Julio (for an extra C note), but not at all bad for that price range.

For margaritas, I just use quervo silver. If I plan on drinking it straight, it is 1800 or if I'm feeling really rich, patron. Our tequila selection is limited and I can't find any 100% agave for under $25.

My margaritas at the house are: 2 shots tequila, 1 shot triple sec, 1 shot lime juice and a dash of agave nectar. I drink on a budget, and while it is better with a nicer tequila and grand marnier, these do for back porch sitting or taco night.

I got some of that camarena while on vacation and was not impressed for the price.

keep in mind I'm in a blue law state where prices are the same at every store.

I consider "cheap" for a silver to be anything under $30 for 750 mL at the ABC store. That puts it just one shelf above the Jose Cuervo fake color shelf. What I can get is pretty limited when you exclude everything from Jose on down.

In some markets, the Milagro is under $20/750 and the Dos Manos is down around $13. Just not here. I may have to bootleg (legally of course).

But honestly, if I'm paying $30 for "cheap" then it's not a huge stretch to move up to top shelf picks even for mixing. It's only another 10 or 15 bucks.

http://www.abc.virginia.gov/Pricelist/TEQUILA.html

ABC does have Camarena for $19.95/750. I may have to investigate.

When I was in Baja last year, the serious Tequila drinkers (serious as a heart attack...) only drank Cazadores.

These guys basically live in Mexico for half the year and are very picky with their Tequilas. They swear by Cazadores. I tried it the night we were celebrating our win and I thought it was OK but I'm not really a tequila guy, outside of a good margarita here or there. These guys drank it straight, in tall glasses, that were full...

I am coming to appreciate that Florida is like a mix of the best and worst of all things American. I am putting our booze laws on the end of the spectrum close to "the best," but not all the way there because of the Sunday rule (no alcohol sales before noon).


I don't like to eat grapefruit but I love it in cocktails. If you've never used it, it goes great with gins and, in this case, as a substitute for the orange liqueur. So, if you are feeling non-traditionalist, I tried a twist on the margarita recently.

3.00 oz Camarena Silver
0.75 oz fresh squeezed lime juice
0.75 oz fresh squeezed grapefruit juice
1.00 oz water
0.50 oz agave nectar

I garnish with grapefruit peel (use a vegetable peeler). Adjust the lime and agave to taste. I tend to like my drinks like I like my women: strong, but still on the sweet side.

I went to the ABC tonight on the way to District Taco. They did not have the Sauza Blue or the Camarena Silver but they did have the regular Sauza silver and Hornitos plata.

I got the hornitos simply because it was 100% agave and just over 20 bucks. I made my recipe above and it's definitely a very easy tequila. It definitely doesn't make itself known much through all the other flavors. I guess it's ok. The marg is very drinkable, but not very agave-ish.

I'm going to try sipping a bit straight up to get more detail out of it.

There's always room for redemption on the other end of the spectrum!

If you haven't already, you could try using some agave nectar as a sweetener instead of simple syrup or stevia.

I have been using 1800 silver and it is very good, though I am going to have to try some of these suggestions when the bottle is empty. My drink of choice is sort of margarita-esque:

2 shots tequila
1 shot triple-sec (or similar)
Juice from 1 lemon (about a shot)
Shaken and served on ice.

Very delicious, and very drunkening.

I used agave nectar. So much easier to mix into a cold drink than the alternatives. but it sticks to my jigger so I just have to squirt it in and hope it's the right amount.

skidude, that's a lot of triple sec.

You're right, it may only be half a shot... it's been a while since I've had one. I've been in a beer mood lately. This thread makes me want a margarita, though. Tonight...

Order of operations:

• Pour agave
• Pour lime juice
• Pour triple sec
• Pour tequila
• Pour water (if adding)

That order should help rinse the agave from the jigger.

I'm a huge fan of Corzo silver (and I suspect I'd like the aged varieties even more but I haven't been able to find them yet) for drinking neat. It's very subtle and smooth. Even though its great by itself,it also pairs well with cucumber and cilantro. Muddle with lime juice and a touch of sugar then add the tequila and you've got a very refreshing drink.

Another one I discovered more recently is Man in Black (silver again) which has a little less overall flavor than the corzo, but it does have a lingering smokey finish, that I particularly enjoy.

Thanks guys, gave me an idea of what to bring with me this week/weekend to my caving trip, TAG event. Found some Sauza Blue, picked up some Patron Citronge, and a big ass bag of limes and lemons, and made a Nalgene full of simple syrup and also bringing a thing of agave nectar. Should be a good time, and perfect weather (70 degree high) for hanging out in the hammock and drinking margaritas.

Corazon de agave keeps winning my family's tequila blind taste tests, typically by overwhelming majority. The camarena Scrappy jack noted in post 3 is our current go-to for mixed drinks.

But Props for this thread Matt, I use the whiskey thread to get ideas for trying new things without wasting money on crap that will otherwise sit forever. I'm sure this thread will deliver as it's been hard to get the wife to get into whiskeys.

I worked in a tequila bar for a year or so. It was in KY, but they tried to keep a lot of good shit outside the norm. I like reposado the best of the 3 by far. Blanco second, and I rarely like añejo.

Anyway...

Reasonably priced marg tequila that I can find anywhere: Hornitos Reposado. Herradura Rep is good too, but there isn't much difference in a marg and last time I checked it's more expensive.

The best I've had (and neither priced too high): Corralejo Rep and/or Hussong's Rep. Corralejo is easy to find around here. I only know one bar in town that has Hussong's.

All the patron I've had is overpriced shit.

This is my favorite post of yours, ever.

Is this it?

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1381275352

Great post; shitty grammar. Try harder. I don't care if you are on a phone.

/toughlove


Also, I find it weird but not completely mind-bottling that someone from Kentucky is posting in the tequila thread.

Tonight:

Apple cider margarita

1.5 shot tequila
1 shot triple sec
Some apple cider.