Guest post by Matthew Volker, Specialty Spirits/Wine Coordinator at Fine Wine & Good Spirits
Cinco de Mayo is tomorrow and while many are already dusting off their margarita glasses, we recommend taking your tequila game to the next level and thinking outside the blender!
For a truly refreshing drink that enhances the tequila flavor, try a Paloma, mixing the herbaceous pure-agave flavors of a 100% blanco tequila like Jose Cuervo Tradicional Silver with a grapefruit soda like Squirt, Fresca, or Jarritos Grapefruit.
“Paloma” [Photo: Fine Wine & Good Spirits]
Paloma ingredients:
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1 ½ oz tequila
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Juice of ½ lime
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Grapefruit soda
Fill an 8-ounce glass with ice. Add tequila and lime juice. Top with grapefruit soda. Stir, and enjoy!
Añejo tequila has the same vanilla and caramel flavors as oak-aged whiskey, and can be used to create a unique twist on classic bourbon cocktails. Try an Añejo Old Fashioned made with Espolón Añejo (which is aged for a year in unused white oak barrels, then finished with two to three months in ex-bourbon barrels!)
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1 ½ ounce of Añejo Tequila
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2 sugar cubes
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Angostura bitters
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2 slices of orange
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Maraschino cherries
Place sugar cubes in an Old Fashioned glass. Drop two drops of bitters on each cube. Add orange slices, and muddle ingredients. Add ice and garnish with maraschino cherries
“Añejo Old Fashioned” [Photo: Fine Wine & Good Spirits]
If you prefer to sip your tequila neat, then try ditching the salt and lime in favor of a plate of gourmet chocolate. These unique tequila and chocolate pairings are a must try:
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Blanco tequila + mint chocolate: An explosion of mint flavor with a dry finish.
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Blanco tequila + orange chocolate: The orange peel in the chocolate speaks to the citrus flavors in blanco tequila.
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Añejo tequila + orange chocolate: Enjoy the flavors of an old fashioned without needing a muddler. Plus, chocolate.
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Añejo tequila + white chocolate: Add another layer of creamy vanilla to the already rich flavors of añejo tequila.
Fine Wine & Good Spirits is run by the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board to provide alcohol-based products to the people of Pennsylvania. Visit finewineandgoodspirits.com to learn more.
