Well known for their successful rum tasting events, Revolucion De Cuba shook things up a few weeks ago with a tequila takeover! Ready as ever to be tempted by the demon liquor itself (tequila doesn’t like me. It likes to give me a shocking headache and take away my memories of the evening before) we wandered down decked to the nines in sombreros (check Charlie out below!) and ponchos to see what it was all about.
I love the way tequila is made. The plant it is made from, called the agave and also responsible for the expensive yet healthier syrup, looks like an aloe vera plant with its long pointed green leaves. They are grown in lines of different ages so, like siblings, they can nurse and nurture each other.
One of the first brands we tried on the night was El Jimador. The Jimador family select the agave they need from the fields, pull it out from the root and shave off the spikes to reveal the ‘pina’ at the centre. They are split in half and then transported by donkey & cart to a clay oven where they are stacked floor to ceiling and roasted for a day or two before fermentation.
The blanco tequila is rested for a month in metal which gives is a sweet yet slightly smoky flavour. We tried this in a traditional margarita where the salt rim balanced out the slight smokiness of the tequila/.
The reposado tequila is much lighter on the note having been rested in wood for a month which provides the slightly golden hue to the spirit. The taste has caramel notes with a real spice punch at the end.
We tried this mixed in a rockstar margarita made with cointreau, agave syrup and muddled pineapple finished with black pepper. The pepper heightened the spice kick in the tequila but this was softened by the pineapple and sweet agave syrup.
We were also treated to a Jimador’s kiss which combines reposado, pineapple, passion fruit and raspberries. Long and fruity this was right up my street and I hogged it for the rest of the evening.
Moving on to the Herradura brand with the ‘unlucky for some’ upside down horseshoe on the bottle. The horseshoe is there to represent the one found by the family making this tequila in their field during the gold rush. They were bitterly disappointed not to have hit the big time when it comes to gold but this is when they decided to use the land to make agave. A different kind of gold you may think.
The anejo has a sweet, brandy style taste with vanilla notes and citrus in the length. It would make the perfect after dinner drink which we sipped neat with orange & almond dark chocolate. The chocolate deepened the flavours of the spirit bringing out the smoky notes.
A thoroughly enjoyable evening was had by all and it was a welcome change from the regular rum club tastings. Keep your eyes peeled on the website for future events, they’re free!
This event was free for anyone who wished to attend.
1 Comment
This sounds like it was a really fun and intresting night. I’m into my spirits but I never really know what’s what and where it’s from though :0)