How many of you would say that tequila is to blame for the pounding hangover-induced headache the morning after a particularly heavy night’s drinking? Most of us probably haven’t ever tasted tequila as we are that quick to shoot it down our necks with a lick of salt that the piece of lemon is much appreciated to take away the strong flavour.
Having tried tequila with sangrita at Wahaca (post HERE) I knew this wasn’t the way to drink tequila and Don’t Shoot Tequila are here to change our minds.
The event was held at Bar Wizards Lounge, home of the Britains Got Talent finalists The Bar Wizards in the Lancashire village of Littleborough. A strange choice for such a place but wow, the views of hills are spectacular and the train from Manchester is extremely painless. I was shocked that my normal train price of £3.60 return into Manchester was only £1 dearer to get all the way up here so I will definitely make the journey again. We were greeted by Neil, one half of the Wizards and asked what we like to drink. There wasn’t a menu to be seen but with such a well stocked bar, I challenge you to be stuck by this question. I told him I loved Chambord to which, I was asked if I also like gin. Bit of a silly question considering the company I was keeping (the lovely Charlie aka Gin Fuelled Blue Stocking – see what I mean?!) so I responded with a big yes and a cocktail was mixed in front of my eyes.
A beautiful Bramble that just sweetened with each mouthful. Charlie noticed the saffron gin in the vast selection and was mixed a saffron martini.
It was a little strong for me but she loved it and it had a fabulous colour thanks to the saffron infusion. These guys really do know their stuff and it’s only a 20 minute train ride from Manchester City Centre, make sure you go!
As if that wasn’t enough we had a tequila tasting session to look forward to! Unfortunately a large group had cancelled so there were only 4 of us for the session. This was held at the bar rather than in a separate room so it was a lovely intimate group. We started with a bit of history about tequila and it’s Mexican origins. We learnt all about the blue agave plant and how, like Champagne, you can’t call tequila if it isn’t made in Mexico. Much like grapes each plant has different characteristics and tastes depending where in the country it is grown and whether it is from the high or low lands. The plants from from highlands have a sweeter taste whilst the plants from the lowlands are more herbaceous. Who’d have thought it? We tasted a blanco tequila which, being from the highlands, was sweet with a citrusy taste. Much like wine tasting it also tasted different on the second sip.
After this it was time to get us involved and our host John had us up mixing, muddling and shaking our cocktails. We got to try a margarita made with blanco (only aged for up to 2 weeks) and one made with reposado (aged for up to 12 months). The latter was darker in colour with a smooth taste compared to the citrus flavour of the blanco. I was up next and was shown how to make an old fashion tequila-style. One was made with mezcal (not a tequila as it is only distilled once, not twice like tequila but this is the one with the worm in the bottle) and one with anejo (aged over 12 months). The different between these was vastly different… the mezcal was smokey with a spicy finish whilst the anejo was smooth with a slightly sweet flavour. The anejo was my favourite of the day without a doubt and I came away with a vast knowledge of, what we will now call, proper tequila. Not the cheap stuff you drink so fast in the hope that the taste goes away quicker, the stuff that you would be happy to sip like a good single malt. Not that I like whisky but Drinking Classes (responsible for this tasting) may just change my mind on that if I manage to get to their Dramatic Whisky tasting!
We attended this event as guests of the bar. This has in no way affected my review which is an honest account of my dining experience.
2 Comments
Nice little review, thanks.
If you enjoyed the more aged types of tequila, you will love the whisky events. We rarely have people who are first time whisky adventurers leaving without at least a new found appreciation.
See you soon !
I’ve never liked the smell, perhaps it would persuade me 🙂