Casa Herradura Original Tequila Reposado May 14, 2020

Hey peeps, how we doing these days while in pause and staying in place. Hope you are all well, healthy and safe. Everyone is doing ok over here. Just waiting to resume our lives as normal as the new normal will be. Until then, I'm just trying my best to watch programming that I can learn from either by history, food, travel and culture programming.

For today's post, I was watching the show This is México that is shown on the Tastemade network. The program is hosted by Mexican born chef Gerardo Lopez and focuses on traditional Mexican food, drink and culture. In the episode Tequila Tasting in Jalisco, Lopez is taking a tour of La Casa de Herradura hacienda with Herradura Global Ambassador Ruben Aceves. 

Something that was said during the tour caught my attention. It was said that Herradura was the first distillery to produce a tequila reposado for sale in 1974. Before I go into Herradura's claim of it being the first distillery to produce a tequila reposado, I wanted to take a look at what a tequila reposado is compared to other tequilas.

While the terms blanco (white or clear) and añejo (aged or vintage) are fairly well known to drinkers, the meaning of the word reposado might not be known to many. The word reposado translates to rested. According to the governing body of tequila in Mexico known as el Consejo Regulador de Tequila (TRC):

Tequila aging is understood as the product slow processing that allowing acquiring additional sensory characteristics, gotten by physicochemical processes that naturally occur during their stay in French oak or white oak barrels. Rested Tequila must be aged in French oak or white oak barrels for at least two months.

On to Casa Herradura.

Casa Herradura is one of the oldest tequila producers in the world having been established in 1870. The Casa Herradura is located at the Hacienda San Jose del Refugio which is in the village of Amatitlán, Jalisco, México. Hacienda San Jose del Refugio is the last tequila producing hacienda in the world. 

What is a hacienda? A hacienda is a large estate or plantation with a dwelling house. In terms of Casa Herradura, their small scale tequila production on the hacienda makes for a specialized product compared to other mass produced tequilas in large distilleries.

What sets Herradura apart from the other tequila distillers is that their original tequila reposado is aged for eleven months in charred American Oak barrels of fifty-five gallons rather than for just a minimum of two months. 

The standard set by Herradura produces a tequila reposado that their website describes as having:

a rich amber color with notes of cooked agave, vanilla and butter. This additional time spent resting in charred American White Oak barrels creates a smooth, sweet finish with a slight taste of spice.

Herradura also produces a Double Barrel Reposado which is made with a two-step process. The first step is the same as their original tequila reposado. Then the tequila is transferred to new charred American Oak barrels for another 30 days. This extra step:  

creates a rich, dark amber colored liquid and a smooth yet complex flavor profile not found in any other Reposado, with hints of cooked agave, vanilla, allspice, clove and oak.

With the tequila reposado being a rested version of the tequila blanco that many people shudder when remembering their early 20's, this tequila is a sipper and an excellent tequila to use in your margarita. Speaking of the margarita, click the link for the signature Herradura margarita known as the Horseshoe Margarita.

Another claim to fame of Casa Herradura is to having the first female master tequila distiller, Teresa Lara López who worked at Casa Herradura for thirty years.

Next in an upcoming post, I'm going to look at the fourth episode in the This is México
program which had Gerardo Lopez having tequila's cousin Mezcal in Oaxaca. Keep an eye out for it.

Until Then May You Have Some Happy, Safe and Responsible Drinking,
SiscoVanilla

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Clase Azul Tequila at Bailey's Corner Pub

Last Tuesday I felt like watching the National League Wild Card game between the Cincinnati Reds and the Pittsburgh Pirates in a more social environment than just watching it at home. I decided to visit my friend Pete who tends bar on Tuesday nights at Bailey's Corner Pub, 1607 York Ave (Corner of 85th Street), New York, NY 10028, (212) 650-1341.

As per routine, I like to try new beers and spirits that I would not normally find available to me either at work or at my local stops. Today was no different. I tasted a number of different beers from the pleasant line of Leinenkugel Shandys to the solid Victoria to god awful Flying Dog Doggie Style IPA. One thing truly stood out to me in my tasting adventure: Clase Azul Tequila.

Pete brings out this ornate tall white bottle with blue designs and a rounded silver cap and says "You need to taste this bro". I was intrigued. He pours me a little taste with the information that this is $20 bucks a shot. Now I am even more intrigued. I stick my nose in the glass and immediately note that this is Tequila but with a difference. You ever notice when people smell tequila they either shudder or move back from the smell. I attribute that to people having bad experiences with some rotgut tequila. The difference for me was that I didn't do that. The aroma coming from the little bit of caramel colored tequila was amazing. Here is how Clase Azul describes their Tequila Reposado:

For many years, tequila connoisseurs have praised Clase Azul Reposado for its superior taste and stunning handmade decanter. By definition, reposado translates to "rested" or "calm" which can certainly influence the experience of sipping this particular Clase Azul which is aged in used American oak barrels for eight months after it has gone through the distillation process. Each bottle is made with high quality white ceramic and then hand painted by artisans in our bottling facility. Attention to detail comes second to none, which is evident when admiring what is considered an iconic bottle.

Now for the tasting. Without a shadow of a doubt, I have to say that this Clase Azul Tequila Reposado is the best tequila that I have ever had. It was smooth like butter. You get none of the harshness that you would find with your basic tequila reposado but with all of the flavor that you should be getting from a tequila. I sipped on the reposado as it was poured. No need for ice. No need for mixing. Doing so would ruin the experience.

I also had a small taste of the Clase Azul Tequila Plata. While I was leaning towards the Reposado, the Plata was also a superb tequila. Here is how the Plata is described by Clase Azul:

Clase Azul Plata is a fresh tasting blanco tequila produced from 100% organic blue weber agave. The agave is slow cooked in traditional brick ovens for 72 hours and then distilled using a proprietary yeast developed by our master distiller. Plata is not aged and the natural colors that come from the slow cooking are filtered out prior to bottling in a stunning crystal clear bottle with blue accent at its base.

The proprietor of Bailey's Sean aka NASCAR has a tremendous rotating selection of Tequilas that you should make sure to check out on a regular basis. Head over there on either a Tuesday or a Saturday and ask for Pete. Tell him Sisco sent you.

Until Then Happy Drinking,
Sisco Vanilla

Cocktails At ACME NYC

Melvin and I decided to do a little pre-party cocktailing this past Sunday night. We originally decided on meeting at the Library at the Public but between my getting delayed on the subway and to an early closing at the Library at the Public for a private event, I met up with him, his wife Dawn and our friend Dana at ACME instead. Now I remember the old ACME cajun restaurant and music venue from back in the day. Let's say this newer ACME is definitely not the old ACME. This place is simply beautiful and surprisingly for a Sunday evening the place was busy and the atmosphere just buzzed.

Though the bar is not very big, the selection of spirits is amazing. The bartender (who I have met in the past from his coming to the bar with the ACME folks) showed me the leather bound book of spirits that they have on hand. The spirits ranged from various entries per spirit and was a very international blend of spirits that seemed to come from every corner of the world. Since we were going to have dinner at Mayahuel, we decided to keep out cocktails in the Tequila and Mezcal families. On the House Cocktails menu, there were a few selections that fit our desire to stay within the Tequila and Mezcal families.

The first cocktail I ordered was probably my favorite. The Pedron was a nice spicy blend of Tequila made with Pueblo Viejo Tequila, Cholula hot sauce, fresh Grapefruit juice, lime and orange bitters. I especially loved the salt and pepper rim on the glass that just gave the cocktail a nice crunchy texture.

El Pedron

The second cocktail was a cocktail made by the bartender called Napoleon's Loss. This cocktail was a very simple but tasty cocktail that was made with Tequila Reposado, Lemon Juice, Honey Syrup and a Mezcal floater on the top which made for a smoky but slightly sweet cocktail. Very light on the tongue.

Napoleon's Loss

My third cocktail was something different from what I have ever tried. I picked the Green Tomato Margarita and was not disappointed. The cocktail was made from a green tomato-infused El Jimador Tequila, lime and agave with a salt rim. As with the previous two cocktails, the use of simple and minimal ingredients made for a very pleasant cocktail experience. I like the flavor that seemed to pop from the green tomato infusion. It came across as very earthy and full bodied (if I can use that term to describe the cocktail). It wasn't your standard Margarita and I have to say, I didn't mind that it wasn't.

Green Tomato Margarita

The cocktails are decently priced as you can see from the list below:

Foxy Brown No. 2 el jimador tequila, mint, ginger, lime, grapefruit, honey			13.00
Fair Lady aperol, plymouth gin, lemon, st germain, honey, orange bitters, champagne			13.00
Jones St. Daiquiri blackwell rum, old overholt rye, lime, honey, aphrodite bitters			14.00
Graffiti Green beefeater gin, green bell pepper, basil, lime, agave			14.00
Sour No. 9 beefeater gin, averna, st germain, lemon, egg white, blood orange bitters			14.00
El Padron pueblo viejo tequila, fresh grapefruit, cholula, lime, orange bitters			13.00
Polish Pear Sour pear-infused zubrowka, lemon, honey, egg white			15.00
Green Tomato Margarita green tomato-infused el jimador, lime, agave			13.00

The only disappointment I had (and it is very minimal) is that I wanted to try the barrel aged Buffalo Smoker which contained Illegal Joven Mezcal, Zubrowska Vodka, lime and oleo sacchrum. The batch they had in the barrel had finished so I would have to wait until the next batch is ready. Guess I have another reason to go back to ACME. I highly recommend it to anyone who wants a cool and relaxed environment to have a few cocktails.

Until Then Happy Drinking,
Sisco Vanilla