Tequila time for the holidays
Spirit’s mystique, allure is variety of colorful flavors with which it pairs
Tequila has been consumed for more than 2,000 years. Aztec tribes drank it as ceremonial wine. The drink stayed vital over the centuries through its appeal to other native cultures as well as conquistadors. As a contemporary culinary trend, however it’s only about 20 years since the spirit has come into its own. In the 21st century we now think of tequila as a sipping tipple, a cocktail canvas on which to paint with a wide variety of colorful flavors, and even as a coveted cooking and flavoring agent rife with umami, or the “fifth” tasting sense that translates from the Japanese as “essence of deliciousness.”
“Tequila has a mystique,” said Joanne Weir, cookbook author, cooking teacher and owner of Copita restaurant in Sausalito, which specializes in serving a wide range of these spirits as well as several tasting flights. “In addition to its association with Mexico, it conjures up the beach, sunshine, happiness, and holiday warmth. Also, unlike a lot of other spirits, one margarita, or a small glass of an aged tequila makes you feel good.”
One reason why tequila has become so appealing? It’s the only spirit considered the “whole food” of the beverage industry. To be authentic, it must be made from 100% blue agave, the plant that grows in seven regions of Mexico and which produces an immense pina (which can weigh up to 100 pounds and looks like a pineapple on steroids). This fruit is cooked, fermented and distilled to create tequila.
True tequila contains no additives or coloring agents. No added sugar. Regardless of the age, the label must read “100% agave. There are three basic types: The clear silver variety, or Blanco, can be anywhere from zero to three months old; Reposada, which glows with a golden hue, can be anywhere from a few months to a year old. Anejo, anywhere from one to three years old, develops such complex, concentrated flavors that it’s what you’d sip, not drink or cook with, Weir explained. “Extra Anejo” can be even older, richer in the mouth, and a lot more expensive. These are the cognacs of the tequila world.
“One thing that makes tequila so appealing is that it combines incredibly well with a variety of flavors,” said Weir, author of “Tequila: A guide to types, flights, cocktails and bites,” Ten Speed Press, 2009. “Foods I love to pair with it, whether drinking it or cooking with it, include ginger, chocolate, peach, cherry, orange, obviously lime, chili, coconut, mint, cucumber, tomato, seafood … the list goes on and on. Maybe I’m biased but I do believe it works better than any other spirit in terms of sweet or savory applications. And there is a tequila for everyone.”
When it comes to tasting it, Weir advised swirling the spirit in the glass, as you would with wine.
“But don’t put your nose in too far because the fumes are so strong. Let the tequila come to body temperature, and then swallow. Find out where the tequila comes from: the highlands, the lowlands? Each one will have its own terroir and characteristic.”
The cookbook author and television host just opened a 6,500-square-foot,