San Antonio Express-News (Sunday)
On a clear day
You can agree forever — the white spirits of gin, mezcal, tequila are complex and earthy
Dos Hombres Espadin Mezcal
If you really want to rock the white spirits realm, you’ll venture off the vodka path and allow yourself to be transported by the crystal persuasions of botanical gins and earthy tequilas and mezcals. These spirits — enjoyed neat, on the rocks,
or fizzed with mixers and fruit — offer a decidedly agreeable challenge to the palate.
The dos hombres happen to be “Breaking Bad” stars Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul, whose mezcal is made from agave harvested from the hillsides of a small Oaxacan village and touts an apple nose and flavors of mango, wood and smoke. $60; doshombres.com
Fifty 9 Gin
Avonak Distillery in Houston’s Garden Oaks neighborhood makes small-batch vodka and bourbon but excels in the complexities of gin. One of its three adventures into the land of juniper also features flavors of grapefruit and citrus. $30; avonak.com
Glendalough Wild Botanical Gin
One of Ireland’s first craft whiskey producers also excels at gins that reflect the seasons as well as this “wild” distillation made with fresh plants foraged from the Wicklow Mountains south of Dublin. $35; us.glendalough distillery.com
Lalo Tequila Blanco
Silver is the truest expression of tequila, and Lalo distills its blanco only twice, in an effort to maintain the integrity of the agave flavor. Made with only Jalisco agave, Champagne yeast and well water, this tequila showcases the essence of agave. $47; lalospirits.com
Real Spirits Distilling Totem
The sister brand to Real Ale Brewing Co. in Blanco is a pechuga, a style of mezcal made with a cut of meat (in this case, Texas hog) hung above the mash during distilling to lend roundness. Texas flavors are employed (pecans, grapefruit, peaches, chiles) in this spicy, savory sipper. $93 ($85 at the brewery); realalebrewing. com
Vim & Petal Dry Gin
Eighteen botanicals factor into this American-style gin distilled from soft, winter wheat. Let your palate harvest the flavors of rare tea, peppercorn, cinnamon, citrus, saffron, elderberry and juniper. $30; middlewestspirits.com
Wonderbird Gin No. 61
This “field to bottle” gin from Mississippi is distilled from Delta rice and features complex flavors and aromas (floral, citrus and spice) from 10 botanicals, including pine needles and red clover. $48; wonderbird spirits.com