The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Cook with Mexico’s favorite spirit
Simple recipes for dessert sauce, cornbread, shrimp use tequila.
Think fast: What’s the first thing that pops into your head when someone says “tequila?”
Shots? Spring break? Country songs involving barroom brawls and clandestine encounters with cowboys? Pee Wee Herman dancing on a bar?
Not surprising. But aficionados of the agave-based potable are pouring up a different story – one that splashes a little more stature on the liquor Americans most often associate with Cinco de Mayo, margaritas and mayhem.
“The whole ‘shot and spring break’ culture of tequila … in America is waning,” said David Hobbs, general manager of Original El Taco in Virginia Highland. “With the Internet, people are becoming more educated about the spirit. And its reputation is improving.”
What’s more, tequila makes a great component for cooking, not just for making cocktails. It’s flavor complements lots of Latin ingredients and dishes from peppers to paella. Hobbs particularly notes its compatibility with desserts. “I love to spoon anejo tequila over vanilla ice cream – it really picks up on vanilla, chocolate and caramel notes.”
To use tequila in any dish or drink, it’s important to know where to begin. For a primer, understand that tequila is made from agave. According to Harold McGee in his food bible “On Food and Cooking” (Scribner, 1984; 2004 revised), tequila and its cousin, mezcal, are both made from blue agave, an amaryllis that looks like a giant, beautiful blue cactus. Tequila is distilled from Agave tequilana in Jalisco, Mexico, while mezcal – Agave augustifolia, or maguey – is distilled mostly in and around central Oaxaca. While mezcal’s smokey flavor is beginning to take hold in the U.S., it lags behind tequila in recognition and sales, and isn’t often seen as a cocktail ingredient.
There are four categories of tequila, based solely on how long the spirit is aged. Here’s a tequila 101:
Tequila blanco (often referred to as “silver”) may be aged up to two months, or not at all. Blanco tequila is sometimes referred to as
plata when it’s been aged in a neutral barrel, giving it a “well-rounded flavor with less influence from the wood” according to Hobbs.
Reposado tequila is “rested,” or aged, most often in bourbon or whiskey barrels, for anywhere from three to 11 months. “Some distillers are getting creative with port or cherry wood barrels, too,” Hobbs added.
Tequila that’s been aged for one to three years is called anejo. The barrels give the spirit an almost tawny, whiskey-like quality, and sometimes a light amber hue. These tequilas are like fine Scotch; in cooking they most often pair best with sweets such as chocolate, vanilla or caramel. And since they are expensive – upwards of $60 or more per bottle, they should be savored.
Hobbs explains the fourth category as “extra anejo,” a process that rose in popularity in the mid2000s, where the tequila is aged in oak for a minimum of three years.
When Tequila Herradura, the legendary distiller and hacienda in Amatitán, Jalisco, forged a relationship with Brown-Forman (its parent company), the happy accident or well-orchestrated use of Brown-Forman’s whiskey barrels for aging the tequila created the first reposada, in 1974. “Aged tequilas definitely cater to the American and export market,” said Hobbs.
How to pair or use in cooking? Think of Latin flavors, and you’ll most likely have a hit: citrus, peppers,
tomatoes (sangrita) for savory; chocolate, vanilla, caramel, pineapple, mango and citrus for sweets. “Try the flavors of your favorite tequila cocktail to get you started,” recommends Hobbs. And all that stuff about worms and bad hombres? A very bad marketing concept that the distilleries of Mexico – and anyone who respects the spirit – would love everyone to forget. Tequila is big business in Mexico, and it’s strictly regulated by the Mexican government in much the same way a fine French wine
must meet certification regulations.
So stop shooting and start sipping and cooking. Tequila is meant to be savored.