IT would take weeks (and a small fortune) to taste all the hundreds of tequilas on today's market. But we thought we'd make a bold effort to find some good ones.
The challenge, we learned, is not finding excellent tequilas, but finding them at a reasonable price -- in the upper brackets, count yourself lucky if you're paying less than $210 for a bottle of Gran Centenario Extra Anejo Leyenda, and a 30th anniversary Chinaco anejo can set you back $570. So our tasting zeroed in on lesser-known tequilas around $30 (where we figured we could find some serious bottles).
Thirty years ago, of course, there were only three brands of tequila on the American market: Jose Cuervo, Sauza and a newcomer named Herradura, the only 100% agave tequila available. Even 10 years ago, when Americans were becoming aware of premium tequilas such as Patron and Don Julio, there was nothing like today's profusion of brands. A Boyle Heights market named Ramirez Liquor currently lists more than 350 tequilas on its website.
The reason for all these tequilas is simple: Today's tequila-drinking public is more sophisticated and demanding. Mexico has responded by allowing tequila to be made outside the state of Jalisco, where it originated, giving rise to the possibility of subtle new effects of climate and terroir.
In terms of price, there's a fairly smooth range from Buen Amigo or Baja Tequila at less than $10, with basic good-quality tequilas available at $15 to $20, up to the $120 range, although you'll find a few bottles way above that.
We assembled 16 tequilas from local liquor stores specializing in tequila and chose six favorites, listed here in order of preference. We were looking for sipping tequilas, rather than mixers, which meant we marked tequilas down for a burning taste that in a mixed drink would not be problematic -- in fact, a bit of burn is part of the tequila aesthetic for many people.
We wanted a distinct agave flavor, but we were surprised to find aromas well outside the familiar citrus-herbal-olive territory in some bottles; to the good, we thought, when they resembled whiskey or Cognac, but in other cases unpleasantly reminiscent of asphalt or sweat. Altogether, the tasting made it clear that there's a lot of variety out there.
These tequilas may also be found at other retailers, sometimes at higher prices. For this tasting, I was joined by deputy features editor Michalene Busico, restaurant critic S. Irene Virbila, assistant Food editor Betty Hallock and Test Kitchen recipe tester Noelle Carter.
