Our New Favorite Gift - Spicy Tequila
It is possible to buy all sorts of infused liquors nowadays, but I have never seen my personal favorite sold in stores -- red pepper infused Tequila. We first had margaritas made from pepper-infused spicy tequila in Pacific Beach at a restaurant called JRDN and since then it has been a favorite of ours. Not finding any in stores, we make our own, cutting up 5-6 small red dried chili peppers and leaving them in the tequila for 1-5 days -- the length depends on how spicy you want it and how fresh the dried peppers are. The first time you do it, you need to try it frequently as the spiciness is unpredictable. Also, you may want it spicier for drinks where it gets diluted (e.g. margaritas) vs. just drinking straight.
My current favorite every day, reasonably-priced tequila is Cazadores (the one with the stag on the label). IMO, it is way better than some more famous, and more expensive, brands like Patron. The gift bottle show above was Cazadores Extra Anejo infused for about 4 days.
If I really want to blow it out, my favorite sipping tequila (do not make a margarita out of this stuff unless you light cigars with hundred dollar bills) is Clase Azul Reposado. Pero, es muy caro! If you do light cigars with hundred dollar bills, you can try the Clase Azul Ultra, but I have never had more than a taste given that it goes for thousands of dollars a bottle -- sort of neck and neck with a 23-year old Pappy Van Winkle.
PS- as with most things that are harmless and enjoyable involving alcohol, this is probably illegal somehow. Please do not turn me in to the FDA or BATF.
John O.:
Warren, you seem to forget the most important part of comments online when you say something like this:
PS- as with most things that are harmless and enjoyable involving alcohol, this is probably illegal somehow. Please do not turn me in to the FDA or BATF.
You already turned yourself in by making this statement. Should the Feds or State ever decide that you have committed a gross violation of some dumb liquor law in some barely seen regulation buried deep in the Code of Federal Regulations, they will see that you brought up the FDA and BATF, that they will assume that you KNOW of said clauses buried deep in some volume that they'll use it against you. The only way to have a chance of winning is to keep your mouth shut and your fingers resting when it comes to even mentioning government busy body agencies like the FDA and BATF.
February 20, 2017, 1:18 pmDan Wendlick:
As long as you don't heat it or sell it you should be OK.
February 20, 2017, 2:44 pmFred_Z:
If you want to try a Tequila Primitivo consider driving from Puerto Vallarta up hiway 544 towards La Estancia and San Sebastian del Oeste. On the left side of the road there's a little shack where a very nice Mexican gent makes his own tequila. It's made from wild blue agave plants gathered from the surrounding hills by him and other locals. He cooks them in a wood fired oven, mashes, ferments and distills all by himself, then sells to locals and passers by.
I paid about $20 for a bottle and expect that was the turista price. A little rough but a very different flavor from tequila made from undomesticated agave.
If you want really, really, really rough tequila, go to the town of Tequila and buy the stuff that little shops sell in recycled plastic gallon milk jugs.
February 25, 2017, 7:21 am