Cinco de Mayo celebrates the date of the Mexican army’s 1862 victory over France at the Battle of Puebla during the Franco-Mexican War. Happening annually on the 5th of May, it’s a festive holiday – and it’s time to start planning your Cinco de Mayo celebration.
What better way to celebrate than with some top-notch tequila from Mexico? These must-have bottles will get you into the fiesta spirit!
Tequila Avión
Produced in a self-sustaining and single-sourced manner, Tequila Avión agave comes exclusively from ranches located in Jesús María, where the terroir grows agave with a rich, deep flavor. This “beautifully inefficient” tequila – it’s made with spring water and high-quality agave grown on sustainable land using no chemical fertilizers – was voted “World’s Best Tasting Tequila” at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition, and for good reason.
“People think of Avión as a very large brand, but it is created in a small batch, hand-crafted manner that we have not changed as we have grown,” explains Tequila Avión president Jenna Fegnan. “We will keep the process the same as Avión grows in the future. When we started the brand, we pledged to not automate as Avión provides many jobs in the town of Jesús María and that was important to us and to the Lopez family who are our partners in making our tequila.”
Available nationwide; SRP $44.99
www.tequilaavion.com, @tequilaavion
Matcha Margarita
- 2 oz Tequila Avión Silver
- .75 oz green tea syrup
- .75 oz pineapple juice
- .5 oz lime juice
- 1 barspoon green chartreuse
- Garnish: matcha green tea dust
Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice and shake. Pour liquid into glass with new ice. Garnish with matcha green tea dust.
Blue Nectar Añejo Founder’s Blend
Made with 100% blue agave, or agave azul, Blue Nectar Tequila is made using estate-grown agave from the rich volcanic soils native to the Amatitán valley of Jalisco in the area around the distillery (now that’s local). Double distilled in stainless steel pot stills and aged in charred North American oak barrels and blended with extra añejo, Blue Nectar Añejo Founder’s Blend – awarded Chairman’s Trophy at the Ultimate Spirits Challenge – has a velvety texture and layers of flavor.
“With all our aged expressions, we’re well-known for balancing the complexity of the agave with the richness that comes from the barrel,” says Nikhil Bahadur, Co-founder of Blue Nectar Tequila. “Most añejo tequilas taste either like bourbons or are very sweet – we decided to buck the trend. We blend in several vintages of extra añejo and get buttered toffee, smoky bacon and roasted agave notes with a dry finish. Perfect for a classy Cinco de Mayo or any night for that matter. Neat, rocks or in booze-forward cocktails.”
Available in high-end stores in over 30 states, and online here; SRP: $59.99
www.bluenectartequila.com, @bluenectartequila
Dionisio
Named after the founder of the distillery that crafts Blue Nectar, this cocktail is inspired by the classic Old Fashioned.
● 2 oz. Blue Nectar Añejo Founder’s Blend
● .25 oz. honey syrup
● .25 oz. mezcal (to float)
● 2 dashes Angostura bitters
Combine all ingredients, add ice and stir until cold – around one to two minutes. Strain into a rocks glass. Garnish with a grapefruit twist.
Volcan De Mi Tierra Blanco
The first foray into tequila for Moët Hennessy, Volcan De Mi Tierra – meaning land of the volcano – is made using the rich soil created nearly 200,000 years ago by an eruption of a volcano aptly named Tequila. In a collaboration with Mexico’s Gallardo family, Volcan De Mi Tierra is distilled at the base of the volcano, where 100% blue agave from both the low- and highlands is grown. The Blanco expression delivers an austere and herbaceous flavor spectrum from the lowlands agave, blended with finesse, citrus and floral notes of the highlands, while the Cristalino is an Añejo, aged for many months with different cask finishes.
“While super premium tequila has been exploding for nearly a decade, there is still much more room for growth in regards to quality product,” says Trent Fraser, President and CEO of Volcan De Mi Tierra. “Volcan De Mi Tierra truly encompasses the authenticity and simplicity of tequila as it has been made for hundreds of years. Our story takes us back to the land focusing on its unique terroir, as well as its people and culture.”
Available online and via select stores including Quality Liquor Store, Mel & Rose Wines, Blackwell’s Wines, and Astor Place Wines; SRP: $60 RRP (Cristalino) and $70 (Blanco)
www.volcan.com, @volcantequila
Lava Roja (“Red Lava”)
Recipe courtesy Blanco Colima, Mexico City
● Fresh red fruits (suggest: 2 blueberries, 2 blackberries, 2 raspberries and ½ strawberry)
● Fresh basil
● 1 oz fresh lime juice
● 1 oz simple syrup
● 1.5 oz Volcan Cristalino
● .5 oz Cinzano Rosso
Gently muddle half the red fruit with fresh basil in a cocktail shaker until it forms a rough paste. Add the next four ingredients and shake. Pour into brandy glass over ice. Garnish with basil sprig and remaining fruit.
Tequila VIDA Blanco
Ultra-premium Tequila VIDA Blanco is made with passion, pride – and a relentless pursuit of perfection. The line of award-winning tequilas is crafted in Arandas, Mexico from a single ingredient: 100% pure, highland-grown Tequiliana Weber Blue Agave.
Through the process of cutting the Heads and Tails, only 60% of the distilled product ever makes it into the bottles, which are washed in their respective style of tequila before being filled with the finished product to ensure an absolutely pure product. While the Blanco is bottled after the distillation process, the Reposado is aged in white oak barrels for six months, and the Anejo is aged in French oak barrels for 24 months.
Available at Total Wine & More; SRP: $50.99
www.vidatequila.com, @vidatequila
The S & M (Serrano Mango)
By Ryan Terwilliger
● 1.5 oz VIDA Blanco
● 1 oz ST. Germaine
● .25 oz mango syrup
● 4 Serrano wheels
Two lime wedges squeezed in, shaken hard. Pour into glass.
Milagro Select Barrel Reserve Reposado
Milagro Select Barrel Reserve Reposado is one bottle to have at any Cinco celebration. Winner of the Best in Show of all white spirits at the 2007 San Francisco World Spirits Competition, the golden straw hued Milagro Select Barrel Reserve Reposado has a clean, vanilla taste with white pepper, cinnamon spices and a dry finish.
“Tequila offers a diverse taste profile that is imparted from terroir and aging methods to help diversify and provide consumers and bartenders with tons of taste to play with for cocktails,” says Jaime Salas, Milagro National Ambassador.
Aged after distillation in American and French oak barrels, which yields a smooth, complex spirit that is a perfect balance of agave and oak, with hints of spice. This serious sipping tequila can be embellished with the addition of cinnamon stick shavings.
Buy at www.ReserveBar.com; SRP: $56.99
www.milagrotequila.com, @milagrotequila
Paloma Reposado
● 1.5 oz Milagro SBR Reposado
● .5 oz Solerno Blood Orange Liqueur
● .5 oz Agave Nectar
● .5 oz Ruby Red Grapefruit Juice
● .5 oz Fresh Lime Juice
● 2 oz Pink Prosecco
Combine all ingredients except Pink Prosecco and shake well. Strain into a Champagne Flute. Top with Pink Prosecco and garnish with grapefruit and blood orange (dried or peel).
Los Arango Blanco
This tequila – made from 100% hand-picked blue agave and specifically formulated yeast – is named in honor of revolutionary hero José Doroteo Arango, better known as “Pancho Villa.” And so the story goes: during the Mexican Revolution, an agave field worker was so grateful to Pancho Villa for fighting to protect his town against local aggressors that he dedicated his tequila, along with his artisanal recipe and handmade bottle, to Pancho Villa. Impressed by his crafted gift, Pancho Villa asked the master distiller to put his family name on the bottle.
Processed through a slow distillation, Los Arango Tequila Blanco has a clean, bright color with a soft, smooth palate. The silky and elegant palate gives way to an aroma of toasted agave with fresh green herbs. Muy delicioso.
Available nationwide; SRP: $39.99
Spicy Pineapple Paloma
- 2 oz Los Arango Blanco
- .5 oz grapefruit juice
- .5 oz lime juice
- Half sliced Serrano pepper
- .75 oz agave syrup
- Pineapple soda (to top)
- Tajín (for rim)
Rim glass with Tajín. Add all ingredients except the bitters into a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake hard to chill and combine ingredients. Strain into glass over fresh ice. Top with pineapple soda. Garnish and enjoy!
Tequila Don Julio 70 Crystal Anejo
The world’s first clear Anejo, Don Julio Crystal 70 is a truly unique product is a celebration of Don Julio González’s quest to redefine the tequila category. Tequila Don Julio 70 Crystal Añejo embodies the rich complexity of a traditional Añejo in a clear liquid that is filtered to restore the crisp agave flavor found in a Blanco. Using only the choicest fully matured and ripened blue agave hand-selected from the rich, clay soils of the Los Altos region of Mexico, Don Julio Crystal 70 uses the same standards of production that Don Julio González set when he first followed his passion and revolutionized the tequila category.
“Tequila Don Julio 70 Crystal Añejo was first created by the current Master Distiller Enrique de Colsa and was the first of it’s kind to hit shelves,” says Rudy Aldana, Senior Brand Director, Tequilas at Diageo North America. “Don Julio 70 is twice distilled and aged to perfection for 18 months in American white oak barrels, giving it the rich complexity traditionally found in Don Julio Añejo, and then carefully charcoal filtered to bring back in the crisp agave flavor typical of a Blanco.”
SRP: $54
www.donjulio.com, @donjuliotequila
Picante Paloma
Created by mixologist Mica Rousseau of Mexico City
- 1.25 oz. Tequila Don Julio Blanco
- .25 oz. Ancho Reyes Verde
- 1 oz. Fresh Ruby Red Pink Grapefruit Juice
- oz. Simple Syrup
- 8 to 10 Leaves of Cilantro
- Soda Water for Top
- Bouquet of Cilantro for Garnish
Combine Tequila Don Julio Blanco, Ancho Reyes Verde, ruby red pink grapefruit juice, simple syrup and cilantro into a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake well. Strain contents into highball glass over fresh ice. Top with soda water. Garnish with a bouquet of cilantro.
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