what's the best Tequila???

[showcat]

In Mexico what is the best Tequilla I can buy and how much will it cost me there?

[crabbie1]

Don't know the cost in Mexico, but the best , in my opinion, is Jose Cuervo Especial, $33 for a 1.75 liter bottle at a discount liquer store or Jose Cuervo 1800, around $38-$40. I personally like Especial for drinking "neet". They have recently come out with another one, but I can't remember the name of it.

crabbie1

[Rev22:17]

showcat,

In Mexico what is the best Tequilla I can buy and how much will it cost me there?

Tequilla basically comes in three grades.

>> Cheap tequilla, like Jose Cuervo, is only 51% distillate of agave (required by Mexican law to be labelled as tequilla). The other 49% is whatever cheap booze the distillery mixes in, and is likely to give you a headache..

>> A good tequilla is 100% distillate of agave, and will be labelled as such (i. e. "100% agave" or "100% de agave") on the bottle. It will not give you a headache.

>> The top grade of tequilla is 100% distillate of blue agave, and again will be labelled as such (i.e. "100% blue agave" or "100% de agave azul") on the bottle.

Note that none of this has anything to do with the aging, which also comes in three degrees -- silver, which is not aged, "reposato" (literally, "rested") or gold, which is aged a couple months, and "anejo" (literally, "old"), which is aged for at least a year. The aging mellows the drink by imparting flavoring from the wood casks in which it occurs.

The top grade of tequilla typically sells for about $50 per bottle (500 ml) at the distillery and twice that in the community. It's substantially more expensive here in the States due to the cost of tranportation. If you want to stock up on teqilla, you probably would do well to take a shore excursion that goes to a distillery. Your savings will recover the cost of the excursion.

BTW, several distilleries also make wonderful liqueurs from their tequillas..

Have a great cruise!

Norm.

[showcat]

Thanks everyone for your input. Does anyone know if there are small size bottles of high quality tequilla for sale in Mexico? I thought they would make nice gifts. I can't do a distillery tour since all my tours are booked. I know I don't like Jose Cuervo, I like Patron and Don Julio which are high end.

[Chuck Palm]

A lot of locals like "Casadores" tequila. I like "Herradura." If you go to a tequila tasting shop, they will be very helpful and can turn you on to many wonderful brands. Yes they do have small bottles too. In general the "gold" tequilas are a bit more rich and mellow than the white. I.M.H.O.

There is a tequila website that rates tequilas:

http:www.itequila.org/besttequila.htm