Blame it on the: Tequila!

Its no secret that The Professional fancies her some tequila. Be it a casual night at home with the green tissue paper peeking itself out from the Patron Silver box, a fun night out with Patron Platinum shots, or a dash of some good 1800 in her blended Margarita--she knows that tequila is (in moderation) a very good drink!

Recently, The Professional received an email from a reader who, bless his heart, wanted to share some further knowledge about her beloved drink. Always wanting to share her worldly learnings with those that visit An Advanced Guide to Being Professionally Fabulous, below please find the notes and knowledge of one Maurice D. Harris. Enjoy!

Dear Professional,

I just read your post on Patron Platinum and wanted to share something with you. From what you said, you are not a big drinker...which is probably a good thing when it comes to tequila. Most people who are unfamiliar with it have a tequila phobia...thanks to the bad stuff. I’m not sure if you have already learned the following, but I want to share it with you so that you can keep your tequila adventures going (the right way).

First and foremost, understand that tequila is graded in levels, much like cognac. Examples of this would include XO, VSOP, etc. Here they are, from worst to best.

Blanco or Silver – not aged or aged for a very short time
Reposado – Aged somewhat
Anejo – Aged the longest – at least a year

That’s why your Patron Platinum is so smooth – it’s actually lacking in the taste department – because it’s unrefined and not aged. Triple distilling helps, though...and there are only a couple of triple distilled tequilas in the whole US. For the record, I’m not a big fan of Patron, although Platinum made my list. If given a choice between them all, I would take the anejo.

Here’s my list of favorite tequilas. These can be found anywhere in the US, luckily. One of them (Los Azulejos) was just released here, after being kept under wraps in Mexico for a while.

Corzo (anejo)
Jose Cuervo La Familia Reserve (anejo) RED WAX CAP.....not blue (that shit tastes like ass)
Patron Platinum
Casa Noble (anejo)
Los Azulejos (anejo or reposado)

Being a tequila purist, I generally pour mine into a snifter, light up a cigar and just sip it straight. For you, I’ll recommend my “summer” or “club” method which I love just as much. I pour a double shot into a martini shaker with a shot of Rose’s Lime juice, shake and sip on the rocks. That, I assure you, will make lots of friends.

Safe travels and pleasant sipping....

-M

Cheers, Maurice!

For your heart's desire of tequila labels (but strangely, no Patron available) and some great contemporary Mexican cuisine, come to Downtown LA, where The Professional lives, works and plays:

Provecho Restaurant
800 Wilshire Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90017
(213) 489-1406
http://www.provechorestaurant.com