h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Tequila is very hard to find in the quality you describe. To truley experiance this fine nectar, you must also drink it warm. The taste of the agave wil come out and flower on your palate. The golden tequila most people have come to know and love is a lesser standard as set by the Mexican government. The White standard is the highest rating bestowed. On true Tequila you will find a gold or silver seal denoting it's rate.

Hola senor Marv estas hablando con un experto (borracho) (cough, cough, ahem) en este asunto (sobre tequila/mezcal).

I have lived in Mexico a while. The best Tequilas are those made by small manufacturers or careful large manufacturers, just like in countries like France, where they make the best wine, and if you go and meet them you get to try it. Stay at home watch TV and drink turpentine, its not the same.

I think that Tequila is probably the most abused liquor in this respect - One can not evaluate it unless you have tried the real thing.

I do not know the standards you talk about. There is a Mexican govt. standard. and white tequila is fresh, anejo and reposado must be aged in barrels to be legally sold as such. Outside of Mexico you can probably abuse this. I have seen Chinese tequila here in Canada - it might be good but it is not tequila.

When I was in Chiuhaua, I went to a distilery. I think that they produced Mezcal there. That was good stuff. If you look at a bottle of Jose Cuervo you will usually see a gold seal. I got a little pamphlet that told of the standards. I do not recall it all. A friend that works for a month or two in Mexico City every once in a while will bring me a bottle back. But regardless of the quality of the tequila, I will find a way to make it potable. I love kamikazes for example. Even bad tequila can be used in mixed drinks, and be quite tasty. I do agree with most of your article though. Mezcal is not the same as tequila. I hope you plan to submit this piece as an official guide entry, it is very good.

Thanks for the compliment, I did submit it. As you may deduce I like Tequila.

Yes if it was made in Chihuahua it was Mezcal, as it is not gown in the Tequila region/s. I used to live in the nearby state of Nuevo Leon. In many rural towns they make really good mezcal. You brings yer bottle and thems fills it ups. That is excellent stuff, but you may have to travel a bit to get some. My sister-in-law brought some back in a used commercial tequila bottle for my father-in-law. He mistakenly gave me a bottle as a gift, and was a little suprised when I told him how good that Mezcal was, and not the tequila.

The government tequila standards are posted on http://www.crt.org.mx/DOC/!norma.htm if you are interested. Just in case you wat to start your own tequila company.

I am actually drinking a caballito of Jose Cuervo Tradicional which is good 100% blue agave tequila, and a good high to mid-range brand (and you can buy it in Ontario now).

P.S. I and many tequila drinkers in Mexico love it chilled. You leave a bottle in the freezer - comes out slightly syrupy and is a bit smoother - the flavour develop on the palette. Good tequila is also good warm - it is a matter of taste. MSost good restaurants in Mexico serving (real) Mexican food serve it warm in my experience - probably saves room in the fridge.

Thanks for the link. I was (probably naively) using a very old document as the source for my post. It will not help that it was quite a while ago that I read it. How does a Canadian end up in Mexico? I only live a state away from there so I go when I can. I will look for the Cuervo you mentioned. It can be hard to find some varities in Utah though, what with our stupid liquor laws. Check this out.
http://www.h2g2.com/A114706
I wish I were exagerating when I wrote this, I assure you I am not.

I like it cold if it is dirt bag tequila. But with good stuff I like it warm, and with sea salt.

Oh boy. I'll give you a call if I'm in Utah so I can get a drink - if need be.

The hiking and biking must be good. I usually find after a long trek on my mountain bike, a pint of pilsner and a hearty meal works wonders - I feel like a million Canadian Tire Dollars after that.

Ahh.. the organic tequila experience! I just like it straight up to sip. In Northern Mexico your frozen tequila warms up fast at 45oC.

Some like it with lime juice or Sangrita ( a red salty chle substance I don't much like). The accompanying liquid is served in the caballito to sip alternately with the tequila.

The biking is great. esp in Moab (where I used to live) http://www.h2g2.com/A184475 But the night life lacks a certain something in the big city where I currently hang my hat.

Actually, it is worse than that - I am English and I ended up in Canada through one long story. I ended up in Mexico as a consequence of meeting my then wife-to-be in Montreal. Another long story, but I ended up living in Mexico for a while. We visit fairly often to see the family there and get away from the cold, usually in the middle of August when it is only 28oC here and 48oC in Monterrey.

Dudemeister, you should come join my new church. http://www.h2g2.com/A193754 We be having fun!

I like to bike, unfortunately it gets tough here in Winter with 6ft of snow. I dream of Moab as opposed to Genie.

Moab is a good place for that. They even have their little own brewery. I like to ride as well but I am in need of knee surgery before I start riding like I used to. And a good beer after a long ride will always hit the spot. The best way to fall asleep, is to ride the Slickrock Trail and hit Eddie McStiffs in town afterwards. Then you hope your hotel is close enough to ride back to.

Hope the knee gets better - be careful. I first got on a mountain bike in Monterrey to go on a ride in the Sierra Madre, since then I have never ridden my road bike. It is fantastic there. Try taking a ride in N. Mexico if you haven't already. In Monterrey they have well maintained trails, but some of the best are hidden, or you do your own thing. I once rode 60Km into the Sierra through the canyon from the SouthWest of Monterrey - beyond the reach of cars and electricity - it was just like the wild West from the movies - I had a chat with a goatherd with a machete and one of those bandido gun belt things, who wondered what the hell I was doing in this fancy bike and stuff. I tried to figure out if I had made it to the next state or not, but htis guy had names for places and towns I had never heard of before

In Ottawa here, we have a good park - only 400m elevation at most, but some really tough trails. In Canada we pioneer the lunatic free-ride and impossible cross country - across streams over a log and hopping a 20ft drop off into a pile of mud - or crusty mud at the end/beginning of the season when it freezes. Then it's time to pull out the skis.