Showdown: 2 Tequilas, 1 Marg
Everything else equal, does Blanco or Reposado make the better cocktail?
I spent a lot of time last week discussing which of the tequila expressions I’d procured was likely to result in the best margarita. But, I didn’t actually make a margarita…
Blanco vs Reposado
As I mentioned last week, I have somehow avoided developing strong allegiance to any particular brand of tequila. And as best I can tell, that makes me a bit of a unicorn in the population of spirits-drinking American men. And, I’m happy to report, that may be starting to change…
This week, I do actually make margs. I’m making the same drink in the most-classic 2-1-1 format, and my only modification is a few drops of saline solution to approximate a salted rim without all the fuss.
Classic Margarita
2 oz Tequila
1 oz fresh-squeezed lime juice
1 oz Cointreau
6 drops of saline solution
Tapatio Blanco Classic Margarita
This is an incredibly clean drink. Despite an ounce of (basically) syrup, it’s honestly about as clean as a martini in how straightforward it is. The age I could smell and taste in the tequila alone completely disappears, and you’re left with almost nothing but the spirit of agave. This margarita might taste more like straight agave than the tequila itself!
Even though it wouldn’t pass because of the liqueur, to me this drinks as a platonic idea of a “skinny” margarita (in a good way!). If you do taste anything but agave here, it’s probably going to be the lime zest on the finish which counteracts any “burn” you may get otherwise, and it also takes away that “long” finish of the straight juice.
Tapatio Reposado Classic Margarita
The wood you can smell in the juice jumps right to the front of the palate in this margarita, and this time it brings orange along as well. The initial impression is quite sweet as a result, but then the acid and grass come through on the finish. If you concentrate on each ingredient in turn as you sip, I think you can really taste each one independently.
The Winner: Reposado
It’s just a much rounder drink, and it’s much more interesting as a result. I was worried the wood would get in the way, but it adds a really important note here that results in a much more complete cocktail. This drink rocks as-is, and the brand sure wasn’t lying when they said this is the expression they recommend for the cocktail classic.
Next up, a series of showdowns between orange sweeteners.
First, we’ll do Cointreau vs Grand Marnier. Then, the winner will go head-to-head against good old fashioned fresh-squeezed OJ…