Tequila for Thanksgiving

No, not for getting drunk once the family leaves, though that has a certain appeal. I'm making a cranberry relish recipe out of David Rosengarten's It's ALL American Food, Dammit, You Pretentious Eurotrash Posers (I may have the title slightly wrong) and it has tequila in it, cooked down. Also pomegranates. We seem to be leaving American food at this point a bit, pomegranates make me think of Soviet film, but it sounds good.

Anyway, I know very little about tequila, but I need one that is 1) relatively easy to find, 2) modestly priced enough I won't feel bad about using it to cook with, 3) nice enough that I will think of something to use the rest of the bottle for this summer or something. Anyone?

Mike G wrote:Anyway, I know very little about tequila, but I need one that is 1) relatively easy to find, 2) modestly priced enough I won't feel bad about using it to cook with, 3) nice enough that I will think of something to use the rest of the bottle for this summer or something. Anyone?

El Jimador Reposado is our regular tequila, and it certainly fits all of your requirements above. The Sam's link lists it at $25.00, but I can usually find it for closer to $20.00, and I see it everywhere (from Oscos to Binnys').

Kristen

And I would recommend getting drunk before the family arrives, but that's just me.

I guess the answer depends on what you plan on doing with the rest of the bottle. My two favorite "mid-priced" 100% agave sipping tequilas are Cazadores Reposado and Herradura Reposada, which also makes the El Jimador "mixto" that kl5 recs above. However, these days "mid-priced" 100% agave tequila means paying $32+ a bottle. For a cheapo brand suitable for making Margaritas or cooking, I recommend Zapopan Reposado. It is only $15 a bottle at Binny's, but it is aged in Oak. I have actually seen it as cheap as $12. Binny's website claims it is 100% Agave, but for that price, I highly doubt that it is. I would not recommend drinking it in shots, but for cooking or mixing, it is a bargain.

PS. I think Sergei Parajanov was a genius.

For cooking? Regular old Cuervo. It's fine in margaritas as well (provided you don't use a margarita mix). We use it for marinating chicken (tequila, lime juice, pulverized chiles) and home made salsa.

Straight up? Stay away from Cuervo.....Ack! The recommendations so far are pretty good and would tide you over.

I agree....get drunk before the family arrives. Makes for a much more entertaining meal!

d4v3 wrote:My two favorite "mid-priced" 100% agave sipping tequilas are Cazadores Reposado and Herradura Reposada

Mike,

Get the Cazadores, which is one of my favorite tequilas, and I'll help you 'dispose' of the rest of the bottle over a couple of racks of spare ribs.

Enjoy,
Gary

I sit here in Jalisco, home of Tequila, wishing I could teleport a bottle or two to Mike G. right now.

Don Julio Reposado is my favorite mid price sipper. The Cuervo Reserva de Familia is my favorite sipper, but a lot more expensive. Cazadores is a good choice for margaritas. For cooking, Sauza and Cuervo are both fine, I recommend the Sauza personally.

Mind posting what you ended up getting?

Kristen

I usually have a Sauza at home for cooking and 'cheap' mixed drinks. For sipping, I keep El Tesoro de Don Felipe (Añejo) - not too much more than others ($37ish on a good day) - a splash can really perk up cooking too (nice touch of smokiness in ceviches for instance).


A previous Tequila thread

Just wanted to point out that both Cuervo and Sauza make excellent reposados and anejos. They shouldn't be judged by their "gold" products, and anything labelled gold should be shunned.

I had to go to Jewel anyway, so I swung through the liquor dept. and picked up El Jimador, used a tiny bit of it in a dish I wasn't wild about anyway, but I'm sure the rest will get put to good use eventually. Thanks for the suggestions, certainly I wound up with something better than I would have selected on my own.