A couple of weeks back I joined the Altos Tequila team at Feastival on a very stormy Cape Town night to learn more about the brand while also gaining some new cocktail-making skills.
On the left: The Altos setup at Feastival; In the middle: Our cocktail-making toolkit; On the right: Chris Meissner – House of Tequila brand ambassador for Pernod Ricard SA
On the night, Chris shared some really interesting facts about tequila with us & I felt they were definitely worth sharing with you guys as well. So here goes… did you know that:
- 1 bottle of Altos tequila takes an average of 9 years to make. This comes down to harvesting of the agave plant itself which happens between 6-8 years.
- Tequila has a controlled Appellation Of Origin. This means that tequila is only allowed to be produced in Mexico (and in specific 5 states of Mexico: Nayarit, Tamaulipas, Jalisco, Guanajuato, Michoacan).
- There are 5 categories of tequila -Blanco, Gold, Reposado, Anejo, Extra Anejo. South Africans often confuse a Reposado tequila for a gold tequila, but gold tequila is a silver tequila with coloring and flavors added. A reposado tequila is the entry level aged tequila which is aged for between 2 & 12 months.
- A blanco tequila is the purest form of tequila available, as one is not allowed to add anything to it according to Mexican law. As soon as one gets to the other categories (gold, reposado, anejo, extra anejo) you are allowed to add 1% or less of final product in additives.
- Consuming tequila with lime and salt is a Western practice, and is not actually done in Mexico. In Mexico they choose to sip it slowly or they enjoy it in a long drink or cocktail.
Hopefully all those tequila facts not only gave you a bit of a “wow, I didn’t know that” moment, but also got you thirsty… Because now we’re on to the “how to enjoy it” part. 😉
The Altos team has been awesome enough to share their recipe for a Paloma so you can impress at your next party or dinner at home.
This is what you’ll need:
- Maison jars or any type of jar-style glasses
- OR you can use a big punch bowl if you’re making a bigger batch
- Snacks that pair well: Nachos or any other Mexican finger food
The recipe:
- 60ml Altos Plata / 2 parts
- 180ml Natural Grapefruit box juice / 6 parts
- 3 lime wedges
- A pinch of salt
The method:
- Build in a highball glass, no ice, stir to dissolve the salt and then add ice. Lastly, squeeze the 2 wedges of lime.
- If you like, frost the glass with natural crushed salt and garnish with another lime wedge.
For a big batch:
- 600ml Altos Plata
- 900ml Natural grapefruit box juice
- Serve into punch bowl & garnish with two grapefruits and three limes cut in slices
- Then fill with ice
This is the end result you’re aiming for…
So there you have it. Hopefully your tequila repertoire has now been extended beyond the good ol’ throw-it-back shooter. I dunno about you guys, but I’m definitely ready for summer to arrive now so I can host a Paloma party of my own.
xxx