El Jimador Tequila Cocktails - Sunday, May 30th

Since I tried the 1921 Tequila, I've really been trying to broaden my tequila horizons. During my daily internet surfing I came across some information about el Jimador, a Brown-Forman owned tequila company that was putting out a new line of ready-to-drink tequila cocktails. I normally like my spirits neat but thanks to the weekly Thursday Drink Nights, I've really been enjoying investigating the cocktail scene and expanding my horizons.

Personal growth, you see?

I contacted Brown-Forman to see if I could get some more information on the cocktails, mainly because I didn't know much about them. The Margarita was self-explanatory, but the Paloma? A Spicy Mango Margarita? I was intrigued. They were kind enough to send not just their press releases on them but samples too. Aw shucks. Pictured here is the sticker on each of the can:

Oh, the coolest part? The box had a label on it that said "JOURNALISTIC".

Oh yeah. That's right. I'm a journalist. Just let it soak in. Let it seep in to the core. I qualify as a "journalist" in the eyes of Brown-Forman. Aaaaanyway, here are the reviews:

el Jimador Spicy Mango Margarita:

I was expecting this to be BRIGHT. RED. I'm not sure why, actually. I was kinda assuming it was going to be like a slightly fruity tequila michelada like thing. Well, actually, more like a fruity Bloody Mary with tequila instead of vodka and club soda. Smell is super citrus and heavy mango. Taste is reminiscent of something. It's not particularly spicy really. It's more spicy in a "Oh hey, it has a fresh ginger afterburn in it." It's quite sweet with absolutely no hint of tequila in it at all and apparently it has triple sec in it. It really doesn't taste like its alcoholic which could be a significant problem. It is very easy to drink. Actually tastes slightly like a liquid medicine I took as a child, now that I think about it. As you drink it, the spice warms up a bit but it's still not what I'd call "spicy". It's ok. The taste kinda bothers me a bit, aside from the fact that reminds me of my childhood illnesses. It kinda tastes like someone melted a peach sorbet and an orange creamsicle into a bowl and you drank it. If you like peach or mango, go for it but I think I'll pass.

Edit: The more you drink, the spicier it gets. I'm about half-way through and the spice is starting to really come through. The spice is all in the back of the throat so it entices you to drink more to put it out. Tricksy little hobbitses.

 el Jimador Margarita:

Comes out a milky/cloudy color like the last one. While the other was slightly red tinged, this one is slightly green. Smells rather neutral for a margarita. Hint of lime and definitely a hint of tequila in there. It has that malty sweet agave smell to it. This is actually quite nice. While the lime certainly isn't fresh squeezed, it has a pleasant balance of citrus, malty delicious tequila, and oddly enough...salt. I swear to the gods above, the finish has a slightly salty tinge to it that really helps to make the drink something special. They say there's triple sec in it but I don't taste it in this one.

el Jimador Paloma: 

I had to look up what exactly a Paloma is. Think of this as the south of the border Salty Dog. Comprised of tequila, grapefruit juice, lime juice, and salt it is close to already being my favorite canned drink. I love Salty Dogs and I'm growing rather fond of tequila so we'll see how this goes. Nose is strong, strong grapefruit. Smoky, malty tequila in the background as well. The tequila is very noticeable on the nose which is a complete role reversal from the others. This one actually smells like it's got hooch in it. How does it taste?

Hell. Yes.

It's incredible. It isn't too sweet and despite the grapefruit nose, isn't overbearing in the citrus department. The grapefruit is complemented by an aggressively smoky tequila, providing a wonderful counterbalance to the intense citrus. Oh man, the Paloma is a true winner for me.

Conclusion?

So here's the rub. Overall, a solid line-up of ready to drink beverages. Not offensive in the least and even at its worst its not something that I would refuse. My least favorite was the Spicy Mango Margarita with my favorite being the Paloma. I think the crux of this also lies in Brown-Forman's treatment of the base spirit. While I haven't had el Jimador in its unmixed state, if it is a high quality tequila it should be featured on par with the mixed ingredients, not hidden behind them. Aside from the medicine correlation I made that turned me off personally, one of the things that bothered me about the Spicy Mango Margarita was that it was hiding what it should be proudly extolling: the tequila. Sorry Brown-Forman, but I don't turn to you for delicious cocktail mixers. I turn to you for quality spirits. I think the best one was the Paloma because it worked WITH the flavor of the tequila, rather than just trying to mask it. Many people find tequila to be the shot that seals the deal on the night. The one where, after a few, the next thing they remember is riding a Wal-Mart motorized shopping cart around a mall (nowhere near a Wal-Mart) without pants on and coated in a fine mist of KFC gravy and vomit (the contents of which may and/or may not contain more of said KFC gravy). A good tequila can be paired equally well with a simple mixer and it shouldn't be relegated to the "what did I do" shot at the end of the night. I will definitely pick up some more of the Palomas if I see them but I strongly urge Brown-Forman to think of the tequila as not just a way to get so blitzed you pay a fifty cents to puke in a newspaper vending machine but rather as a flavor component to their mixes.

1921 Tequila - Tuesday, May 4th

I...I cannot tell a lie, readers. I'm not really a tequila man. My limited experiences involving Jose Cuervo have sullied the name of tequila for me. While I was tasked with the review of the Vermont vodka series, the same PR company that offered me those samples plied me with samples of tequila as well. Being a Scotsman and a drinker, I naturally accepted the free booze. No, no, I kid. I've heard people extol the wonders of a nice tequila on the rocks or neat and I really, really wanted to believe them. I figured that if I accepted the samples, I'd have to try the tequila and maybe I'd like them. It was just the impetus that I needed to try to destroy my utter loathing of tequila. And...well...

It worked.

The 1921 line is looking like a premium line of 100% blue agave tequilas. The samples sent to me were the Blanco (unaged), Reposado (light aging, typically 6 months~ish), Reserva Especial (aged 9 months), and the Tequila Cream. Here we go:

Blanco - Nose is a delicious dichotomy. It has a nice fruity quality to it with a smokey, mesquite like baseline. Quite nice. Tastes of HOLY SHIT. It starts smooth and sweet then quickly morphs into a spicy/peppery and smokey behemoth. It's almost like sweet and sour peppered beef jerky, which isn't terrible because that sounds delicious to me. It's viscous and rich. The finish is terrible though, like a punch in the throat. It rasped my tongue and made me go "Whoo". Considering I have no problem drinking cask strength scotch neat, not a ringing endorsement. The flavors are nice, if a strange comparison to what I normally drink but the finish breaks the deal. The finish is what I can only describe as "a forest fire in your mouth". Smoke and an odd slow burn that coats your mouth and esophagus. Hopefully the older ones are more mellow.

I forgot to get a picture of it in the glass. Sorry

Reposado - Smell is similar to the blanco but far more muted on the smoke. Its rich and heady, full of sweet honeysuckle and clover honey notes with a slight toffee as well. The smoke is either hidden by it or gone. The taste follows the nose and is very nice: sweet and buttery with a slight seabreeze like taste in it as well. The fire on the finish is still there but not as severe as the blanco. Still makes my throat tighten and my tongue numb out a bit but in this case it's lessened enough that I can work through it. Can't believe something that's only 40% carries this much throat-clenching power.

Reserva Especial / Anejo - Very, very nice nose. That butterscotch/floral quality of the blanco and reposado with a nice dose of oak to it. Almost....ALMOST...smells like a blended scotch. There's just a hint of "peat reek" like smoke to it. That killer finish has tamed significantly from a leonine roar to a content purr making it very drinkable. The smoke on this one is more prominent than the reposado, giving it back that duality that I liked from the blanco with a soothing of the savage beast of a finish.

Crema de Tequila (Tequila Cream) - This stuff scares the everloving bejesus out of me. Thin for a "cream", it smells distinctly like...well...gas station cappuccino. Y'know, the ones that come out of the machine with only three buttons on it and a huge cup of cappuccino proudly displayed on the front. Smells like that. Taste is...uhh....interesting. Thick and heavy, it tastes like a room temp melted coffee shake. The only thing that hints at the fact that it has 1921 Tequila in it is the fact that, well, it has that burn to it. But very slightly. I really don't know what to make of it. It's not bad but it's not great either. I also have no clue what to use it for.

Overall, here's how I'd treat them:
Blanco - mix, perhaps with a fruit-based drink to accentuate its sweetness but give a smokey balance to an overall sweet drink (Tequila Sunrise would be good)
Reposado - on the rocks or with a simple mixer. I'd go with some lemon-lime soda (Tequila Slammer) or club soda with agave syrup.
Reserva Especial / Anejo - Neat or with a touch of water.
Crema de Tequila (Tequila Cream) - ???

Wait, no, scratch that. I have a cocktail to make with the Crema. I call it: The Gringo The Trotsky.

1 portion of Vermont White Vodka
1 portion of Tequila Cream
top with heavy cream

There we have it. The Gringo The Trotsky; the south-of-the border White Russian. Should look a little something like this:

Tastes pretty good. The tequila burn makes it a more roughshod version of the White Russian. But not bad.

So yeah. An interesting adventure into the world of tequila. I like the flavors but the finish is almost staggering. It even pulls through on the White Russian, which had about 5 oz. of whole milk in it. I dunno if it's just me or what but I could see myself buying the anejo/reposado frequently if the end wasn't like burping flaming Sterno. Take it as you will. Flavors are damn tasty though.