2019Q2SpiritedVA - 33

percent of all mezcal is made from
Espadin agave, though distillers
often use a blend of agaves in order
to produce a particular flavor or
mouthfeel.

TASTE
Tequila and mezcal are distilled
from various types of agave. What
these plants have in common
is that they contain enough
sugars in order to ferment and
transform into alcohol. Blue
agave has traditionally been
used to produce tequila because,
compared with other varieties,
it has a higher sugar content. In
its natural state, blue agave has
a flavor profile strong on citrus
and herbal spices. However, if the
tahona method is used during

production, the taste changes.
This process comes from the
Aztecs 500 years ago and entails
compressing the agave with a
large stone wheel. This is a slow
process but it's very effective in
extracting sugars from the plant
and adding a sweet potato flavor
to the resulting tequila.
They say that mezcal is an
acquired taste, but it's a taste
worth acquiring. Typically, mezcal
has a more smoky, rich and sweet
flavor, compared with tequila. It
can have notes of anise, vanilla,
brown sugar or even chili pepper.
In fact, mezcal doesn't ordinarily
taste much like tequila at all.
However, some contemporary
distillers are borrowing
techniques and materials from
tequila production, which means
that the two drinks are, in some

BLOODY MARIA
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2 OZ. TEQUILA
4 OZ. TOMATO JUICE
½ OZ. FRESH LEMON JUICE
3 DASHES WORCESTERSHIRE
SAUCE
2 DASHES HOT SAUCE
1 TBSP. HORSERADISH
PINCH CELERY SALT
FRESH GROUND BLACK PEPPER
LIME WEDGE
CUCUMBER SPEAR
ICE

Add all wet ingredients and
seasonings to shaker and fill with
ice. Shake briefly, strain into a pint
glass filled with fresh ice. Garnish
with lime and cucumber.

MAKE IT GRAND
THE GRAND MARGARITA
1 PART GRAND MARNIER®
2 PARTS ESPOLÒN® TEQUILA
1 PART LIME JUICE
0.5 PART AGAVE NECTAR

LIVE
DRINK WITH STYLE. DRINK RESPONSIBLY.

Grand Marnier® Liqueur, 40% alc./vol. (80 Proof). ©2019 Campari America, New York, NY.
Espolon® Tequila. 40% alc./vol. (80 Proof). ©2019 Campari America, New York, NY.
Rise to the Call. Drink Responsibly.

SPIRITED VIRGINIA | APRIL | MAY | JUNE 2019 33
http://www.grand-marnier.com/
2019Q2SpiritedVA

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