Tequila Day 2024 is on Wednesday, July 24, 2024: Patrón tequila - Overrated?

Wednesday, July 24, 2024 is Tequila Day 2024. NATIONAL TEQUILA DAY • JULY 24th NATIONAL TEQUILA DAY • JULY

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People in mexico prefer to celebrate Tequila Day, and thus do plenty of others!But you probably know this, everyone knows tequila is symbolic of margarita, so let’s have a look only at that frozen favourite.There's no definitive answer regarding nobody invented this drink, but interesting tales abound. Among the earliest tales informs of the wealthy Dallas socialite inventing that coffee in a Holiday party in Acapulco in 1948. Tommy Hilton from the Hilton Hotel chain apparently attended the party, and required the recipe the place to find serve at his hotels. Another indicates that it's basically according to a united states drink known as the Daisy, that was created using brandy rather than tequila. The The spanish language word for “Daisy” is “Margarita” therefore, the title.Regardless, this popular drink, created using tequila, orange liqueur, and lime juice, as well as the trademark salt rim, brings a little the tropics to the get-together.Cheers! (Out on another lose that shaker of salt!)

Well Patron is over-rated, but it's still a good tequila and way better than Cuervo regular or gold.

Cuervo regular, gold and black are what's known as mixto tequilas, meaning they are not 100% agave (the plant tequila is distilled from). Usually these mixto tequilas (most Sauza varieties fall into this category also) are about 51% agave with the rest being grain alcohol and corn sweeteners. They impart a bitter flavor, and make for one heck of a hangover, and generally don't have much appeal outside of drunken college evenings where quantity is more important that quality..

100% agave tequilas, of which Patron is just one of many, are typically much smoother and more flavorful, though there is a lot of variation among tequilas.

The aging also has a lot to do with the flavor, and the aging is labeled on the bottles as follows:

Blanco (because it's totally clear) - no aging. Sometimes called silver or white in the US.

Reposado - minimally aged at least 2 months, but can be up to 1 year. Sometimes called gold in the US.

Anejo - heavily aged, minimally 1 year but usually less than 3 years.

There are some anejos that are aged longer than that, such as Don Julio Real or Herradura Selecion Suprema, and those are sometimes labeled Extra Anejo.

Notice the wide variance in the minimum and maximum aging lengths. That can affect the flavor considerably. A tequila such as Dos Lunas, for instance, always ages theirs to the maximum.

As far as which one is better, consider how you're going to drink it.

Slammed shots - go for a blanco. Anything else is a waste of flavor and $$

Sipped shots (how I recommend it) - go for anejo only and savor with no salt and a squeeze of lime. Chilled or on the rocks is good as is straight.

Margarita - anejo is a waste, especially if the place isn't using fresh squeezed lime juice. Go for blanco or reposado.

To get back to Patron, it's a decent tequila that is way over-priced, and it's priced so high because of it's "hip" factor. They do more advertising in the US than any other tequila, and thus when college kids are ready to trade up from Cuervo, they often go to Patron and their exploration stops there. There are a lot of great tequilas out there, some better than Patron, and a lot of great ones cheaper than Patron.

Once you try and few and get a taste for it, you'll never go back to Cuervo unless you're talking about the good ones they make: Tradicional & Reserva de la Familia.

Best tequila?

To get the correct tequila experience, don't drink anything that doesn't say 100% agave (like junk like regular Cuervo or Sauza). These are cheap poorly made tequilas designed to sell to college kids to get drunk. They are only 51% real tequila, and the rest are fillers like corn syrup and grain alcohol (and thus the hangover the next day is born).

The aging has a lot to do with the taste, so try a few to see which style you like best, and then remember how the aging is labeled:

Blanco (because it's totally clear) - no aging

Reposado - minimally aged at least 2 months, but can be up to 1 year

Anejo - heavily aged, minimally 1 year but less than 3 years.

Some really expensive ones can even be aged longer than that, but you'll want to work your way up to those.

In the under $30 range, for a 750ml bottle, ones I would recommend are:

Cazadores reposado

Correlejo reposado

XXX Reposado (from the Casa Noble family)

Milagro reposado

Just over that, in the $30-$50 range (for a 750ml bottle) you will find some great ones too, like:

Don Julio

Dos Lunas

Patron spends more money on marketing in the US, which why so many people talk about it, and they do make decent tequilas, but you can find better for less that just don't have the same marketing budget.

If price is no object, and you want the very best, get Herradura Seleccion Suprema. It's considered an ultra-anejo. It's about $320/bottle. It's an ultra anejo tequila aged for 5 years. Dark brown in color and more like a smooth cognac or bourbon than a cheap tequila.

The best tequilas in the world are ultra anejos that have been aged for years, the Suprema being my favorite.

You can also check out Don Julio 1942, Don Julio Real, Jose Cuervo de la Familia and Gran Patron (sometimes called Platinum), all of which fall into the same category.

Good Inexpensive Tequila?

Cheap Tequila

Cheap tequila has a harsh diesel fuel flavor. Cheap tequila will always be a "mixto," that is, at least 51 percent agave and at most 49 percent from another source like sugar cane. Cheap tequila has given birth to many a hangover over the centuries as it is typically not distilled properly and has many impurities that the body must fight.

Cheap tequila will not only taste cheap, but will most likely have a cheap bottle and packaging to go along with it. The distributor will be looking to cut corners wherever possible. A good tequila is supposed to have an up-lifting effect and cheap tequila does not have this effect at all.

Be safe and only get a certified tequila. After all you said you do not want a hangover. I think the major marketed brands such as Sauza and Jose Cuervo should work for you. But if you want good look for reposado at least.