Tequila 101: Tips from a sommelier on Mexico's favorite spirit tequilera or tequila sommelier, wants anyone visiting her for tequila flavors at the Marriott Puerto Vallarta.
Put salt and lime away – there is no room for them at Audrey Formisano's flavors. Resort & Spa to forget that the spirit may have been an accomplice to soul-crushing hangers during college years. Tequila, she insists, has gone from party to craft, and it can be as nuanced and fun as a glass of wine or fine brandy. You just have to change your approach, and Formisano is here to help.
As her accent, Formisano is layered with Spanish and French influences. She studied hospitality and earned her sommelier accreditation at her home in Marseille, France, a region known for her rosé production. In the beginning, a drive to learn Spanish heard her come to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, and it is here ̵[ads1]1; just 90 miles from the town of Tequila itself, where the spirit originated – that she discovered her passion for the country's drink choices. 19659004] Something the certified tequilera shares with patrons through tequila tastings that have the hotel's proprietary brand, CasaMagna, which she helped develop from plant to barrel to bottle. She points to the blue agave in the cactus garden and explains that it is from these plants, which grows for seven years before being shaved to piña cores, that tequila is made and that it can only be done in and around the state of Jalisco.
Fortunately, she says you can enjoy it anywhere. Here we have asked Formasiano to share tips to seep, enjoy and inevitably choose a bottle of tequila to enjoy even after the holiday is over.
Fortune : Imagine we are doing a tequila tasting right now. What's up?
Formisano: When we take tequila, we will use our senses, right? So we will see color, for example, say we have the first: the blanco the white tequila. We look at the color, so we begin to look around the glass to see if it has its legs. Then we close it and I ask what you are: Is it fresh, floral? What kind of perfume do you feel? And then of course you have a little sip to see how it feels in your mouth. And then I say, maybe we should have some shrimp, because the white tequila goes very well with fish. I did a bachelorette party with just dessert.
Are all your tequila tastings paired with food?
Yes, it's about balancing the taste in your mouth. The white tequila opens your appetite. It's good with light flavors like seafood, lime, apple. It's good for appetizers. Reposado is typically accompanied by heavier entrees or highly flavored dishes such as chicken or a more powerful fruit. Añejo is usually served with dessert-something chocolate-like mousse. When you drink this way, it's for sipping. Some tequila can be compared to a fine brandy that I have come home, and this is what tequila is about me.
What is the difference between the tequila?
There are five types. I always tell the guests that blanco is like the passport to tequila. The Mexicans consider it the cleanest, as it has not been in an oak barrel at all. Blanco or "white" in Spanish, smells like agave, has a flower flavor and a fresh finish.
joven which means "young", has a new taste as well. It is like a mixture between blanco and reposado although it is less popular or not regularly worn.
reposado "rested" is when you & # 39; I start to smell the hints of oak from the dish, which can come from France, USA or Canada. Barrels can be used up to seven times, and reposado can be in the barrel for up to a year. It tastes like chocolate or vanilla, depending on your own palate, and has a smooth, buttery finish.
añejo "age", wants a strong oak smell and can have a chocolate, caramel, or even toasted almond flavor, with a creamy finish. It stays in the barrel for up to three years.
añejo extra, "extra age", is ultimately dependent on the brand Tequila. It can be extra oak, toasted or smoked.
Marriott Puerto Vallarta Resort & Spa
What should people look for when choosing tequila if they can't taste it first? Does the bottle tell anything?
The alcohol content should be between 38% and 42%. For a pure blue agave tequila, no sugar can be added during production and no other spirit can be mixed in after distillation. This bottle will be 100% agave. If it doesn't, it's what is called a mixto : 51% agave with 49% sugar, as sugar cane. That doesn't mean it's a bad tequila, but the tequilas made with 100% blue agave are best used to sip cocktails. I want to use blanco or maybe reposado tequila in cocktails.
At the back of the bottle, CRT ( Consejo Regulador del Tequila or tequila regulatory advice) stamp means that it is certified. It is the designation of origin. People think it's tequila because we're in Mexico, but no! That's because we're in the state of Jalisco, which is so important to the country.
Fill in blank: If you like a vodka soda …
Try a Paloma made with white tequila, grapefruit, soda and salt field.
If you like a gin and tonic …
Try La Bandera, which looks like colors in Mexico, with lime, white tequila and sangrita.
What is the biggest misconception people have about tequila?
