Don Eduardo Tequila

don eduardo tequilaSometimes described as “white lightning”, tequila has developed a reputation of being a spirit that’s harsh and unsophisticated. Maybe many years ago the production standards were not what they are today, or maybe the really good tequila just didn’t get past the local population. If you had a source of great tequila, would you share it? Luckily times have changed and many great tequilas are making their way into new markets. These crafted tequila’s are a far cry from the “white lightning” of days gone buy. As a matter of fact, these tequila’s can rival any spirit in quality and taste. Such is the case with Don Eduardo silver tequila. This tequila has a lot to offer and luckily I had a chance to try it.

When I received the Don Eduardo tequila, it came in a beautiful bottle with an embossed agave plant on the back of the bottle and a big cobalt blue stopper. The stopper is part plastic and part real cork. The benefit is that the cork doesn’t disintegrate into the tequila. However, the cork is a little technical. Trying to pull it straight out of the bottle will result in failure, or worse, you could spill the tequila all over the floor. Luckily, my wife was watching me and she, for some unknown reason, knew that rocking the stopper back and forth is the proper way to open the bottle. To date, no tequila has been spilled.

Upon opening the bottle you will get a sweet perfumed nose of tequila! This was not at all what I was expecting. The nose on this spirit is amazing and is sweet when compared to lower quality tequila. I can’t specifically identify one characteristic scent, except to say it has the smell of “sweet solvent”, which I mean in the best possible way. I worked in a refinery for six years and was often confronted with odd and strange odours. One of these was around the wax refining unit where methyl-ethyl-ketone (MEK) was common and it had a fresh sweet scent. Many ketones are used in the perfume world and the scent of the Don Eduardo tequila is reminiscent of a subtle perfume.

When tasting Don Eduardo, it is very smooth which is probably a result of the triple distillation. However, it still has all of the tequila characteristic tastes, like the pepper and spice of the agave plant. The tequila is crystal clear. When the tequila first hits your tongue it will taste sweet, then as it moved across your tongue the spiciness will come out and then the full taste of the agave plant will become apparent. The best part of this tequila is that it clears off your palate very quickly, kind of like lightning; it’s there, then it’s gone. Basically, there is no harsh aftertaste, so again, put away your salt shaker and limes.

Aside from drinking this tequila straight, this will make a stellar classic Margarita. No blender required, no sugary liquids, no sugar rim, just tequila, Cointreau, fresh lime juice and a salt rim if you like. The classic margarita proportions are 3:2:1 or as follows:

1½ oz Don Eduardo Tequila
1 oz Cointreau
½ oz Fresh Lime Juice

Shake with ice and strain into a salt-rimmed margarita glass.

For some, tequila is a way to gauge their manhood (womanhood) by doing shots of cheap tequila and making those goofy faces while licking salt of their grubby hands and sucking on a lime wedge that’s probably rolled around on the floor behind the bar. If they survived, they are now heading towards adulthood, and good for them, I was once there. In fact, I had a friend who would drink a little too much and then decide to challenge everyone to tequila shooting contests. His opening line would be: “Are you man enough?” Then we would proceed to toss back three or four shots of tequila and then pay the piper in the morning. This was because we were all suckers and couldn’t handle our manhood being challenged. It was tough being young. Mind you, I never licked salt or sucked the lime, I just did the shots straight. I don’t miss those days.

The true test, however, is the ability to drink, and appreciate tequila straight, without the goofy salt and lime. This will define when you go from being a boy to a man (or girl to woman). Once you hit that point, invest in a bottle of Don Eduardo tequila and try it, I guarantee that you won’t be disappointed.

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