randy_byers | Sipping tequila

Spring has sprung, and suddenly the whole world is a-twitter with talk about sipping tequila. Or is it that I'm just finally starting to pay attention? The Seattle Times has a fairly superficial story on the subject today. I'm sure the reporter put in at least five minutes of research to gain the deep (and typically cringing) perspective represented by such comments as "Seattle is still in its tequila infancy, certainly compared to California."

Certainly I'm in my own tequila infancy, and who knows if I'll ever become a tequila adult? The first time I ran into the concept of sipping tequila was whenever it was I last saw Robyn -- in '96 or '97, I think, but don't quote me on that. We were running around town and popped into Beso del Sol (RIP) for a drink, and the bartender talked me into a shot of tequila that he said was to be sipped and not slammed back. Don't remember much about it, although it seemed to lead to much pleasantness later on. Four or five years later, I was out on a date with Hazel (hm, there seems to be a pattern here), and we ran into her friend Abe, who had a bottle of fine tequila sitting on the bar in front of him and allowed me to have several sips. It was delicious, but I don't remember what variety it was. Funky looking bottle, as I recall, but that doesn't really narrow the field.

Cut to February of this year, when I'm at the Iron Cactus in Austin with various folks from Corflu Quire, and

surliminal and John D. Berry ordered shots of two different kinds of the good stuff. This time I was able to cling to a name: Gran Centenario. Thus I now have a bottle of it at home. It was, in fact, one of the pain-killers I was imbibing after my sod-busting exertions on Saturday. Can't say I'm completely convinced that I like the flavor yet, but isn't that just like an infant? The SeaTimes article does have a couple of sidebars of interest, especially the one about "major tequila types." The article also lets slip that Gran Centenario is of the añejo variety: "Aged at least a year in oak barrels, picking up flavors such as caramel and vanilla. Deep golden color."

Caramel and vanilla, eh? Hadn't noticed those flavors yet, but I'll try again. Sip and learn!

Update: There are different varieties of Gran Centenario, and what I got was the Plata, not the Añejo. The Plata is aged for only 25 days in oak (as opposed to a year for the Añejo), so maybe that's why it doesn't taste as good as the memory of Austin. And isn't a deep golden color either. Learning, learning, learning, rawhide!