Tequila

This comprehensive guide to tequila's varieties, production and history shares marks of distinction for connoisseurs and highlights the link between artisanal agave cultivation and final flavor, arguing for a return to cultivation of heritage crops.

Indulge your thirst for new ways to enjoy tequila and mezcal with 60+ recipes for agave cocktails from a James Beard Award–nominated author and New York Times spirits writer. From riffs on classics such as the Mezcal Mule and Oaxaca Old-Fashioned to new favorites such as Naked and Famous or Smoke and Ice, discover how to use mezcal and tequila to create cocktails in nearly every classic cocktail formula—from flip to sour to highball—that highlight the smoky, edgy flavors of these unique and popular spirits. Robert Simonson, author of The Old-Fashioned and The Martini Cocktail, covers a broad range of flavors with doable, delicious recipes that are easy to assemble, most only requiring three or four ingredients. This comprehensive, straightforward guide is perfect for tequila and mezcal enthusiasts looking for creative ways to enjoy agave spirits more often and in more varied ways—or for anyone who just likes to drink the stuff.

“This fascinating, well-written book explores how tequila has come to symbolize what it means to be Mexican . . . A must read.” —Choice ¡Tequila! Distilling the Spirit of Mexico traces how and why tequila became Mexico’s national drink and symbol. Starting in Mexico’s colonial era and tracing the drink’s rise through the present day, Marie Sarita Gaytán reveals the formative roles played by some unlikely characters—such as the revolutionary Pancho Villa, who was himself a teetotaler. She also shows how tequila’s cultural status was shaped by US-Mexican relations, the tourism industry, shifting gender roles, technology, regulation, film, music, and literature. Like all stories about national symbols, the rise of tequila forms a complicated, unexpected, and poignant tale. By unraveling its inner workings, Gaytán encourages us to think critically about national symbols more generally—especially the ways they both reveal and conceal—to tell a story about a place, a culture, and a people. In many ways, the story of tequila is the story of Mexico.

Pour yourself a drink and brush up on your literary knowledge with this clever guidebook that pairs cherished novels with both classic and cutting-edge cocktails. No B.A. in English required! From barflies to book clubs, Tequila Mockingbird is the world's bestselling cocktail book for the literary obsessed. Featuring sixty-five delicious drink recipes paired with wry commentary on history's most beloved novels, Tequila Mockingbird also includes bar bites, drinking games, and whimsical illustrations throughout. Drinks include: The Pitcher of Dorian Grey Goose The Last of the Mojitos Love in the Time of Kahlua Romeo and Julep A Rum of One's Own Are You There, God? It's Me, Margarita Vermouth the Bell Tolls and more! 2013 Goodreads Choice Award (Food & Cookbooks) Entertainment Weekly Great Gifts for Book Lovers BookPage Best of 2013 Clue on Jeopardy

A tale of opportunities missed, of a band ahead of the curve & from which both its classic era lead singers Guy Speranza & Rhett Forrester are now dead. As is Mark Reale, a quiet man who wanted to just play his heavy metal. A New York institution that is perhaps the shining example of the term, "honorary New Wave of British Heavy Metal" band.

Sample the country’s most tantalizing tacos paired with equally inventive tequila-inspired cocktails—from seasoned food writer and libation enthusiast Katherine Cobbs. Tacos have been trending for years, and finally tequila is having its taco moment. While a crunchy, savory beef taco washed down with a frozen margarita is always acceptable, today the inspired options for what can be stuffed in an edible wrapper or blended with agave spirits are infinite. Behind the bar, the burgeoning array of top-shelf tequilas and mezcals available hold their own—and even outshine—liquor mainstays like vodka, gin, and bourbon. The ubiquitous tequila shot with requisite salt and lime chaser can’t compete with the complex, nuanced flavors of the finely crafted blanco, reposado, and añejo tequilas and smoky mezcals that deserve sipping and savoring. Featuring authentic classics like Tacos Al Pastor and Baja-style fish tacos, Tequila & Tacos also includes entirely new spins on the taco—such as fried Brussels sprout tacos, spicy cauliflower tacos in Indian paratha shells, or tempura-battered seaweed tacos cradling ahi tuna—paired with uncannily delicious cocktails crafted with the finest agave spirits, like a traditional tart Paloma cocktail rimmed with spiced salt or an eye-opening Mezcal Manhattan. Curated from bars and taco stands around the country, this book is a must-have for the taco and tequila aficionado.

Enjoying Tequila gives comprehensive, practical information while offering a working guide to the pleasures, flavor intricacies, and overall enjoyment of this evergreen and popular spirit.

For the tequila curious and the tequila connoisseur alike, a complete, illustrated guide to one of the world’s most popular spirits Time to put away the shot glass—tequila long ago left its spring break clichés in the dust. Today, it is not just a sophisticated global phenomenon but is poised to surpass vodka to become the number one spirit in the U.S. by sales. Which means there’s no better time for A Field Guide to Tequila, the new bible on this popular spirit. Whether you’re already an aficionado who likes to slow-sip an artisanal extra-añejo or a margarita lover curious about your favorite drink and what makes it special, A Field Guide to Tequila takes you step by step into everything that makes tequila tequila, from how it came about, to how it’s made, to how to select, taste, and serve it. Beginning with the origin of every bottle of tequila—the unique blue agave (which is actually much closer, biologically, to a lily than a cactus)—it’s all here: The life cycle of the blue agave and the complex process of turning it into liquor (hint: There’s harvesting, steaming, roasting, and—still in use in one legendary distillery—working mules). The five classes of tequila, including the unfortunate myth of blanco’s inferiority. How to read a tequila label. The seventeen tequila producers to know and brands you need to explore, from giants of the industry like Patrón and José Cuervo to traditionalists, artisans, and innovators, including Tapatío, Siete Leguas, Ocho, G4, and Cava de Oro. The real deal with so many celebrity tequila brands, a phenomenon that started with Bing Crosby. How to set up a tequila tasting. A complete guide to tequila tourism, including dos and don’ts for visiting the town of Tequila, best times to go, essential stops, and a glossary of Spanish. Oh, and a recipe for a best-ever margarita, plus three other classic tequila cocktails, including the Rolling Stones’ favorite, the tequila sunrise. With its striking visuals and appealing package, A Field Guide to Tequila is a go-to reference that felicitously also feels like a real gift book—and vice versa.