Do people really buy tequila for home use? is it worth buying?

Question

i think that is one of the one "staples" i dont have in my cocktail cabinet. im kind of morally against buying it due to its rank taste and bad tequila shot for £1 experience (never suck salty lemons to save time.. :/ ) and basically, doesnt tequila guarantee hangover? thing is, so many cocktails have tequila in them, should i give in and buy a bottle? i mean its one thing buying shots in a bar and another to own your own bottle... ;) ta

Answer 1

Bad tequila = bad hangover.  

I use to drink Tequila in frozen Margaritas all the time with no ill effect, usually three shots at a time.  To buy a Margarita like that in a bar would be £4 or more.  

But never mix Tequila with other booze esp. Gin.

Answer 2

There are some Tequila's that are better than others. I have drank tequila, I dont think the taste is rank. Its different, but not my favorite. Try Cabo Wabo, very good, little pricey, but good, Don Julio is a good one. Also Correlejo is a good one too. El jimador is a traditional one, if you can find a repasado version of Cabo Wabo is good. Repasado means it has aged at least 6 months to 1 year, making the taste a little smoother.

Answer 3

The first rule with tequila is don't buy the cheap stuff. There are many good tequilas out there. Patron silver is my favorite, but cazadores, cabo wabo, and cuervo 1800 are also good. Cuervo gold isn't bad either. It's relatively cheap for tequila and is good enough for cocktails and the occasional shot. Tequila is also good to use in cooking too.

Answer 4

The short answer -

Yes.

I always have some on hand.

I get (relatively) inexpensive bottles of 100% agave tequila for when friends come over to make margaritas, and I also have a special bottle (currently Herradura Selecion Suprema) for special friends and special occasions.

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The long answer -

Many drink it, but unfortunately most do not really fully understand it or appreciate it.

That's because in the US, it's largely marketed to college kids as a way to get "crazy", which is largely missing the true nature of tequila.

As you'll all see from the other answers, the word "prefer" is quite subjective. It's also based on experience with tequila too, as anyone who knows anything about tequila in any real way would not say Cuervo, unless they were referencing their Tradicional or Reserva de la Familia, which are the only 2 Cuervo-labeled tequilas they make that are any good.

Patron too, while good, is often mentioned because they spend more marketing dollars than any other tequila company, and thus when college kids are ready to move up from Cuervo, they often go to Patron as they see it advertised so much, and their exploration stops there. Make no mistake, Patron isn't bad by any means. But you can get better for less.

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.

The really expensive ones can even be aged longer than regular anejos, and these are often referred to as ultra anejos.

Also 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.

If you switch to buying 100% agave tequila, you will not find a "rank" taste nor a hangover.

Answer 5

If you have a cocktail recipe that calls for tequila, there is no substitute. My suggestion to you would be, do not skimp and buy cheap tequila, get the good stuff. Patron Silver is a wonderful tequila (not that I am plugging one over the other) but that is the kind of quality you are looking for. Besides if you have a bar where you can see the bottles, some tequila bottles are quite beautiful.

Read the attached link for some good information.

Answer 6

Tequila is just like any other alcohol.  There are the "well" brands and the good ones.  Before we went to Mexico all we thought that Jose Cuervo Gold was one of the best.  How wrong we were.  Now Tequila is my husbands favorite drink and doesn't require lime and salt to make it taste good to him.  The key is how long it's been aged.  There are three (possibly four) levels of Tequila.  The first is blanco, this is the worst, the stuff you need the lime with.  The next is reposado (rested), although the brand can make or break this one.  The third is añejo (aged).  It's the best.  Hubby usually gets Cuervo Black, one of the more reasonably priced añejo's.  So check the label make sure it says reposado or añejo and then find the brand you like.

Answer 7

You should keep a bottle on hand, I recommend Jose Cuervo Gold, it's one of the better ones.

Answer 8

No it's utter sh*t.

Any shots are sh*t if you ask me. Rubbish - not enjoyable and make you sick.

However, if you need them for serious cocktail making then yeah, get some in. Not for shots thought. That's just moronic.

Answer 9

do- it's the only shot worth it's salt...

Answer 10

   100% agave. It's great versatile and smooth. Don't substitute money for quality.

Answer 11

its the alcohol that gives you hangovers, not what was used to make the alcohol, agave, potatoes, wheat, corn... a hangover is a hangover... if you have had bad experience getting one from tequila, its likely because you went a little wild with it.

as for should you have it, YES!  Margaritas, either on the rocks, or blended is one of the best mixed drinks in existence.