Manik Tequila Blanco Review

Manik Blanco Tequila
Imported from Mexico
80 Proof (40% ABV)
The Company Line:

Clear and pure as the Artic Winds, has smooth and distinct softness, resulting in this icon of perfection. This premium creation is a favorite of connoisseurs of ancient traditions; a true masterpiece of sublime flavor and majestic notes.

Our Thoughts: When we first got our bottle (not the bottle pictured above; we just haven't had a chance to snap a shot), we were impressed with the packaging and the lack of a paper label. It was replaced instead with a stamped metal piece glued to the bottle, giving it a distinctive look.

The nose was fairly mellow and unaggressive for an unaged tequila, and we could already sense the pepperiness that was to come with our first taste. We tend to like silver tequilas because they haven't picked up the flavor of whatever they're aged in, and have a snappiness to them that can disappear during aging; Manik was no exception.

The flavor was spicy and almost reminiscent of black pepper, and while we wouldn't shoot it we enjoyed it on the rocks. The peppery taste also made for some excellent Bloody Marias (bloody marys but with tequila instead of vodka). The mouth feel was a bit thin, but the tequila had a nice long finish that kept us coming back for more.

The Verdict: We'd pick up a bottle of Manik if we were out in the liquor store looking for something a bit different, and we liked using it in more savory drinks rather than your typical sweet margarita. It made tasty margaritas as well, and with a silver tequila this tasty we'd love to try some of this company's more aged products. Recommended if you like your drinks with some south of the border heat.

Tequila Confessions from Partida

In our experience, just about everybody has a tequila story. Some might remember too much Cuervo one night in college. Others might have gone to a bar in Mexico and had a random stranger who may or may not work there unexpectedly clamp off your nose and pour low-grade tequila in your mouth (we know from experience these gentlemen expect a tip). Whatever the story is, it usually ends up with the person communing at the porcelain confessional (pictured).

The folks at Partida tequila have come up with a new way to capture all these stories, and have put together a series of videos called Tequila Confessions. There are only a few videos right now, but they're looking for new stories, so you can get in touch with them about the time you tried to plow through a bottle of Sauza in a sitting. The initial videos consist of "man on the street" interviews, but they're looking to expand to "Bartender Confessions" as well.

Watch the videos at Tequila Confessions; see the full press release below.

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Happy National Tequila Day

OK, we lied - we're not talking about the Tequila from MySpace (warning: not as much nudity as you're hoping for) - we're talking about the other tequila...the one that gets you drunk. That's right, today's the day to honor the oft-maligned and much misunderstood drink that's given the one-two punch to so many college students.

We got a press release about the day that includes some cool facts about the liquor itself, along with some blueberry-based cocktail recipes featuring Tequila Don Julio.

Read on for the details.

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4 Copas Organic Tequila

This might come as a big surprise to most of you, but we're not huge health nuts here in the Liquor Snob offices. It's not that we don't care - it's just that every time we drink a smoothie we think it'd taste better spiked with rum, and we don't know a fruit cup from a free radical - you're better off looking for that stuff from our sister site, Really Natural. That's not to say we're not interested in organics, however - especially when they're in the form of tequila.

Introducing 4 Copas Tequila, the world's very first certified organic tequila. It's available in Blanco, Reposado, and Anejo, and while we don't have any tasting notes yet, but it won 2006 Tequila of the year from Wine & Spirits Magazine. Sounds good to us...too bad it's currently only available for purchase in AZ, CA, and HI. If you can't make the pilgrimage, buy it online at Internet Wines and Spirits (Reposado, Anejo, Blanco).

via MetaEfficient

Sangrita Recipe for Cinquo de Mayo

Tomorrow's Cinquo de Mayo, a day that gets a lot of people into a Mexican state of mind. This year, don't be one of the folks down at T.G.I. McAppleChili's, snorking down Coronas and Cuervo shots. This year is the year for you to class yourself up, so when you drink your tequila you should give Sangrita a try.

Basically a spicy tomato juice with other flavors involved as well, Sangrita is the perfect chaser for your tequila - we prefer to alternate sips between Sangrita and Tequila or Mezcal, but it's a good chaser after shots as well. Read on for our favorite recipe - it's also incredibly easy and calls for ingredients you may already have lying around - and please let us know if you know any others.

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Milagro Tequila Romance Review

We like to give the interns a chance to take a stab at writing their own reviews once in a while - it keeps their thoughts away from that mutiny they're always threatening. Our latest review is from the newest addition to our team, Intern Josh, and we'd love to hear what you think of his review of Milagro Tequila Romance.

Read his take on this two-headed monstrosity after the jump, and please feel free to add your comment and let us know if you've tried the Romance, and what you think of the review.

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Herradura Tequila Keepin' It Real

Late last year we posted about Casa Herradura tequila and the fact that people were nervous they were being bought out by a bunch of gringos. After all, when you make the claim that you make the "the best tequila in the world," it can make purists get a little bit nervous if you change anything. Especially if that change has something to do with a booze juggernaut like Brown-Forman, the folks who bought them out.

It looks like the concerns were unfounded, however - we just got notification that the tequila won a "double gold" medal at the 2007 World Spirits Competition. Sounds to us like things haven't changed for the worse like all the Chicken Littles said, eh? Read on for the full press release.

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Sol Azul Reposado Tequila Review

Sol Azul Premium Reposado
Aged Silver Tequila from Mexico
80 Proof (40% ABV)
Typical Price: $35 for 750ML
Website

It's no secret we like our liquors well-aged. Of course, it's a good thing we're not expected to age it ourselves - liquors in our collection don't have a very long half life to say the least. The latest pre-aged booze we've gotten our mitts on is Sol Azul Reposado Tequila - we've tasted it and re-tasted it over the last month or so, and formed a few thoughts. For starters, we have to tell you the bottle looks like something I Dream of Jeannie should pop out of. But does this bottle's contents have the magic we're looking for? Read on to find out.

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Sol Azul Gold Tequila Review

Sol Azul Gold
Mexican Tequila
80 Proof (40% ABV)
Typical Price: $12 for 1L bottle
Website

We got in our bottle of Sol Azul Gold Tequila a month ago, and you must be asking yourself "What took them so long to review it?" Well, there are some questions that have no answer, but we can say it's tied up in the story is one of our Interns spending the night in the drunk tank after too much time with a bottle of Tequila. We're over our gunshyness now though, and we're ready to talk turkey about Tequila. So was this Tequila a turkey, or was it what we were looking for?

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Sol Azul Tequila Arrives

We've gotten another little bundle of joy to add to our backlog of products we haven't reviewed yet, and we have to say we're pretty excited. We've never had Sol Azul Tequila before, but we like the bottling and packaging, so we can't wait to try it. We especially like the handcrafted bottles the premium products come in, which are color coded to make it easy to pick them out when you've had a few - cobalt (anejo), blue (reposado), and crystal (silver).

We'll let you know what we think as soon as we've tasted the two bottles we got (a bottle of Gold and a bottle of the premium Reposado); you can learn more about each at SolAzulTequila.com.

Tequila: The Spirit of Mexico

We've been more or less immersed in tequila all week (see our reviews of Fina Estampa's blanco and reposado for proof of that) and it got us to thinking. We know quite a bit about this glorious beverage from Mexico, and we're getting the tasting notes down pretty well, but we're thirsty for more. We want more tasting notes and reviews, more history, more information in general, about agave's greatest end product.

So, we turned where we always turn when we want more information - Amazon. And lo and behold, we found Tequila: The Spirit of Mexico (Amazon), a book that seems to be the answer to our fevered prayers. The book includes ratings of over 100 tequila brands, tequila drink and food recipes, and complementary information on Mezcal, which we will never again call the "bastard cousin" of tequila.

Fina Estampa Reposado Tequila Review

Fina Estampa Reposado
100% Agave Golden Tequila
Imported from Mexico
80 Proof (40% ABV)
Typical Price: $35-$40
Fina Estampa Website

It's really tough not to make "stamp of approval" jokes about Fina Estampa - after all, our brush with their blanco was a joyful experience. But, as we look down the barrel of their reposado we're torn between concerns of a sophomore slump and worries that the guys at Fina Estampa have made tequila good enough to finally push us over the edge to full-blown alcoholics. Either way, we were approaching the Reposado with a little bit of nervousness, but that wasn't the only reason our hands were shaking as we poured our glass...it was also excitement.

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Fina Estampa Blanco Tequila Review

Fina Estampa Blanco
100% Agave Silver Tequila
Imported from Mexico
80 Proof (40% ABV)
Typical Price: $30-$35
Fina Estampa Website

We don't want to make you jealous, but have we ever told you how cool it is that part of our job is tasting tequila? Most people commute to work and listen to their loud mouth bosses all day, then shuffle some paper around. We commute to work, listen to our loud mouth boss, then drink tequila. We're not going to lie - we love it. Anyway, the latest Mexican import we've put on the chopping block is Fina Estampa Blanco.

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Fina Estampa Anejo Tequila Review

Fina Estampa Anejo
100% Agave Anejo Tequila
Imported from Mexico
80 Proof (40% ABV)
Typical Price: $40-$45
Fina Estampa Website

We've come to the third bottle in this week's Tequila Trilogy, and we're still going strong on Fina Estampa. We've been high all week on their presentation, their price point and most of all their liquor, so let's trudge on and see how their Anejo stacks up. For the uninitiated, Anejo tequila has typically been aged in oak barrels for a minimum of one to three years, and all we can say is it's a good thing we weren't around or we probably would have chewed through the wood to get at the lovely cactus juice inside. Do you think that means we have a problem?

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