I’m a food or drink connoisseur. But I’m not someone with a refined palette who can tell the difference between something having notes of coffee versus notes of leather. Instead I prefer to focus on whether or not something is good. My approach was best stated by the philosopher Montgomery Burns: “I know what I hate, and I don’t hate this”.
Here we answer a fundamental question of life: “should you drink this?”
hat I’m drinking: Rey Campero Mezcal
All tequila is mezcal, but not all mezcal is tequila. Tequila is mezcal made from the Blue Agave plant, mostly in Jalisco, and is one of the most popular boozes in the world. The other varieties have not had as much success, and are generally just referred to as “mezcal”. This have given people a really misunderstood concept of what mezcal is. Compare it to the varieties of whiskey. So when someone tells you mezcal tastes smokey/sharp/etc. they are either misunderstanding or oversimplifying.
Cuishe is a rarer type. The agave it comes from takes around 8 years to be grown enough to use. It tends towards dry and spicy flavor, but there is wide variety. Unlike many of the more smoky mazcals, cuishe tends towards clean and smooth.
In this case, I’m drinking unaged or “Joven” mezcal. Rey Campero Cuishe is clear and smooth. It tastes like warmth and happiness, with a citrus mineraly clean flavor. There are many delicate flavors hiding within it, which makes it perfectly suited for sipping. Rey Campero makes older versions, but the cleanliness and mellowness of this one is why I like it.
The color: Clear.
The flavor: Think of a bad white tequila, but replace all the bad things with good things.
My initial thoughts: Mmmmm.
Mix with: Nothing. Maybe a pinch of sal de gusano and an orange.
Drink this if you like: Lighter Tequilas
Pair with: Hopefulness
Good for beginners? Yes.
Recommended cocktail for bad people: Mezcal Old Fashioned. Fresh Lime Margarita.
Cost: $95
Budget Alternative: There are several Espadin Cuishe blends that are around $40-$50/
Who would like this: Everyone.
Did my wife like this: Yes.
Fun facts to make you sound smart or interesting when you’re drinking it: Pechuga mezcal is filtered through chicken or duck breast. Cuishe has a more oblong Pina which can make harvesting and roasting a bit more hit or miss. Espadin is the most common type of agave used in mezcal, other than blue agave.
How to get this: Online. Your local liquor store might have it, but they will probably have some version of cuishe or other good mezcal.
Ideal location for drinking: Quarantine, but on the deck on a sunny day.
Should you drink this: Yes.
Wait, have we finally found something the missus likes???
She also enjoyed the Icelandic Gin.
Those facts are, in fact, fun.
I had never heard of the chicken breast thing.
This article goes into a lot of detail. It says there is a distillery that makes an apple brandy version that uses ham.
Pechuga is really good. I’d have written about it, but I don’t happen to have any on hand. It’s one of those things that doesn’t make sense, but somehow works.