Peligroso Silver Tequila

Most spirits have a wide range from “rot-gut rat piss” to “heavenly angel sputum” giving you as the drinker lots of different options both in price, as well as in quality.

However, there are two spirits that seem to have taken the very idea of a spectrum of qualities and mugged it in a dark alleyway. That is to say, the offerings are either terrible, or amazing. There’s no mushy middle for midrange.

These rebels without a scope are scotch and tequila.

There really isn’t much of an “in-between” like there is with the likes of vodka, gin, and bourbon. That’s why, whenever a new tequila comes across our desk, we approach with a great amount of caution. After all, terrible tequila goes hand-in-hand with drunk sorority girls and casually racist Halloween costumes

Unfortunately, a childhood full of Looney Tunes led me to believe that the only song that’s come out of Mexico in the last 100 years has been the Mexican Hat Dance… or La Cucaracha.

However, five years of writing about cocktails and spirits have also opened my eyes to the beauty that is unveiled when you get your hands on a truly beautiful bit of distilled agave.

For years, we’ve beat the drum expounding the virtues of Don Julio – particularly their anejo and reposado iterations. As for blancos, we waffle quite a bit. You don’t have the advantage of aging to take the edges of a shit-tier agave, but it also has a lighter, crisper flavor that pairs better than the heavier, headier aged tequilas.

So, we were pleasant surprised when we received our package from Peligroso Tequila shortly before the Holidays. I had just started to get over a case of walking pneumonia, so my tasters were off, as well as my desire to drink, really. So, it’s been sitting on our bar for the past few weeks, waiting its chance at a fair shake.

Peligroso Silver Tequila

Some background of Peligroso:

Our Tequila would be 100% Weber Blue agave, the agave would be grown and harvested in the highlands of Jalisco, it would be steamed in real brick ovens and we would never use autoclaves, we would distill in copper and stainless pots and we would age in real oak whiskey barrels from Tennessee.  Our alcohol content is higher than the norm of 40%.  Peligroso is 42% which makes our tequila that much more Peligroso and better.

Nose: Crisp and clean.

Neat: Peppery. Surprisingly spicy on the front, but clearing out to a cleaner, softer agave flavor. Nice pleasant kick.

On the Rocks: While the bite on the front goes away, the peppery flavors linger. This is a very, very pleasant and powerful tequila.

Verdict: We LIKES it. While not as delicate as some other higher quality tequilas (see our comments on Don Julio above) it’s that extra kick that sets it apart. It’s not an unpleasant bite, like you would get from a cheaper tequila. The higher proof (43% as opposed to the standard 40%) gives it that extra grip. RECOMMENDED.

Stick around the next week as we start mixing with Peligroso Tequila.