I accidentally got into the San Francisco Chronicle this week. The Sipping News includes a couple of photos, including one of the lovely Rebecca Chappa demonstrating perfect tequila drinking technique:

And there I am, directly beneath the wristwatch on the pouring arm.

The San Francisco Chronicle’s Friday wine section has an article, Social Swirl: Surging in popularity, wine clubs let you learn while you drink, with some choice quotations from Rochelle and from our friend David, about the wine tasting group Rochelle started more than four years ago.

This is our third major news article having to do with obsessions with food and drink. Not sure what says about us, except hopefully we’re fun to be around…

It’s not quite the haul from our original trip, but we did manage to bring back a dozen bottles of fine tequila on our trip to Julio and Liliana’s wedding in Arandas, Mexico:

Once again we had no breakage or theft, in spite of packing everything in our suitcases (because of the War On Moisture), including two bottles that cost more than $100 each…

Rochelle found the weblog of Jeffrey Morgenthaler, and I ended up reading it for an hour. Nice writing, and some fun stories and insights from an experienced bartender. Eight Things You Should Never Say to Your Bartender was the one that caught Rochelle’s eye, and I was gratified to see that we’d never done any of those things. (When we are traveling we will ask about fun things to do in town, but only if the bar’s not busy, and the bartender has time and interest in chatting.)

In addition to stories and so on, he’s also got recipes and histories of favorite cocktails. While I’d certainly make a different choice for tequila than he does, the recipes all sound interesting, especially the Richmond Gimlet and the Brisa, both his own creations. Recommended reading.

When Rochelle and I go out, and especially when we travel, we often run into other tequila enthusiasts. Many of them are just beginning their appreciation of this fine spirit, and the number one question we get is “what is your favorite tequila?” We always disappoint, because we can never limit ourselves to one, or even a couple. We tell them what we can, point to good selections on the current bar’s list (part of our “love the one you’re with” philosophy), and promise to follow up with recommendations. But we have never attempted write down a list of our favorite tequilas. Until now.

I have written previously, in Tequila 101 and Everything you need to know about ordering tequila, some basic facts about tequila; what follows here is more opinion and personal preference. You can read the prior articles for background, or simply go with this summary: always look for and verify that your tequila says “100% agave” on the label. If it does not say that, it’s not a quality tequila.

Specific Tequila Recommendations

I’ve drunk more than 150 different tequilas at this point, and when I go to Tommy’s I have more than 200 options to choose from. While I enjoy tasting new things, more often than not I fall back on my favorites. When I’m not at Tommy’s, and the selection is much more limited, I can still usually find one of my preferred products, at least if the bar has any selection at all. Note that these are not the only tequilas that I love, they are simply the ones that most often come to mind when I am ordering.

I would drink any of these tequilas neat or in a margarita. Don’t let anyone tell you these are “too good to drink in a margarita;” I’ll have more on this in a future article. These are in no specific order:

• Herradura Silver, Reposado, and Añejo
• Oro Azul Blanco and Añejo
• El Tesoro, everything they make
• Don Julio Reposado and Añejo
• El Charro Reposado and Añejo
• Chinaco Reposado and Añejo
• Regional Reposado and Añejo (you won’t find this outside of Mexico)
• Centinela Reposado
• Arette Reposado, especially the Suave

I also have a few “special occasion” tequilas, which I will only order if I am celebrating something, or feeling especially flush with funds. As you might expect, these are more expensive; a 2 oz. pour of the Chinaco Black Label is more expensive than a bottle of any of the above tequilas. I would only ever drink these tequilas neat, in a nice snifter or glass.

• Chinaco Black Label (very rare, not made anymore)
• San Matias Rey Sol
• Herradura Seleccion Suprema
• Don Julio 1942
• Arette Gran Clase
• Jose Cuervo Reserva de Familia

Rochelle’s preferences are similar, but she also has a few that she likes better than I do, primarily Siete Leguas, of which I am not particularly fond.

We also have a few “workhorse” tequilas, which we happily order in a bar if none of the above are available, and some we also buy in bulk when we’re having a party. These are fine tequilas, but we don’t reach for them in the same way.

• Pura Sangre
• Pueblo Viejo
• Gran Centenario
• Cazadores
• Cabrito

Finally, one last “special purpose” tequila. We personally love the San Matias Carmessi, but we think it’s especially useful for introducing people to fine tequilas. It’s great for people who have never tried tequila, and even people who think they don’t like tequila usually find they enjoy it.

Just Say No

I don’t really want to recommend against specific products, because everyone’s taste is different, and if you like it, drink it. But these are products which I personally don’t care for, or find over-priced or over-rated. You make your own decision.

• Cuervo Especial, Gold, 1800 — I’ll order a beer if these are the only selections
• Sauza — the Tres Generations bottlings are OK, but there is no Sauza product I genuinely like
• Don Eduardo — we gave this up forever the last time we drank it, 2-3 years ago; it’s just not good, and often expensive
• Patrón — actually a decent tequila, but over-priced

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Two years ago, Rochelle and I were held captive during the imfamous Tequila Hostage Crisis of 2003. This month an article in the San Francisco Cronicle describes a local journalist’s experience on a similar trip.

Tequila trail leads to innovation gives some of the highlights, which we remember well, and alludes to the impact of the more intense moments of the trip (of which we remember little ;-), by describing the author’s regimen of no alcohol and lots of exercise for 10 days before the trip, and no activity at all for 3 days afterwards.

Entertaining and educational to read, there’s some good new tequila drink recipes as well. We will have to visit the local bartenders mentioned, and try them all out!

We’re back from Palm Springs, where we had a great time. The cats decided to let us live. We’re still digging out from under all the mail, voicemail, and email that piled up. Should get caught up by Monday.

We didn’t do nearly as much as we’d have liked to accomplish on our various projects, but that just means we had a good time. This assertion is supported by some of the debris we left behind in the room, our empties, mostly champagne and vodka bottles…

Since getting back I’ve had my birthday. We went out for three straight nights, once for my birthday, once to someone’s Halloween party, and once to someone else’s birthday gathering. At least for me, the most fun was on Friday at Tres Agaves, which just opened last week. (Highly recommended, even though they are struggling under the load of instant success.) We started with drinks in the (packed) bar, and then moved to dinner. Where it turned out there was yet another birthday going on at the table next to us, except the ladies dressed up in theme. It was destiny that we would meet:

No wonder we still haven’t unpacked completely! Anyway, if you’ve been waiting for a phone call or email, we should be back to normal after this weekend. Talk to you soon.

I tried ‘em. Ate 8 of ‘em. I agree with this guy — Romolo’s Cannoli and Spumoni Factory in San Mateo makes great cannoli. The only competitive cannoli I’ve had is from Modern Pastry in Boston’s North End. Both are outstanding.

Romolo’s is open again after their remodel. Easy to get to, right off of El Camino Real, and just a few blocks from the Hillsdale exit of Highway 101. Go check ‘em out.

Rochelle and I ate lunch today at a new restaurant called Medicine. The food is Japanese Zen monk vegan, called “new-shojin.” The flavors are delicate, subtle, and quite good once your brain and palate adjust.

What’s kind of funny is the weird visual sensation I had while eating. The restaurant has an Asian-style glyph, which the staff all wear on their black shirts (photo at right). The glyph, rendered in white, has shape elements to it — most of a cross-hatch, loop-ish strokes at three corners — that it looks, out of the corner of your eye, like the Macintosh Command symbol: ⌘

So, the effect — of the clean lines of the restaurant’s brightly-lit interior, and of the couple dozen staff whizzing around in their black pants and black shirts with the Command symbol on it — is that you’re eating in the Apple Store.

Zen vegetarian food, beautifully prepared and presented, served in a clean, simple environment. I think Steve Jobs would be a fan.

Admit it, you’ve always fantasized about it. Well, you are not dreaming any more. It’s really here.

Live the dream this September!

(No, really, this is not a joke. Click the graphic for the full details!)