When Dre Masso and the late Henry Besant ran Green & Red Cantina in London, they noted a decline in quality and increase in price in the Tequilas coming into their bar and decided to do something about it. Working with distiller Jesús Hernández, they settled on a Tequila made solely from the juice of highlands blue agave, one part extracted by the traditional, time-consuming tahona (stone mill), the other with a modern mechanical mill. The result is a Tequila that drinks well neat but sells at a price that won’t make you feel bad if you mix it. The Plata lasts long, with a wonderfully bright citrus flavor and white pepper and cooling menthol notes. The Reposado, which spends six to eight months in used Bourbon barrels, is richer, with notes of spice and sweet vanilla augmenting the citrus and slight vegetal flavors. They’re superb values you’ll want to keep handy this summer.
Spirits Type:
Tequila
ABV:
each 40%
Importer:
Pernod Ricard USA, Purchase, NY
Price:
$25
This story appears in the print issue of June 2013.
Like what you read? Subscribe today.