TIP OF THE DAY: Añejo Tequila With Dessert
 Añejo Tequila is delicious with chocolate. Photo courtesy Partida Tequila. |
Yesterday we suggested adding spirits to baked goods. Today, it’s a shot of Tequila with dessert. More specifically, enjoy a small snifter of añejo (aged)Tequila with your favorite dessert (the different types of tequila).
Añejo is not mixing Tequila; it’s sipping Tequila. Last night we enjoyed some añejo with an iced chocolate square and vanilla ice cream. Wafting up from the snifter, the nose delivered light notes of almond, cherry, dried fruit and spice. The palate included banana, chocolate, honey and pear. Any wonder that this Tequila is so dessert-friendly? Añejo Tequila is aged 1 year or longer, during which time it acquires complex aromas, intense flavors and coppery color from the oak barrels. Partida Añejo, one of the greatest Tequila brands, is aged in used Jack Daniels barrels for 18 months. |
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Enjoy a glass of añejo Tequila with apple pie, banana desserts, chocolate desserts (including churros), crème brûlée, ice cream, poached pears—try it with any dessert. If the pairing is a hit with you, get to work on these other dessert and alcohol pairings.
A simple but wonderful “dessert” is top-quality dark chocolate with a side of añejo. You can also infuse dessert sauces with Tequila, such as this Tequila-custard sauce for fresh berries. While Tequila has been distilled in Mexico since the arrival of the Conquistadors in the late 1520s, the aged Tequila styles, reposado and añejo, were developed in the early 1900s. The move to aging happened when tequila producers thought to use the leftover brandy, rum and red wine casks that had been shipped from Spain to supply the Spanish aristocracy. This innovation changed the overall quality and taste of Tequila, which until then had been raw (unaged blanco/silver/white tequila) and without complexity. More history of Tequila. |
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