Forget Cinco de Mayo—If you really want to toast our neighbors to the south, you’ll knock back a few on the true Mexican Independence Day, September 16, which happens to be, um, tomorrow. We found a sweet tequila perfect for honoring that Mexican independent streak.
Partida is a 100% blue agave tequila that you can find in three traditional formats—an un-aged Blanco, and a Reposado and Anejo that are aged in Jack Daniels barrels. I started with the Blanco, which is full of heat and lime when you sip it neat. Add ice, and it’s incredibly smooth up front with a bit of pepper on the back end.
Typically, I like Blanco tequila better than its aged version, but Partida’s Reposado’s has a smoky character that I find addictive. The nose is full of caramel, but the sip is almost peaty, like a Scotch. It’s an incredibly smooth, rich drink over ice or even neat—one that you could knock back slowly over an entire evening.
If you do grab yourself a bottle of Partida and start pouring short glasses of this faintly colored Reposado, consider making a Sangrita, aka “little blood,” which is a non-alcoholic drink that’s traditionally used to cleanse the palate between sips of neat tequila. It’s a hell of a drink on its own—mixing hot sauce, tomato juice and a bunch of other fruit juices.
Here’s Partida’s Sangrita recipe. Pour a short glass of Reposado, mix up this beast of a fruit juice, and enjoy Mexican Independence.
Partida Sangrita
2 oz Tabasco
1 oz Lime Juice
7 oz Orange Juice
2 oz Grapefruit Juice
1 teaspoon Salt
2 teaspoons Fresh Ground Pepper
15 oz Tomato Juice
1 Jalapeno (Cut in half with seeds)
Directions: Add all the ingredients into a pitcher. Stir until the salt & pepper is dissolved. Let the mix sit for 15 minutes to 30 minutes with the Jalapeno, then when the right heat level is reached discard the jalapeno pieces. Keep Refrigerated.