Should you put ice in your tequila?
I don't know. Maybe? So, a lot of people who come to tequila from bourbon or whiskey are like, well yeah, you're supposed to put ice in there.
That's often because bourbons and whiskeys are distilled at a higher proof, and so when you put the ice in there, that ice dissolves and kind of waters it down and makes it more palatable.
Most tequilas are actually made at 80 proof, 40% ABV. So the water's added in the bottle, but not always. We're going to do a little experiment here. This is El Tesoro Paradiso Extra Añejo. This is at 40% ABV. This is Xoloitzquintle, which is 46%. So for each of these, we've got one that's just neat.
And then one that we've got a slowly dissolving ice cube in. Yeah, start with the neat. So this is 40%, so it's 40% with water now. So this is going to be down to the 30s. Changes it quite a bit, doesn't it? Yeah, it does. Yeah. Switch. Okay. This is good. I haven't had the extra añejo up there. That's good.
Yeah. It is good. I think I like it better without the ice cube. Look at you. Look at you after all this time. "I don't want any water in my tequila." I just want tequila... I've never been more proud. But yeah, I kind of agree. Like, it's definitely easier to drink with the ice than the water. But it definitely mutes the flavors and the character to the degree I'm like, Eh, I don't know.
There's no right answer. In most cases, you don't need to put ice in your tequila because it wasn't intended for you to put ice in your tequila. Also, two really good choices here.
