Tomorrow is Cinco de Mayo, which can be summed up in a few words: Mexico, tacos, and tequila. Now, if you do this right you can still celebrate Mexican heritage—no, not Mexican independence, that day is on September 16—without the Jose Cuervo hangover we know so well. Instead, strap on you finest sombrero and sip good tequila in style, starting with a trip to La Biblioteca, where they are serving the limited edition Hijos de Villa Blanc, a nine-month aged reposado that comes in cleverly designed gun-shaped bottle. Shooters anyone?
You can only get this special from 5 to 10pm on May 5 (as well as $15 for bottomless guacamole and $5 basic margaritas), but there are 400 other reasons to fall in love with tequila here. That’s right, this sleek bar actually is a library—of tequila. Plus, with long leather couches, low lit community tables, and bottles of booze tagged and behind cages, the space feels like a research room too. Even when it’s not Cinco de Mayo they also do weekly $15 tastings from various distilleries, including the upcoming Corralejo, Don Julio, and Chinaca meet-and-greets.
Swank aside, Cinco de Mayo doesn’t have to be a big night on the town. If you aren’t into tromping to the city to battle it out with the other Mexican pride revelers, I recommend having your own do-it-yourself tasting. One of my favorite distilleries is Herradura, which has been producing top notch, 100-percent agave tequila since 1870. This tequila is made in the lowland of Jalisco, one of the few places in Mexico where the tipple can legally be made, a rule similar to the one that makes Cognac or Champagne a regional name. The company produces three main tequilas: Blanco, reposado, and anejo.
To do the tasting, round up some shooters (should be available in most decent liquor stores) and pour a dram of each. All the tequilas get aged in American oak barrels and the blanco is the youngest, spending only 45 days in the barrel. Like wine, you first want to sniff the tequila, lightly though since it’s pure alcohol, and take note of the hue. The blanco is almost clear and you should get a faint nose of vanilla and orange. Herradura’s reposado gets aged for 11 months and comes out much darker with a slight peppery flavor and chocolate taste at the end. The anejo is the richest and darkest of the trio as it’s in the barrel for 49 months and leans towards a more sweet, smoky essence.
No matter what you taste while imbibing, the real goal is to like what you drink. So, there you have it, two unique ways to celebrate Mexican heritage that doesn’t involve anything named Casa Bonita (it exists, I have been there) or involve buckets of frozen margaritas. Of course, if that’s what you want that’s fine too, just don’t cry about waking up coated in tortilla chip crumbs and nacho cheese with the worst headache of your life come Sunday morning.
La Biblioteca
622 3rd Avenue New York, NY 10017
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