A Grandiose Blog - Cocktails, Gadgets & More

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I’d like to introduce you to an important and extremely versatile product from Partida Tequila, Partida agave nectar (at least in my humble opinion). I received a sample a short while ago along with their tequilas - but I purposely delayed writing about the nectar because I felt it deserved a seperate post.

Partida agave nectar is a blue agave based organic, natural fructose sweetener. It’s sweeter than sugar and also has a reported lower glycemic index rating than sugar, honey or maple syrup. The glycemic index rating of agave nectar is 11, sugar’s is 100. That’s 1/10th the glycemic index of sugar!

Partida nectar is water soluble, which means that it will dissolve instantly in drinks and mixes well with other ingredients in cocktails. Sometimes I can’t be bothered to make simple syrup, it’s nice to have an alternative readily available, especially a healthier one. There’s no aftertaste from the nectar because it’s all natural.

So we have an all natural product, with a lower glycemic index rating than sugar and which also tastes sweeter than honey? Diabetics and non-diabetics alike rejoice!

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A little birdie informed us that Curtis Jackson, aka 50 Cent’s chrome covered, customized 2005 Lamborghini Murcielago is up for sale on eBay. Oddly enough, there’s no mention of 50 in the auction details - but here he is getting arrested in the car by the police late last year.

Here’s also a video of the same incident from Youtube.

Want it? Better hurry, auction ends in 2 days.

Place your bid here. At least US $225,300.00 to join in the fun.

Unlike other tequilas which barely, but legally pass for tequila (51% agave based, the rest 49% sugarcane), Partida Tequila uses 100% pure blue agave - tequila does not get any more authentic and purer than this. Plus, if the accolades that Partida has been racking up recently is any indication, we’re not the only ones who think so.

The Partida estate, deep in the heart of Mexico’s historic Tequila region, produces four distinctive tequilas: Blanco, Reposado, Anejo and Elegante.

Blanco (Not Aged)

Clear and brilliant with a silvery hue. Clean and crisp, this one packs a punch, peppery with a lingering aftertaste. Excellent for use in margaritas.

Reposado (Aged 6 months)

Light amber color, smooth, rich taste with a hint of sweetness.  Full bodied with a very light aftertaste, pleasant finish. Excellent for use in cocktails.

Anejo (Aged 18 months)

This is the one folks. Very smooth, in fact it was hard to believe I was still drinking tequila. This is fine cognac or single malt whiskey territory. Hardly any aftertaste whatsoever. Very smooth, rich. Enjoy neat, but the Anejo will make a very good Reposado tequila cocktail even better.

Elegante (Aged 36 months)

Unfortunately I didn’t get a chance to sample the Elegante, the good people at Partida only sent the Blanco, Reposado, Anejo & Agave nectar for review. If the excellence of the Anejo is anything to go by, I’m sure the Elegante will be a knockout. This is the best spirit in their stable and I hear a bottle retails somewhere around $350.
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then head on over to eBay. Show the Joneses next door one up by parking your private jet from Eclipse Aviation in your driveway. Or if you’re enterprising enough you could probably give FedEx a run for their money - don’t you just hate it when they always show up when you’re never at home? We do. Either way, it’s going to cost you at least $1,719,942.60. We’ll chip in the $0.60, pay us back with a ride to Tales of the Cocktail next year.  
At Least $1,719,942.60. Bid on it here.

This brings us to our last base liquor in the series. To recap, we’ve looked at Gin, Rum, Brandy, Vodka & Whiskey (or whisky if you’re Scottish).

Now let’s discuss Tequila.

Tequila is distilled from the fermented juice of the Mezcal plant. The Mezcal plant must be grown within the limits of the state of Jalisco, Mexico or certain designated areas in Mexico - Guanajuato, Michoacan, Nayarit and Tamaulipas. In a nutshell, Tequila comes from Mexico. If the Mezcal plants are grown anywhere else, then it’s bottled as Mezcal.

Mezcal is made from the blue agave plant, a monster that takes eight to 12 years to mature and yields a pineapple-type heart (the pina). The hearts are cooked in traditional brick ovens or modern autoclaves and then shredded or ground into a pulp and the juice distilled.
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We’ve covered Gin, Rum, Brandy & Vodka. Now let’s talk about Whiskey.

The name “whiskey” is derived from the phrase “water of life” and is made by distilling malted barley and other grains and aging the resulting alcohol in oak casks. The five major whiskey producers in the world are Scotland, the United States, Ireland, Canada and Japan.

Whiskey can also be spelled “whisky” - and is how it is commonly spelled in Scotland, Canada & Japan. The Irish and Americans spell theirs with an extra “e”. It’s also said that the Scots jealously guard the spelling whisky for their own product and I’m not one for incurring Scottish wrath so neither should you. Samuel L. Jackson was so cool in Formula 51 …. Read the rest »