Happy National Tequila Day!

Between small sips, queasy faces, salt licks, and wafts of liquor, the City Cast Austin team was able to determine our favorite tequila from La Condesa in honor of National Tequila Day. La Condesa, located in downtown Austin, smells like tequila and for good reason – the restaurant has one of the largest tequila selections in the city. We tried four kinds of tequila, took field notes, and rated each shot. Enjoy:

La Pulga Tequila Blanco - $14

We let La Condesa lead the way and were served a blanco tequila first. It was allegedly sweet and citrusy, according to actual tequila drinkers Eva Ruth Moravec and Elissa Rozentuller, City Cast Austin’s producers. I’m still not convinced!

Arette Reposado - $25

Next up was an aged, orange-tinted reposado tequila. Once again, Elissa and Eva Ruth noticed stuff that Nikki and I were unaware of – “I really taste the vanilla,” Elissa said. Nikki thought it tasted like scotch and “I hate scotch,” she said.

Tears of Llorona Extra Añejo - $48

OK, finally something we all enjoyed! This añejo tequila had a caramel smell (Nikki called it a “spiked Werther’s” candy scent) and a good aftertaste. “I could sip that all day,” Elissa said. “The faces were very minimal,” Eva Ruth said, noting Nikki and I didn’t look like we were going to die after taking a sip.

Mijenta Blanco - $16

We started this tasting with a scream: “Aaaack! I don’t like the aftertaste,” Eva Ruth said a la a Cathy cartoon. Ice and a lime helped make the drink a bit more palatable, but even tequila connoisseur Elissa said this one wasn’t good without the lime.