So American – Rooster Rojo Reposado Tequila

Politics and alcohol never mix well. This is why I try to stay clear of such topics here on the blog. However, if the spirit you are sampling makes a political statement itself, it is hard to do so. Regardless, the Empirical Spirit F*** T**** makes for quite the unusual spirit and is well worth taking a closer look at. On top of that, the cocktail recipe also features a great value-for-money tequila.

First, let us take a look at the Rooster Rojo Reposado Tequila. The tequila comes from the Fabrica de Tequilas Finos S.A. with the Nom 1472. The agaves for the tequila grow in the Los Altos de Jalisco and Tequila regions. The cooking is done in an autoclave for ten hours. Afterwards a special strain of yeast ferments the pinas in stainless steel tanks. This may take up to 72 hours, only then can the distillation take place on stainless steel pot-stills. The water for dilution to drinking strength is filtered through silver which supposedly makes it softer. For the Reposado the agave spirit rests two months in French oak barrels.

Almost spiced tequila

Let us call the Rooster Rojo Reposado what it is: A good value-for-money tequila. You taste some agave notes accompanied by noticeable barrel notes. In fact, for me the spices, especially the cinnamon, were even a bit too much. Yet, you still notice some agave note in the background. For this price tag you get a great mixing tequila which also makes a reasonable occasional sipper.

Things are about to get complicated

When I was asked if I wanted to review the following spirit, I hesitated. First, the name is provocative to say the least – even though I in no way agree with the politics of the soon-to-be former US president. (I keep it with Stephen Colbert and will not mention the name) Second, the spirit itself needs a lot of explaining. So, here it goes, the Empirical Spirits F*** T**** and his F***ing Wall macerates habanero chilis in a base spirit made from pearled barley with Koji and Pilsner malt. Empirical Spirits use Belgian Saison yeast for the fermentation of the base spirit. They also make an habanero vinegar from the chili peppers and distilled it. Later on the distilled vinegar dilutes the habanero distillate to an ABV of 27 %. – Just a quick side note, the F*** T**** will retire on January 20th and return later this year with another name. So, if you are interested you can buy one of the remaining 100 bottles in Germany here.

Pickled, sweet habaneros

To be honest there is only one way to describe this spirit – weird. First, a distinct habanero note hits your palate, but when you expect the burn of the chili to kick in a sour vinegar note makes it way to the front. The taste is not off-putting, in fact it is more pleasant than I thought. On top of that, I find it very interesting to explore the flavour spectrum of the Habanero chili without the danger of your head exploding. However, it does take getting used to it and I would recommend mixing cocktails or Highballs with it instead of sipping it neat. When you do this, it lends nice Habanero notes to a cocktail. For a drink I adapted another drink which uses vinegar and chilis the Hazy Image by Lukas Werle.

The drink is sweeter than I thought and at first you really have to search for the habanero spirit. Yet, after a little while the flavours of the chili and even a little vinegar become noticeable. The tequila compliments the habanero flavours nicely and the bianco vermouth keeps everything together. If you omit the Tabasco, you get an almost easy sipping cocktail. However, if you are into a hot spice notes in your cocktail you can give the habanero its burn back with a drop of the hot sauce.

*The fact that I received a product reviewed in this article for free, did not – in any way – influence the rating of said product. The tequila was provided by Barrel Brothers and the F*** T**** by Charles Hosie.