Troubled Mind – Villa Lobos Blanco 55 %
The next drink I want to present to you comes from my long list of cocktail ideas. Every time a flavour combination pops into my head, I write it down. So, there is a list of 200+ cocktails I could try. To lower the amount of cocktails on that list, I started going through it first every time I get a new bottle. In this case, I had a weird Amaro Negroni variation with tequila on it.
First let us take a quick look at the Villa Lobos tequila in distillation strength from the famous Camarena family. As the name of the Villa Lobos Blanco Tequila states the tequila is bottled as it comes out of the still. Furthermore, this the highest strength the Tequila Regulatory Council allows. Yet, before bottling the spirit rests for at least six months in stainless steel tanks.
Powerful agave notes
I have to admit that I love overproof tequila! The enhanced agave notes which present themselves at strengths over 50 % ABV really make up for the higher price. I this case, the tequila also offers some berry and vegetal notes. Additionally, you can also find the typical Terroir based minerality in the sip. All in all, I really love this tequila and could not wait to try it in drinks!
Weird Agavoni
The idea for the drink started with the Dr. Sours #8 – Bloody Maria Bitters. While I absolutely despise tomato juice a Bloody Maria variation was out of the question, I still wanted to use them in a drink. So, I thought of a Negroni variation with Amaro Montenegro instead of Campari. Furthermore, I also replaced regular vermouth with the excellent Mancino Chinato.
3 cl Amaro Montenegro
3 cl Mancino Chinato Vermouth
Stir – strain – chilled Doubled Old-Fashioned glass over ice cubes;
Garnish: Lemon Twist;
Song: Dan Mangan – Troubled Mind;
With the “Troubled Mind” you initially get a whiff of tequila and vermouth. This way, it reminded me of a Tequila Manhattan. However, soon afterwards a certain balanced bitters shows up accompanied by noticeable umami notes. In the aftertaste, you will also find herbal Amaro notes together with a bit of smokiness. It certainly is an unusual cocktail, but delicious nevertheless!
*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 Perola.
