Hotel Cal. Tequila Anejo

Hotel Cal. Tequila Anejo sits in the añejo tier. By the usual definition, that means the tequila has rested in oak for at least one year but less than three. The listing doesn't give a cask type, an exact age, an ABV or a distillery, so what follows describes the style and what to expect from it, not measured specifics. Like all tequila, it comes from agave, and in this tier the plant's vegetal, peppery sweetness is meant to share the glass with the barrel. Añejos in this range usually show cooked agave first, with a soft sweetness like baked sugar. Oak then adds vanilla, caramel, toasted wood and a little baking spice, and sometimes dried fruit or a hint of cocoa. The aging also rounds off the sharper edges of unaged tequila. Within the category, a blanco is bottled unaged or rested only briefly, so it keeps bright citrus, black pepper and raw agave. A reposado spends two months to under a year in wood and sits between the two styles. An añejo moves further toward the barrel. An extra añejo, aged three years or more, goes further still and often reads closer to an aged brandy or whiskey. Expect this bottle to be the more oak-forward, mellow option next to a blanco or reposado. That profile makes it a spirit for sipping. Pour it neat into a caballito, the small tall shot glass traditional in Mexico, or into a snifter or small tulip glass if you want to nose it first. Serve it at cool room temperature, since chilling mutes the vanilla and spice. A single large cube in a rocks glass is a reasonable middle path if you want it slightly softened and slower to drink. Skip the salt and lime shot routine here, though a slice of orange, with or without a dusting of cinnamon, is a classic and fitting side for aged tequila. It also pairs well with dark chocolate, roasted nuts, grilled meats and aged cheese. In cocktails, an añejo suits spirit-forward drinks better than bright, tall ones. It works well in an Old Fashioned built with agave syrup and a couple of dashes of bitters, or in a stirred Manhattan-style drink with sweet vermouth. A Margarita made with it turns out richer and rounder than the usual blanco version. Use fresh lime, orange liqueur and a salted or half-salted rim, and serve it on the rocks. A Paloma or a Ranch Water, with its lime and sparkling water, is mostly a job for blanco, because the grapefruit soda and fizz would bury the barrel notes you are paying extra for. If you do mix this bottle into one, keep the mixer light and let the oak show through.