Peligroso Repo

Peligroso Repo is a reposado tequila, a category defined by rest in oak. Under Mexican tequila rules, reposado spends at least two months and less than a year in wood. That puts it between a blanco and an añejo. The listing doesn't give an ABV, a distillery or a barrel history, so what follows describes what reposados like this usually offer. Expect cooked agave and citrus peel, with soft vanilla, light caramel and a touch of baking spice from the oak. Many reposados also keep some of the black pepper and herbal edge of the unaged spirit, and that edge makes them useful in mixed drinks. For sipping, pour it neat at cool room temperature, which brings out the oak sweetness. Chilling it slightly mutes the pepper if you find the spirit sharp. A small copita or tulip-shaped tequila glass concentrates the aroma better than a shot glass, and a caballito works if you prefer the traditional straight-sided pour. To take the edge off without diluting it much, serve it over one large cube in a rocks glass. Small cubes melt quickly and thin out the oak notes. In cocktails, reposado fits drinks that benefit from a little wood. It suits a Paloma, where the grapefruit and salt bring out the vanilla and the pepper cuts through the soda. It also works in a margarita built with fresh lime and a restrained amount of orange liqueur, and in a tequila old fashioned stirred with agave syrup and orange bitters. Serve the Paloma in a highball over ice, and the margarita or old fashioned in a rocks glass or coupe. At the table, reposado tends to go well with carnitas, grilled pork, al pastor, roasted poblano dishes and firm, nutty cheeses. Its oak and agave sweetness handles both smoke and chile heat.