Let me start here.  I am not much of a Tequila drinker.  There’s some history behind the reason, the details of which I will not go into, except that it involved particularly bad decision making one evening, decades ago, at a college party… and ended up in a 'quick spin' in a large industrial clothes dryer. 

The good news is that I have since gained an appreciation for this spirit, if not a love for it. Today is National Tequila Day so I thought I would give it a little nod on my blog.

Tequila is made from the hearts of the agave plant. Though it looks like a cactus, agave is actually related to the lily. The plant and the beverage are an integral part of Mexican history. The Aztecs prayed to Mayahuel, goddess of maguey (agave), who was followed everywhere by a cohort of 400 (apparently drunken) rabbits. The Olmecs called the fermented liquid from the agave as “a delight for the gods and priests.” The making of this fermented drink goes back at least two thousand years.

By Mexican law, the agave spirit called Tequila can be made ONLY from one particular type of agave, the blue agave and can be produced ONLY in specifically designated geographic areas, primarily the state of Jalisco in west-central Mexico. Tequila’s close cousin, Mezcal, is made from the fermented juice of other species of agave. It is produced throughout most of Mexico.

And what about the pesky worm?  It is only found in Mezcal, not Tequila. It is the larva of one of two moths that live on the agave plant. The reason for adding the worm to the bottle of Mezcal is obscure. The story that has some credibility is that the worm confirms that the spirit is high proof -- if the worm remains intact in the bottle, the alcohol in the spirit is high enough to preserve the pickled worm. Consuming the worm has been a rite of passage for generations of fraternity boys. Looking back, I think I would have preferred the worm over the dryer ride.  It should be mentioned though, top-quality mezcals do not typically include a worm in the bottle.

And the good stuff is seeing a rise in popularity. There are many adoring Tequila fans. Celebrities seem to be fueling interest in high end and artisanal/craft Tequilas: George Clooney is behind the Casamigos brand, Sean “Diddy” Cobbs is 50/50 partner in the DeLeon Tequila brand, and Justin Timberlake co-founded the super premium 901 Tequila brand. Hey, if these guys are drinking it and loving it,  maybe there ARE some magical powers in this elixir.  Happy National Tequila Day!

It is cherry season.  

One of my fondest memories is of a trip my family took out west one August.  We rented a minivan and road tripped through the parks in and around the Grand Canyon.  It was absolutely blazing hot most of the trip.  We joked about the line from the movie Biloxi Blues where Matthew Broderick, who is from New York, is training in Mississippi, and complains of the heat. He exclaims, this is ‘like, Africa hot!’  

We considered attempting to fry an egg on the minivan roof just for fun.  At one point, on a hike, I remember that my brother, Adam, decided to pee on a rock.  He was completely jazzed by the fact that his urine actually evaporated on contact!  

On our way through Capitol Reef, in what seemed like endless red rocks and desert scrub, we saw signs for a U-pick cherry farm.  What?!? A grove of cherry trees? We couldn’t believe our luck. We followed the signs, figuring that the shade of cherry trees would give us a much needed respite from the searing heat.  We made our way to the farm and, wouldn’t you know it, it was absolutely lovely in the dappled shade of the lines of mature trees in full fruit.  Everyone grabbed buckets and ladders and went to work.

I don’t think I have ever tasted cherries so sweet.  There was something magical about picking and eating these cherries that we found, completely improbably, in the middle of the desert.  There was something so amazing to the eye about the blue-red hue of the fruit and deep green of the leaves as a contrast to the hot red-oranges and stony colors in the parklands around us.  Of course, in our enthusiasm, we picked far more cherries than we could possibly eat.

Every year, when I see bags of cherries arrive at the grocery store or see the signs for the u-pick farms here in NJ, I rejoice.  Cherry pie happens to be my FAVORITE dessert.  I know when cherries come into season it means that it is well and truly summer, and I always think of that amazing trip and our cherry picking adventure as a family.

In order to honor one of my favorite fruits, I decided to venture away from wine and taste Cherry Street, a tart cherry infused hard cider from Bellwether Hard Cider www.cidery.com, based in Trumansburg, NY.   I discovered their tasting room on one of our wine tasting trips in the Finger Lakes. Bellwether makes a series of outstanding hard ciders which range from extremely dry champagne style, to semi-dry non sparkling ciders made with traditional English and French cider apples, to several lightly sparking ciders with some sweetness.

The Cherry Street is distinctive because it is made with both apple and tart cherries.  It has a really beautiful pinky gold hue and a bright aroma that reminds me of a simple, fresh baked cherry pie.  The cider is lightly sparkling and crisp and on the palette has apple and cherry notes. This cider would make a natural pairing with grilled pork sausages, or a chicken with a fruit/vinegar based marinade.  Cherry Street comes in the larger 750 ml bottles and runs about $12.50 per bottle.  To me, it’s like the BEST kind of ADULT soft drink! – refreshing, somewhat sweet, but not cloying and, well... it has some alcohol in it (5.5%)!  Let’s just say this cider went down easy.  On a hot day this would be absolutely gulp-able.