In honor of the week that is Spring Break, I decided to sample Tequila in lieu of an overpriced, elitist craft beer. It’s a time to celebrate the end of midterms and the beginning of Spring, so I cracked a couple of bottles of tequila and got to writing.
I tried Espolón for the first time at my friend’s house, and I remembered being shocked and surprised at the quality of this liquor. Tequila, in my eyes, had always been the rat-poison of alcohol: without the salt and lime to mute the flavor, I could literally feel my life expectancy dip with each shot. Margarita mix was meant to drown out the vile flavor. Little did I know, Espolon was on the market, and it was telling me to come home.
In order to truly appreciate this nectar, I also decided to sample a Denison classic: El Toro. At half the price and nearly twice the liquid as Espolon, El Toro offers a great deal but a great hangover as well. If you find yourself at a place where you’re done with the status quo of college-tequila drinking, let Espolon show you what it’s like to have a lot of money and a lot of self-respect.
Espolón is dangerously smooth. Initially, the fiery warmth immediately hits my upper respiratory section. It’s like icy-hot: tastes icy to dull the pain, but hot to relax it away. The taste is clean and minty, and the sweet agave really surprises my palate. Both during and after the shot, the taste is not only bearable, but enjoyable. It’s dry like the deserts of Mexico, but takes your money like their beach resorts.
El Toro, on the other hand, is both familiar and revolting. This is the stuff that your mom disinfected your cuts with if you grew up in Panama City Beach, Fla. It’s relatively tasteless except for the bitterness and burn, and not a good burn. It’s a burn that rips your throat apart, the kind of burn that occurs from passing out on the beach for 6 hours, waking up confused, and in pain. This is not the alcohol to be a hero and take it straight. Consuming this stuff without salt and lime or a chaser is dangerous, and I would argue that El Toro should not be consumed by humans, but rather by cars. Or dirty wounds.
If Espolón is Playa del Carmen, then El Toro is Juarez. I cannot say enough good things about Espolon, and it may even be cheaper in the long run because you don’t need salt, limes or a trip to the Whisler to enjoy it.