TEQUILA TIME

This fiery spirit is ready for its turn in the sun. As a general rule, tequilas produced with agave from the lowlands and valleys of Mexico are big and bold, with herbal, floral, citrus, and earthy aromatics and flavors, while tequilas from the mountainous highlands tend to be a bit softer, more delicate, and a little sweeter. There are three categories: Tequila blanco-also called silver tequila-is unaged; reposados are aged from two months to one year in oak barrels; and añejos are aged from one to four years. All three styles are exceptionally sippable either straight up or in an elegant cocktail such as a paloma. Salud!

- Photography by Jon Whittle

TRES GENERACIONES (A) 

When Don Cenobilo Sauza founded La Perseverancia distillery in 1873, he became the first to export tequila from Mexico. Tres Generaciones carries on that legacy today with this beautifully crafted bright golden reposado. It's made using 100 percent blue agave, then it's triple-distilled in American oak barrels for at least four months for a superb balance of sweet and spicy notes.

DON DIEGO SANTA (B)

Roger Santa, son of distillery founder Don Diego, decided to expand his family's skills from European wines to Mexico in the latter part of the previous century, with a vision of developing a tequila that combined the production processes of the European world with the unique winemaking techniques that the family had been using for decades. This is tequila at its purest.