The Academy Awards will be taking place this Sunday, and whether you’ll be watching or protesting the telecast, actor George Clooney will likely close out the night with a drink or two featuring his own Casamigos tequila.
Casamigos is owned by Clooney, Rande Gerber of Gerber Spirits, and Michael Meldman of Discovery Land Co. As the story goes, their joint venture came about as the result of “tequila-filled nights with friends.”
I’m not a tequila guy, but I can tell you that Casamigos tequilas are made in small batches, and the description of the Reposado that’s called for in the recipe that follows sounds a lot like about a zillion wines I’ve had through the years: “soft, slightly oaky, with hints of caramel and cocoa, and a silky texture with a medium to long, smooth finish.”
What’s a tequila-based drink recipe doing in a wine blog, you ask? Because the recipe also calls for Champagne. That means you can sip on “The Handsome Tiger” as the awards are handed out, or you can simply pop the cork on your favorite bottle of sparkling wine. Either option is okay by me.
THE HANDSOME TIGER
(Lightly Rimmed With Cinnamon Sugar)
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 Parts Casamigos Reposado Tequila
- 1⁄2 Part Lemon Juice
- 1⁄4 Part Agave Nectar
- Pinch of Cinnamon
- Pinch of Sugar
- Champagne
Preparation
- Combine equal parts cinnamon and sugar on a plate and lightly wet the outside of the rim of the flute with an orange wedge.
- Lightly press outside of rim of flute into mixture, and tap glass to remove loose fragments of mixture.
- Shake and strain all ingredients, except Champagne, with ice.
- Strain into a chilled flute, top with Champagne, garnish and serve.
