I like to go on a high quality margarita binge every few months. I've got my brands I prefer there. I like a really smoky mezcal margarita, too. I've always wanted to try sotol, though. The only brand I've tried was Desert Door, thinking one made in Driftwood, TX would probably be good. I didn't like it, and haven't tried sotol since. Until today, when I got to sample Cardenxe. It's easy to sip straight, smoky as hell, and tastes clean. The 90 proof is masked pretty well, too. For you adventurous margarita drinkers, give this one a try.
*I have no incentive to support this brand. I just freaking loved it and want the company to succeed.
PS They make a mountain and desert version. The mountain is lower proof and about $30 more expensive, but the desert blows it away in terms of taste.. The mountain is more floral, almost like a lightly smoky gin, and the desert is smoky and very lightly floral. It makes me wonder if the mountain cactus is just more difficult to grow and harvest, and the desert one more abundant, thus the price difference.
Also, to mansplain for those unfamiliar with sotol, it's slow-roasted, like mezcal, giving it the smoky taste. While mezcal is from Oaxaca (and tequila from Jalisco), sotol is from northern Mexico (Chihuahua). The roasting prior to fermentation that produces the smokiness is apparently right up my alley, because my blanco tequila of choice is Lalo, which has only three ingredients (blue agave, champagne yeast from France, and deep Mexican well water), and the blue agave is slow-roasted prior to fermentation, rather than steamed and pressed. It tastes like it, too. Jesus, not to distract from the sotol discussion, but that's the best basic tequila I've ever tried that had a reasonable price tag.
Anyway, try this sh!t.
https://cardenxesotol.mx/en_US
*I have no incentive to support this brand. I just freaking loved it and want the company to succeed.
PS They make a mountain and desert version. The mountain is lower proof and about $30 more expensive, but the desert blows it away in terms of taste.. The mountain is more floral, almost like a lightly smoky gin, and the desert is smoky and very lightly floral. It makes me wonder if the mountain cactus is just more difficult to grow and harvest, and the desert one more abundant, thus the price difference.
Also, to mansplain for those unfamiliar with sotol, it's slow-roasted, like mezcal, giving it the smoky taste. While mezcal is from Oaxaca (and tequila from Jalisco), sotol is from northern Mexico (Chihuahua). The roasting prior to fermentation that produces the smokiness is apparently right up my alley, because my blanco tequila of choice is Lalo, which has only three ingredients (blue agave, champagne yeast from France, and deep Mexican well water), and the blue agave is slow-roasted prior to fermentation, rather than steamed and pressed. It tastes like it, too. Jesus, not to distract from the sotol discussion, but that's the best basic tequila I've ever tried that had a reasonable price tag.
Anyway, try this sh!t.
https://cardenxesotol.mx/en_US
Last edited:
