LeNell It All - Are Some Spirits Too Good to Mix?

Margarita made with Partida Elegante tequila. Photo: Winemeup, Flickr.

Alabama-born LeNell Smothers defines herself first and foremost as a bartender, but she's been called many things -- most recently, the proprietress of LeNell's liquor store. She's owned her own whiskey label called Red Hook Rye and been recognized by her home state as an honorary Colonel. Other interests include gin, sin and men.

Is a spirit ever too good to use in a mixed drink? My answer to this question is inspired by Julia Child, who taught us that, when cooking with wine, use a wine you would be happy to drink, not just some cheap plonk.

And just because you are making a margarita doesn't mean you should grab the cheapest rot-gut tequila. I'm not saying that you have to break your family savings to drink well, but I am saying that I feel no guilt when I use a rare spirit in a cocktail.

My man and I recently closed on a cozy little house in La Paz, Mexico. To celebrate, we popped a bottle of Partida Elegante tequila. Priced upwards of $300, this is not an everyday sipper for most of us.

Añejo tequila means "aged" tequila, and it spends at least a year in oak. When producers began experimenting with longer barrel aging, a new category called "extra añejo" entered our vocabulary. Partida Elegante rested in American oak barrels for around 36 months, the minimum for extra añejo designation.

Does this make it worth more than $300 a bottle? Worth is subjective to the buyer. I must admit, I felt quite special opening the box and pulling the beautifully designed bottle from its satiny bed. It even comes with a sterling silver bird dangling from a leather string wrapped around the bottle neck -- and the pendant looks even better hanging around my neck!

Despite the longer aging, the tequila has not lost its peppery agave flavor to the wood and is a beautiful balance of vanilla, spice, freshly cracked black pepper and toast. To fully appreciate its aroma and flavor, tequila of this quality is best sipped from a tall Champagne-style flute, rather than a simple shot glass.

This elegant tequila combined with fresh Key lime juice and a premium orange liqueur sure make for a mighty fine margarita to ease the stress of dealing with contractors and home repairs all day. Plenty of spirits are not good enough for my cocktail glass, but no spirit is too good.

Any spirits you'd never dream of mixing with others? Spill in the comments!