Wine = Tequila-”Proof” it to me.
While
having dinner with my brother in law Zak last Friday night at the Mexican joint
Palapa above his house, we were looking through the menu and I asked, “Do they
have mixed drinks here?” He responded, "Beer and wine but they have
a margarita served with 40 proof
tequila… 40 proof tequila, is that strong enough?” He said, “Or is that
like one of those winearitas that some restaurants, lacking a full liquor
license, try pass off as a margarita.” The whole conversation reminded me of my
Tiquila_belt_2
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youth living as a ski bum in Aspen and not being old enough to buy anything but 3.2 near beer. What a joke that was. You get a better buzz off a garden hose.
So is 40 proof worthy of
consideration when you’re used to the warm hypnotizing glow of lets say, a
Patron or a Cuervo 1800 margarita. Well…no. Patron tequila margaritas are made
with tequila that is 80 proof. This might explain why they are so good. In beer
and wine the alcohol content is expressed as a simple percentage of the amount
of liquid in the bottle. Beer ranges in alcohol content from 3.2 to 6 percent
with most US beers averaging about 4.5 percent, even less with those flimsy light beers.
Wine can hit as high as 20 percent but its typically in the 9-14 percent range.
With liquor, the number 80 proof basically means the percentage of alcohol
content then multiplied by two. For instance, in the case of the 80 proof
Patron tequila that means it’s 40% alcohol. So our 40 proof margarita at Palapa
is actually only 20% booze. Just a hair above what we get in wine. I love the
creative marketing here. Would I rather drink a 40 proof tequila margarita over
a winearita? If forced to pick than yes but not without dolling it up with my binocular
flask that I forgot.
So
there is the proof- wine does equal Tequila, as far as the buzz factor goes.
Anyway
my carnitas burrito came with a Dos Equis beer. Decision made. "Waiter, do
you have a Tres Equis?"