Olmeca Altos Tequila
Accessing the world of tequila (or any spirit, for that matter) can be a bewildering affair. There are often many factors to consider, few of them obvious, and any tequila worth its salt would balk at the branding of an ‘entry spirit’.
Olmeca Altos provide a tequila that has all quality and credentials one would expect from a 500 year old distillation method and yet still manages to stay grounded – both in taste and ethos. With their finger very much on the pulse of those on both sides of the bar, award-winning bartenders Henry Besant and Dre Masso partnered with celebrated distiller Jesús Hernández to create a sustainably produced, high quality, accessibly priced tequila.
The tipple in question today – Olmeca Altos Plata – is the most traditional expression of Altos. Before even breaching the cap, Altos’ thoughtfulness is apparent. Sustainable practices are applied in the eco-design of the iconic bottle, which was redesigned in 2018 to reduce the weight by 20%. By making the bottle smaller and thinner, without compromising the volume of tequila, CO2 emissions were reduced, whilst the impact of its silhouette soared.
Olmeca Altos Plata has been lauded by bar-tenders and -flies alike as the ‘Margherita Champion’ and is noted for its smoothness on the palate. The Plata is an all-rounder that also happens to be extraordinary; it’s perfect for neat sipping and cuts through a complex cocktail.
Earlier in the year, the Olmeca Altos teamed up with tequila sage and out and out bar legend Dre Masso for a special Cinco de Mayo concoction. The Altos Honey Margherita is designed for dinner parties and is a cinch to whip up:
Altos Honey Margarita
Serves: 1
Mix time: 5-10 mins
You’ll need:
- 50ml of Altos Plata
- Thyme and smoked sea salt to garnish
- 25ml Honey water
- 1 Fresh lime
- Cubed ice
- Optional: 10ml Ancho Chilli sauce
Method:
- Prepare the rim of the glass by squeezing a wedge of lime on to its outer edge. Place some of the smoked sea salt into a dish then dip the glass into the salt.
- Create the honey water by dissolving 15ml (1 tbsp) honey in 15ml of boiling water. Place 25ml of honey water into the shaker.
- Massage the lime between your hands – this will help to produce more juice. Now, cut in half and proceed to squeeze the juice into the shaker, along with 50ml of Altos Plata tequila. Optional – for a spicy kick, add 10ml of the Ancho Chilli sauce
- Fill the shaker with cubed ice and seal the lid tight. Give the shaker/jam jar a hard shake for 10 seconds.
- Open the shaker and strain the liquid (using a spoon to hold back the ice) into your cocktail glass. Garnish with a sprig of thyme.
- Enjoy neat or with ice.
