Fall Sips

Summer Was for Blancos. Fall Is for the Barrel.

Reposados, añejos and mezcal bring vanilla, spice and smoke, which happen to be the flavors of fall. Here are the three bottles I'm pouring all season, and what to make with them.

The Fall Lineup

#ad · the old fashioned bottle
Volcan De Mi Tierra Reposado Tequila 750ml

Volcán de Mi Tierra Reposado Tequila - 750ml

$51.99
the fireplace sipper
Don Fulano Añejo Tequila - 750ml

Don Fulano Añejo Tequila - 750ml

$79.99
the margarita with a kick
Amaras Mezcal Cupreata Clear bottle with a teal label on a white background

Amarás Mezcal Cupreata – 750ml

$69.99

Why Aged Agave Tastes Like Fall

01

Oak does what the season does.

Every month in a barrel adds vanilla, caramel, cinnamon, clove and dried fruit. That's apple pie, pumpkin bread and mulled cider, the flavors already on your table this time of year. Blancos are bright and peppery, made for summer. Reposados and añejos are rounder and warmer, so they meet fall food and fall drinks instead of fighting them. Mezcal adds the other fall flavor: smoke, like a fireplace or a fire pit.

02

Volcán Reposado: your tequila old fashioned. $51.99.

Volcán Reposado rests in oak long enough to pick up warm vanilla and spice, but keeps the cooked agave, so it can stand in for whiskey without losing what makes it tequila. That's exactly what you want in a tequila old fashioned. The full recipe is below.

03

Amarás Cupreata: the margarita with a kick. $69.99.

Cupreata is a wild agave from the mountains of Guerrero, roasted in a pit in the ground, so this mezcal brings smoke, herbs and a peppery bite. Put it in a margarita with a little jalapeño and a chile-salt rim and summer's drink turns into a fall one. The full recipe is below.

04

Don Fulano Añejo: the one you sip by the fire. $79.99.

Not everything needs a recipe. Don Fulano Añejo is family-made and spends over a year in oak, which shows up as vanilla, toasted nuts and baking spice, with the agave still standing. Pour it neat or over one big cube, and put it next to dark chocolate, a cheese board or anything with brown butter.

05

Build the fall shelf.

One reposado to mix, one añejo to sip, one mezcal for smoke. That covers an old fashioned, a margarita with a kick and a nightcap, from Halloween to New Year's. Want more? Scroll down for our full fall agave shelf: reposados, añejos and wild-agave mezcals we'd hand a friend.

How to Taste Fall in Your Glass

Most people taste a reposado or añejo the way they'd shoot a blanco: fast and cold. You'll miss the good part. Aged tequila changes in the glass, and the fall flavors show up when you slow down.

Pour it right

Use a small tulip glass or a rocks glass, about an ounce and a half, at room temperature. Let it sit for a minute before your first sip. If you want ice, use one big cube; small ice melts fast and flattens it.

What you're tasting

  • Reposado (2 to 12 months in oak): cooked agave up front, then vanilla, light caramel and a little pepper. The agave still leads.
  • Añejo (1 to 3 years): rounder and softer, with toffee, baking spice, dried fruit and toasted nuts. The oak and the agave meet in the middle.
  • Wild-agave mezcal: smoke from the pit roast, then herbs, earth and minerals. Cupreata and cuishe run bolder than everyday espadín.

What to eat with it

Reposado with roasted squash, carnitas or anything with apple. Añejo with dark chocolate, pecan pie or an aged cheese. Mezcal with mole, grilled meat or orange slices dusted with chile salt.

Start with the three bottles above, then go deeper with the fall shelf below.

Make It at Home

Tequila Old Fashioned

Made with Volcán Reposado

The whiskey classic with agave in the middle. Reposado brings enough oak for the drink to feel like fall without losing the tequila.

You'll need

  • 2 oz Volcán Reposado
  • 1/4 oz agave syrup
  • 2 dashes Angostura bitters
  • 1 dash orange bitters
  • Orange peel
  • 1 large ice cube

How to make it

  1. Add the tequila, agave syrup and bitters to a mixing glass with ice.
  2. Stir for about 20 seconds, until very cold.
  3. Strain into a rocks glass over one large cube.
  4. Twist the orange peel over the top and drop it in.

Want it darker? Swap the orange bitters for mole bitters.

Margarita With a Kick

Made with Amarás Cupreata

Wild-agave mezcal gives a margarita smoke and a peppery bite, and a little jalapeño does the rest.

You'll need

  • 2 oz Amarás Cupreata mezcal
  • 1 oz fresh lime juice
  • 3/4 oz agave syrup
  • 2 thin slices of jalapeño
  • Chile salt (like Tajín) for the rim

How to make it

  1. Rim a rocks glass with chile salt and fill it with ice.
  2. Lightly press the jalapeño slices in a shaker.
  3. Add the mezcal, lime juice and agave syrup with ice and shake hard for 10 seconds.
  4. Strain into the glass.

New to mezcal? Split the base: 1 oz Amarás and 1 oz Volcán Reposado.

Smoky Apple Highball

Made with Amarás Cupreata

A bonus for fall weekends: mezcal, fresh apple cider and ginger beer. Easy to batch for a crowd.

You'll need

  • 1 1/2 oz Amarás Cupreata mezcal
  • 3 oz fresh apple cider
  • 1/2 oz fresh lemon juice
  • Ginger beer to top
  • Apple slice and a cinnamon stick

How to make it

  1. Fill a tall glass with ice.
  2. Add the mezcal, apple cider and lemon juice and stir.
  3. Top with ginger beer.
  4. Garnish with the apple slice and cinnamon stick.

For a party, multiply by 8 in a pitcher and add the ginger beer just before serving.

The Fall Agave Shelf

Volcan De Mi Tierra Reposado Tequila 750ml
Volcán de Mi Tierra Reposado Tequila - 750ml

$51.99
Amaras Mezcal Cupreata Clear bottle with a teal label on a white background
 Amarás Mezcal Cupreata – 750ml

$69.99
Don Fulano Añejo Tequila - 750ml
 Don Fulano Añejo Tequila - 750ml

$79.99
El Tesoro Reposado Tequila - 750ml
 El Tesoro Reposado Tequila - 750ml

$64.99
El Tesoro Añejo Tequila - 750ml
 El Tesoro Añejo Tequila - 750ml

$79.99
Siete Leguas Reposado - 700ml
 Siete Leguas Reposado - 700ml

$49.99
Tapatío Reposado - 750ml
 Tapatío Reposado - 750ml

$56.99
Tapatío Añejo - 750ml
 Tapatío Añejo - 750ml

$55.99
Amaras Arronqueno Mezcal White bottle with a label on a white background.
 Amarás Mezcal Arroqueño – 750ml

$199.99
G4 Tequila Reposado - 750ml
 G4 Tequila Reposado - 750ml

$59.99
G4 Tequila Anejo - 750ml
 G4 Tequila Añejo - 750ml

$99.99
Cascauin reposado tequila 750
 Cascahuin Reposado Tequila - 750ml

$64.99

Fall Sipping Questions

Is reposado or añejo better for a tequila old fashioned?

Reposado, for most people. It has enough oak to stand in for whiskey and still tastes like agave. Añejo makes a richer, softer old fashioned, but at that point you may want to just sip it.

What makes a margarita "with a kick"?

Smoke and spice. Swapping tequila for a wild-agave mezcal like Amarás Cupreata adds smoke and a peppery bite, and a couple of jalapeño slices and a chile-salt rim bring the heat.

Is mezcal too smoky for a margarita?

Not if you balance it. Fresh lime and agave syrup soften the smoke. If you're new to mezcal, split the base: 1 oz mezcal and 1 oz reposado tequila.

What's the difference between reposado and añejo tequila?

Time in oak. Reposado rests 2 to 12 months and añejo 1 to 3 years. Reposado keeps more fresh agave and works well in cocktails; añejo is rounder and spicier and is usually sipped.

How should I drink añejo tequila?

Neat or over one big ice cube, in a small glass, at room temperature. Sip it slowly, the way you would a good whiskey.

Do you deliver?

Yes. Same-day delivery in Los Angeles, and we ship to 40+ states.

Pour something with some age on it.

Same-day delivery in LA. Ships to 40+ states.

Shop the Fall Agave Shelf