CaliFino Tequila Tasting Review
Located in Carlsbad, California CaliFino Tequila offers a tasting room with an exceptional menu and educational experience. CaliFino makes all their tequila with 100% premium blue weber agave. I had the opportunity to attend the CaliFino tasting room last week and I definitely recommend the Tequila, the event space, and if you can swing an invite - tasting room bar!
CaliFino Selection
We started our experience with a tasting of the CaliFino selections. To preface this I want to say, I drink tequila but I have never sipped and tasted tequila in this manner. The idea of sipping and experiencing it alone without lime or a chaser scared me at first. That fear was quickly erased after one sip of the CaliFino Blanco - the smooth flavor and cool taste did not have me racing to mask the flavor with lime and salt. The Blanco, which is purely unaged, was very enjoyable and from there things only got better!
We tried the Resposado which had a little more heat to it and a spicy finish. We then tried the Anejo which is aged 24 - 36 months in American White Oak barrels - it was a warming drink with a caramel finish. This was followed by my absolute favorite, the Extra Anejo - it had a very rich and full flavor. The Extra Anejo felt like something I could enjoy sipping at the end of the day just relaxing. It is aged for seven years with a French Oak barrel finish. It is delicious and I highly recommend it as a gift for any tequila drinker on your list - you can find it in the online shop. They currently ship to 41 states!
The Tasting Menu
After sampling all the CaliFino varieties we were delighted by a sneak preview of the upcoming Winter Menu. Michael Mignella, the CaliFino Mixologist, is well versed in tequila infusion and is not afraid to take on any drink playing with the flavors and allowing CaliFino Tequila to take center stage. When thinking of tequila, holiday flavor is not the first thing to jump to mind but here it 100% worked! We sampled a drink that tastes like Christmas in a glass, it was smooth, minty, and nostalgic in the best way a drink can be. Visit my Instagram for a video of the drink - this drink will hit the menu in December.
We then chose an item from the Cocktail Menu - I selected The Reviver because it is a take on my all time favorite The Corpse Reviver - which features Gin. I have to say, it was amazing! It still had the silky refreshing taste that I enjoy from the gin version and it featured a fresh rosemary sprig that brought the entire drink together. I also had the chance to taste a Fall Menu Item - The Butterscotch Old Fashioned - this drink tasted like a Werther's Original in a glass! The way the tequila was infused with different flavors made CaliFino the most versatile spirit!
Overall
This was an amazing experience and it is something you can experience too if you have a connection with a member or if you book your next private event there! The Tasting Room is available for functions with approximately 110 guests. The weekends fill up quickly but there are still some mid-week options available or just go ahead and book it for the next year and celebrate anything you want!
It was my pleasure to experience this tasting and I am so glad I had the opportunity to learn about CaliFino Tequila and see tequila in a whole new light! Thank you to CaliFino Tequila for hosting me!
