I'm pulling the leather straps off my bottle of sotol

[Xipe Totec]

Tonight is a night to reminisce.

To raise a toast to absent friends and empty chairs.

[panader0]

1. I would join you if I could.

I'm curious about sotol. How does it compare to tequila? What's with the leather straps?
I may have to get some.

[Xipe Totec]

2. Found a link that explains the difference.

http://www.abarabove.com/sotol/



As for the leather straps.

[Kali]

3. don't get the crema

it is nasty. the sotol I have had was pretty harsh. it was from the "new" place near Janos (about an hour and a half east of AP)

I'll take tequila or bacanora over sotol so far from my limited tasting. (and the crema was just gross - imagine a shitty shitty very smokey tequila and cream - like a baileys sort of thing - ugh)

[Kali]

4. how was it?

I have only tried a couple samples from one distillery, but didn't really care for it that much.

[Xipe Totec]

5. Smooth as silk. I've had some fine tequila but this was better

I would never dream of mixing this.

Definitely go for Hacienda de Chihuahua reposado.

[Kali]

6. oh the sampling will continue

the stuff I had was kind of "local"

found their website and a great cornball video:

http://www.doncucosotol.com/sotol/video/video.html

[Xipe Totec]

7. I see sotol plants by the thousands along the highway between Monterrey & Saltillo

While it is true that sotol is *the* spirit of Chihuahua, it is also the spirit of Coahuila and southern Texas where the sotol plant is native.

[Kali]

8. I am on a ranch in SE Arizona

we gots tons of 'em here too. and "regular" agaves too. also bear grass - used to get collectors up from Mexico for basket supplies, but I wonder if they have enough "pina" to make anything alcoholic out of?