Posted March 3, 2006 by John in Makers

Review: Blair’s Q Heat Jalapeno Tequila

Fresh off a great introduction to Blair’s revamped Q heat line, I set into trying out the Tequila [tag]Jalapeno[/tag]. Now, to be fair, I am not a huge fan of most jalapeno sauces. Though I love fresh jalapenos, I just don’t appreciate what most sauces bring. But I do love tequila, and Blair never ceases to amaze me, so I tried to go in with an open mind.

Ingredients: Purified water, jalapeno chilies, fresh tomatillo, white vinegar, cilantro, smashed garlic, shallots, green habanero chilies, cane sugar, lime juice, olive oil, agave tequila, black pepper and vitamin C

Now, as a bit of a tequila snob, I’ll be a little nit picky here. Saying agave tequila leaves a little bit to be desired. It is a description that seems to be an implication of quality when in fact, there is no such thing as a non-agave tequila. Much like Taco Bell touting it’s “Carne Asada Beef” (or translated, grilled beef beef) it doesn’t give the consumer any worthwhile information. As I alluded to, all tequila is made not only from agave, but specifically from Blue agave, and hails only from the Jalisco region of Mexico. Stating if it was blanco, reposado, or anejo tequila would be much more valuable and useful to the consumer.

On the opposite side of the coin, there’s a feature on the label that I absolutely love. Blair’s note that Q is the scientific sign for Heat Addition warms my geeky engineer’s heart.

On First Taste
With those asides complete, back to the sauce review. My first impression of Blair’s Jalapeno Tequila was “Wow! That’s not your run of the mill [tag]Jalapeno Sauce[/tag]!” The shallots and garlic come on strong, and a mild agave flavor filter in quickly. This is not a sauce you should quaff before a first date. The tomatillos come through strong as well, and the jalapeno flavor is pretty balanced by the green hab flavor. All in all, it’s an explosion of intriguing taste. I just had to give Blair’s Jalapeno tequila a run on a burrito with a glass of Don Julio blanco on the side.

On Food
I got my stock chicken and black bean burrito from the lplace around the corner, and had at it. As with the Chipotle Slam, this is a sauce that cannot be applied too heavily. It’s a good thing it comes in an oversized 8.44 oz, bottle, since I went through half of it on a single burrito. This is one jalapeno sauce that even I love, and that is saying something special.