Ever since A.L.T told me all about it in 1992, and through my younger days, tequila was a shot you took with lemon and salt. Take some table salt and nestle around a spoonful in the webbing between thumb and forefinger (non-drinking hand), while holding a lemon wedge (can be subbed for lime) in the same hand.

Smash a shot of straight tequila, lick the salt off your hand, and then suck the lemon. It’s pretty simple!

You hammer down one cheap tequila shot or two max to keep you warm and cheerful as you party on into the night (on a strict budget). Here are some handy tips to make sure you enjoy straight tequila shot time:

• Never go past two of these early in your evening, as your night will end quickly with short-lived overconfidence, vomiting, and a lie-down, while your friends have the best night ever…
• Go for a crisp Blanco or silver tequila if you’re making a simple price decision.
• If money is not an issue try one of the best tequila brands – you’re looking for warm agave flavor and little afterburn!
• Use a good shot glass – thick, not too skinny at the rim, with a sturdy base
• Only use table salt. While rock salt and cool grinds are all the range, a tequila shot is a speed operation, you don’t want to be digging salt rocks from your teeth further on down the track.

Sipping

Tequila is no different from Scotch or bourbon if you’ve got a premium expression in hand. You’ve paid more for the spirit, so learning about the liquor you’re drinking and its determining features is often where the fun is (but that’s partly because I’m old).

The longer Reposado tequila is aged, the more flavor and aroma it takes on from the ex-bourbon barrels or French oak casks used to store it and blends with the Blue Agave plant which is the base for the agave spirit.

Often, you find whisky drinkers trying tequila tasting for something different will respond to the richness and complexity of taste in a well-made Reposado tequila, Añejo, or extra Añejo tequila variety.