Warming Up With a Cinnamon Tequila Shot

When winter comes around I start to crave beverages that will warm me up; coffee, hot chocolate, cider.  All this time, I never considered tequila!  OK, maybe it wouldn’t be such a good fit at work, but at home after a long day of slaving over a hot keyboard, a comforting sip of aged agave dosen’t sound so bad.

Fortunately, I was asked to sample a recipe featuring Cabo Wabo tequila.  Honestly, I’d never heard of it before but was interested in sampling a premium tequila with a funky name.

Always Bet On Dark

Cabo Wabo comes in four varities, three of which were an option for me: Blanco, Reposado, and Anejo.  I won’t give you a lesson in tequila classification; I’ll just say these names mean white, rested, and aged.  Being a fan of dark liquor I went with the Anejo.  I was in for a present surprise.

The Cabo Wabo Anejo is incredibly smooth.  I mean sipping smooth.  I had a recipe to follow but wanting to get familiar with the liquor, I needed to taste a few samples of course.  I was impressed with the spicy, rich bouquet and the pleasantly warm taste.  I could almost substitute this tequila for whisky.  No salt or chaser is needed with this tequila.

But back to the recipe…

So after getting a feel for the liquor, I moved on to the recipe called Midnight Kick.  The recipe very simply pairs the flavors of orange and cinnamon with the vanilla undertones of the anejo for a tasty result.  I’d never thought of rimming a glass with cinnamon!

Midnight Kick

2 oz. Cabo Añejo Tequila

Orange Slice

Powdered Cinnamon

Wet the rim of a chilled shot glass with the orange slice. Then rim the shot glass with powdered cinnamon on a plate. Be careful not to turn the glass right side up until it has been rimmed. The orange liquid will drip otherwise. Shake the Cabo Tequila with ice in a shaker and strain into the chilled shot glass. Slam the shot and then bite into the orange slice to finish.

I made a few modifications to the recipe — using a lime instead of an orange, sipping instead of slamming — and the experience was just as I’d hoped; warming, comforting, relaxing.  I can now say that hot chocolate and cider have some stiff competition!