With Cinco de Mayo right around the corner, now is the time to discover and sample a wide range of unique tequilas. Casa Flores, located in the Marina Center in Stockton, has a wide variety of boutique tequilas that owner Octavio C. highly recommends. “Most tequila that you see on our back bar you won’t recognize,” he says. “We deal more with boutique tequilas.” A few brands are even locally owned. “We deal directly with the owners. They are more passionate, make smaller quantities, and add more character”. If you look on the back of the various bottles you can see the addresses of the local owners coming from Stockton, Lodi, etc.
At Casa Flores in Stockton, they even do flights of tequila. The flight consists of three types of tequila. Octavio explains, “If it’s a beginner taster, we’ll give them silver, Repasado and Anejo. For a more experienced taster, we can pair the flight with the type of flavors they like; for example, three different flavored Repasados. Tequila is like wine… to each their own”.
Silver: The tequila gets distilled and it goes straight into the bottle. That’s why it’s clear it’s tequila in its rawest form.
Repasado: Repasado is another word for rested. The tequila, after being distilled, goes into a barrel to age instead of a bottle. It then rests for 2-12 months.
Anejo: Rests in the barrel for between 13-36 months. Extra Anejo rests for 36 months and above.
TO SAMPLE A FLIGHT:
Casa Flores
Marina Center, 3201 W. Ben Holt Dr.
Stockton, (209) 451-1116
mycasaflores.com/marina