... and Really Not: Silver Patron Tequila, A New Mother's Best Friend

...and Really Not is a section devoted to those decidedly unnatural products that we just can't seem to purge from our lives. Today's candidate: Silver Patrón Tequila.

So, when my husband asked me what I wanted for Mother's Day last year, I decided to go realistic. Sure, a trip to Bali is at the top of the list, but really a great pitcher of margaritas is his forte. A Cuervo Gold girl at heart, I was expecting a salty/tart treat for the night, and to suffer the consequences in the morning.

But, to be revealed, this was not only my second Mother's Day, but also my best.

In the spirit of the holiday, my husband splurged and purchased a $45.00 bottle of Silver Patrón Tequila.

"What!" I thought, "Are you nuts? That's 4 jumbo packs of diapers or 2 1/2 gallons of organic whole milk!"

But I drank the first one and it was smooth. So smooth that 'drank' is an understatement and gulped captures the moment.

Then, with Garden of Eatin blue corn tortilla chips and Green Mountain roasted garlic salsa (another winning combo), the second margarita was a celebration of my motherhood.

The third, and final, margarita scared the crap out of me. How could something so good hurt me so badly at 6:00AM sharp when my angel of a 15 month old called her own special sort of Reverie? Not since the days before baby, also known as "When We Were Cool" had I consumed that much tequila in a week, so I drank with hesitation... glorious delight, but hesitation nonetheless.

Fast forward to the morning of Mother's Day (we celebrated the evening before.) As my daughter called to me from the crib, one eye opened, then another. Sitting up ever so slowly to anticipate the eventual hammer about to hit me in the head... and nothing. Not only was I void of headache, but my stomach felt fine and I felt good enough to have a conversation with my own mother that day!

To sum up, Silver Patrón Tequila, while quite expensive, is WELL worth its weight not only in the divine taste, but the hours of regained time that can often be lost the next day with a lesser tequila. The highest of top shelf, with all of the impurities distilled out, it truly is a mom's best friend.

And, while ironically a VERY natural product, it does not exactly qualify as 'healthy.'

About The Patrón Spirits Company:
The Patrón Spirits Company was started in 1989 by Paul Mitchell Systems co-founder John Paul DeJoria and entrepreneur Martin Crowley. The 100% pure Waeber blue agave is grown in the hills of Jalisco Mexico and blended using traditional techniques and modern technology. There are 9 different tequila products put out by the company and in 2004 the company sold more than 325,000 cases in the United States alone.

The Waeber blue agave plant, named for its color and founder, takes 6-7 years to mature before the sugar and acid balance within the pina (the heart) is just right for distilling. Each Patrón bottle is hand-blown from a master glassblower in the ancient tradition, usually within a family learned from generation to generation. All Patrón bottles, except for the pure crystal Grand Patrón vessel, are fashioned from recycled glass.

John Paul DeJoria, founder, is special emissary to the United Nations Environmental Program.

January 25, 2006

... and Really Not: Silver Patron Tequila, A New Mother's Best Friend