Fake, Faux, Not Real, But pretty darn close Tequila.

[Coyote]

This is how I do a liquid we call “Tequila”.

1- 78 Oz by weight Blue Agave syrup.

1 – gallon of water heat to near boiling. Add 8 lbs of sugar
stir until clear. Add the Blue Agave, mix well.

In a shallow stainless steel pan ( 12 x 9 x 4” ) smoke over Mesquite for 3 hours.
I use my pellet grill and I know some of you purest will not attend my funeral
because I have a pellet puke'r.

At the same time I smoke a sweet potato sliced ½ thick, raw, skin on.

Dump into your ferment vessel.
I add water up to a total volume of 7 gallons
Allow to cool to 77 – 80 degrees add .5 ounce of
Red Star Bakers Yeast. Just dump it on top close the lid

I let this set for 3 weeks.

I have a small experimental 2 gallon still with a 1 quart thumper that I use for experimenting. Yea I know, but it has
been working for more than 15 years.

Charge the still with just under 2 gallons, toss 3 or 4 slices of smoked sweet potato cut in half, in the thumper add a bit of your mash with the sweet potato and run it what I call medium slow. I change a piece or two of the sweet potato in between runs.

What really surprised me was getting over a quart and a half per run!

Let it air for a few days and toss in a couple, just a couple of really small chips from a Tequila Barrel and a few small
pieces of dried Orange or Lime peel or whatever you think works for you - let me know!

I let this set for a good month before the taste test. Several of my hard core Tequila friends agree we have a winner!

I have done this same recipe in a 15 gallon still and then run it in the small still with the thumper and it does not come out right. Kind of a pain to do 2 gallons at a time but then I am after quality not mass gallons.