Tequila Avión first started making noise as a story line on Entourage, but the tequila brand has far surpassed anything for which Turtle could have hoped. They released Avión Espresso this year, and it might be my favorite oddball spirit of 2013.
Having the world introduced to your product on an wildly popular HBO show may seem like it would be good for business, but most people assumed it was a fictional or novelty brand.
Avión tequila is anything but a novelty though. They make some of the best tequila in the game. Their characteristic spice puts it front of mind for unique and high quality spirits and their reasonable pricing for a premium product make it front of wallet for tequila lovers.
This spring brought the release of Avión Espresso, but shamefully I’m just now getting around to it. Now I feel like the past eight months have been meaningless. This isn’t just a play into the flavored market for the sake of putting out a new product. Avión came to compete and managed to improve on some already stellar offerings in the market.
Patron XO Cafe became my go-to shot back in 2009, and very few spirits have taken its place for long. You can’t beat a premium single-ingredient shot that tastes amazing. Avión upped the ante by using Italian espresso instead of basic coffee in their new product.
The coffee flavors are a much more rich version of Patron XO. Whether that’s a positive attribute is up to you, but for me it’s a plus. The real beauty comes as a result of Avión’s signature spice, which plays perfectly with the natural bitterness of espresso. This is likely to be a favorite of tequila and espresso lovers alike.
Avión Espresso comes in at a reasonable $25. That’s about where XO Cafe began as well, but the Patron is now a steal at $19 in some places. Avión offers several cocktail recipes on their website, but I’ve found it’s perfect just as a chilled shot. Why mess around with additional ingredients when you already have perfection in a bottle?