Have you ever eaten candy made of tamarind and chiles? This combination of sweet and spicy is a favorite for Latinos and well worth trying. The candy is so popular that when I asked for tamarind and chiles candy at my local Mexican market, I was asked what brand because they had hundreds of different candies with those ingredients.
Our Wine Review Council (WRC) had the opportunity to sample Gran Malo Tequila, a beverage that feels distinctly Mexican.
This unique tequila is made in Jalisco, Mexico, where macerated Mexican chiles and natural tamarind flavor are blended with the tequila.
But what does tamarind taste like and where do you find it? Tamarind is a tropical fruit that comes from the pods of the tamarind tree. When the pulp is taken out of the pod, it is sticky pulp. The flavor of tamarind compares to tropical lemonade (lemon combined with any of the following–mango, pineapple, passion fruit, coconut water, apricot nectar, and ginger).
We found after chilling Gran Malo, a cool shot was the perfect way to enjoy it. The spirit offers a smooth sip of sweetness and spice with a bit of a kick at the end.
It should be mentioned that Gran Malo comes in a beautiful and creative bottle featuring Mexican folklore characters El Diablo and La Calaca known for adventure and risk.
Who is the creative force behind Gran Malo? In 2021, Luis Arturo Villar Sudek launched Gran Malo. Luis, a YouTuber and blogger for Luisito Comunica (the second most subscribed channel in Mexico) was born in 1991.He has always been creative and sought various YouTube channels to express his interests. In 2012, he created “Luisito Comunica”, a channel of travel videos.
But YouTube channels aren’t the only creative outlet for Luis, He launched a clothing line, appeared in a film, and was even the voice of the Spanish version of Sonic the Hedgehog. He wrote a book about amazing places to journey to know the world. He launched his own mobile phone company, he bought shares of a Japanese food restaurant in Mexico City, and opened a fast food franchise known as Fasfu in Latin American countries. In January of 2023, he, along with other well-known YouTubers, were invited to cover the annual conference of the World Economic Forum. Some of you may have seen him recently in the television series, The Boys, where he plays a supervillain. Black Noir. As you can see, Luis, who is only 33, is an entrepreneur who doesn’t stop creating.
But back to the Gran Malo. In addition to being an excellent sipping spirit, it is great mixed as a cocktail. Our group, wanting to explore our own creativity, made cocktails. Each of us chose one cocktail recipe, created our cocktail, and then shared a shot glass of that cocktail. After all, we couldn’t have five tequila cocktails each. We paired the cocktails with a Baja Shrimp Street Taco.
Gran Malo with a variety of tropical fruits was our base for our cocktails. Mango, lime, passion fruit, watermelon, pineapple, and grapefruit all work well with Gran Malo. Our group favorites were the mango and passion fruit. I really liked the pineapple cocktail called the Malito Rico. That recipe is what I suggest you try with Gran Malo. Here is the recipe:
The Malito Rico
1 ½ oz. Gran Malo Spicy Tamarind Tequila
1 oz. Natural Syrup (half water and half sugar)
1 oz. lime juice
6 cubes pineapple muddled in a shaker (or 1 oz. pineapple juice)
A sprig of fresh mint
Top with soda
You can buy Gran Malo at a variety of liquor stores. I found it at Total Wine & More in the small bottles, the exact size for one cocktail.
Sit back and enjoy!
