Fat-Wash Your Tequila In Coconut Oil For A Tropical Twist

Fat-washing is a technique that has made its way from some of the world's most influential cocktail bars into the homes of hobby bartenders because it is approachable but game-changing in terms of flavor and mouthfeel. With patience, you can add all kinds of different flavors to cocktails and also enhance a drink's consistency with a velvety finish. When it comes to summery tropical drinks and flavors, there's no better fat-washing combo to try than tequila with coconut oil. 

Tequila has a profile that both matches and tempers different flavors of sweet things — the reason it pairs so well with chocolate is the same as why it pairs so well with coconut oil. Tequila's sweet vanilla notes make for a pleasant, rounded quality with the coconut, but its hints of spice and citrus balance and brighten that sweetness. With a lasting impression of the oil's fat, too, coconut oil-washed tequila is beautifully delicate yet rich.

To achieve this flavor match, follow the basic fat-washing instructions. Heat the coconut oil on the stove until it's an easy-pouring liquid. Add it to a container with your tequila, shake it well, and let it sit at room temperature for a few hours until the oil and tequila combine. Then, freeze the mixture until the fat is totally solid so that you can remove it from the alcohol. After you've poured the tequila out, straining it is vital to ensure no solids are left behind — a coffee filter is easy and effective. 

Through fat-washing, alcohol extracts flavor compounds from whatever you're adding, so tequila can really take on a coconutty character. And even though you're straining the booze, a trace of fattiness lingers behind, making the tequila a bit fuller and silkier in texture. Understanding these results help you pick from the different type of tequilas to fat-wash. Un-aged white tequila boasts tropical fruit notes perfect for coconut oil, whereas the vanilla, pear, cinnamon, honey, and oak of aged joven or reposado tequilas are ideal for sweet coconut.

When it comes to mixing drinks with coconut oil-washed tequila, a well-made, classic margarita is a great start — the fat-wash would contribute sweetness to balance the drink's acid and lime tartness. Ditto for a zesty paloma: The coconut is a luscious foil to the bright grapefruit. When choosing tequila for a tequila sunrise, opt for your coconut-upgraded version to round out the tart orange and enhance the drink's tropical character.

You can swap coconut oil-washed tequila in for different spirits to create new cocktail riffs. The siesta is just that, a daiquiri made with tequila instead of rum, and that coconut character is dreamy here. There's a version of the espresso martini that substitutes tequila for vodka, and a coconut oil-washed tequila would taste like a coconut latte. You can also use tequila instead of gin in a negroni, and the coconut oil's character works incredibly with bitter Campari and sweet vermouth.