Just as in wine tasting, when sampling a variety of tequilas and mezcals, the palate must be cleansed between each new tasting. Lots of water and vegetables like cucumber or jícama that consist mostly of water can eliminate the flavor and nose from the last spirit sipped.
A simple bite of a flour tortilla can also disperse any remaining agave flavors.
Jake Lustig, zen master of tequila tasting and owner of the Don Amado mezcal label, uses a ritual learned from Mark Miller, chef and owner of the Coyote Cafe.
Integrating the breath, Jake shares a rather awkward but effective method to reset the palate.
“What I usually
do,” says Jake, “is to breathe through the top part of my
shirt sleeve. Because it’s by your armpit, it’s got your
own body smell,” thus overwhelming the previous scent and “resetting
your palate,” he affirms.
If by chance you are wearing a sleeveless shirt or the company you are in wouldn’t quite understand the value of such a technique, Jake says it’s also perfectly fine to breathe through a dinner napkin.