Review: Rancho La Gloria Espresso Martini
Review: Rancho La Gloria Espresso Martini
Rancho La Gloria Espresso Martini is a tequila-adjacent ready-to-drink (RTD) bottled cocktail. The Rancho La Gloria drinks company based in Jalisco, Mexico claims the invention of the Margarita at their hotel bar in Tijuana. There are many stories about who created the Margarita and Rancho La Gloria holds one of the seven that are most probable.
The brand has a line of single estate tequilas and one of the largest “barrel libraries” of añejo tequila in the world, a large line of RTD Margaritas, and a dessert line of RTD cocktails. One product in their dessert line is their Espresso Martini, available in a 750 ml glass bottle.
I first noticed that this product uses an agave wine base, not tequila. Agave wine is a fortified wine from Mexico that is made from fermented Blue Weber agave. It’s like an agave spirit, but lighter, has less alcohol, and possibly less flavor. Using a base that falls into the wine or beer category allows the product to be sold in more liquor retail stores in the U.S. because of arcane liquor licensing — so it’s not uncommon for RTDs to have malt or wine bases. I will admit that I was a little disappointed that Rancho La Gloria’s tequila isn’t at the base of this Espresso Martini, but that might not matter if the agave wine is good. The rest of the ingredients include natural flavors, agave nectar, and real espresso.
The packaging is attractive and looks like it holds a quality product. First, I poured a glass neat. On the nose, I was greeted with roasted coffee and a hint of dark chocolate. Pretty standard aromas for what I would expect in an Espresso Martini. To sip this drink in a cocktail format, I poured it over cubed ice and gave it a few stirs. It is slightly sweeter than I would have liked and is a little viscous. The roasted coffee flavors are spot on and bitter dark chocolate is noticeable in the background right away. The flavor tastes like a well-made Espresso Martini but I struggled with the texture, which was a little too viscous for me, and the level of sweetness becomes unappealing. To be fair, I don’t like sweet drinks, so for most drinkers the sweetness level might be just fine, but I also missed the froth and felt that the liquid was too warm even though it’s on the rocks.
Finally, I decided to shake a serving of this drink as I would a proper Espresso Martini and see how that affects the flavor. I am happy to report that shaking this cocktail is a tremendous improvement. I was satisfied with the texture. It’s lighter, the temperature is more pleasing, and shaking brings out some of the vanilla notes. The sweetness level is much more balanced, and the froth is a happy addition. I could not detect any difference in the base spirit in this cocktail than in a vodka-based Espresso Martini, though this is not as spirit-forward as some Espresso Martinis can be.
The drawback to this bottled version is that it needs to be shaken to have the best experience and for all the flavors to be developed and the texture to hit the palate just right. I don’t feel that it’s best just poured from the bottle. This doesn’t replace a well-made Espresso Martini, but it definitely does the job for making a quick and consistent Espresso Martini that anyone can shake up at home. And the price makes it easy to grab off the shelf.
30 proof.
B / $12 / rancholagloria.com
Rancho La Gloria Espresso Martini
$12
