Revisiting a Shunned Spirit: Tequila

Like many people, I got turned off from tequila in college.  I didn't have any singular "tequila night" but more the combination of lame experiences and the ghastly taste of Jose.  It seemed the novelty of tequila was to take something really nasty, combine it with lime and salt, perhaps with the assistance of someone of the opposite sex, to hide the taste, and show your mettle by quaffing it.  The point was, if anything, overcoming the nasty taste of the tequila.   It seemed like one of those things best left at school.  Since then, except for the occasional margarita at a Mexican restaurant, I've avoided the stuff.  I've recently gotten around to buying a decent bottle of blanco and giving tequila a second look.  One of the first recipes I started with was the Lolita, which includes tequila, angostura bitters, lime juice, and honey.  Below is a spin on it called the Road to Juarez.

Road to Juarez

Ingredients
1.5 ounces of blanco tequila (Tres Generations)
.25 ounce of lime juice
3 dashes of orange bitters
1 teaspoon of agave nectar

Directions
Shake ingredients with ice and strain into a chilled cocktail glass.  Garnish with a lime wheel.

Taste (flavor, balance, and clarity):  8.5
Though I'm a neophyte regarding tequila, I really enjoyed this cocktail.  I never extpected to write that a drink with tequila was smooth and dangerously drinkable.  The flavors worked very well together with the orange bitters combining with the lime to enhance the citrus flavor.  The agave nectar took the edge of the tequila and lime to soften the drink wihtout standing out too much.  The tequila taste lingered after the swallow in a nice way as well. 

Versatility (when and for whom the drink works):  8
I think that this drink could be enjoyed by a lot of folks because its is fairly mild.  While quite strong, it doesn't taste to boozy.  I do think that this is more of a warm-weather drink though.

Hassle (cost and time): 8
The drink included decent tequila but all in all was not too expensive.  I had to juice a lime but otherwise it was quicker to make.

Overall:  8
I really enjoyed this drink.  It was flavorful but subtle and unexpectedly smooth.  Not a bad drink for a party at all.  No specific improvements for this drink come to mind.