Before Mexican music legend (and Long Beach girl) Jenni Rivera tragically died in a plane crash late last year, she was finalizing two projects that were near and dear to her heart. One, we'll sadly never see: an ABC sitcom based on her amazing story as a teenage mom-turned-genius-entrepeneur who never met a challenge she didn't conquer. The other one just reached store shelves last month: Jenni Rivera La Gran Señora Tequila, a line of the iconic Mexican spirit that she spent years on before approving the right spirits to represent her as a blanco, reposado, and añejo.
I know what you're thinking: celebrity-sponsored tequila is the bane of liquor. But you obviously never followed the career of Rivera, someone who never allowed inferior products to be attached to her name.
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The blanco (the first one out on the market) is a perfect metaphor for Rivera. While Jenni rightfully earned her reputation as a ball-busting diva, La Gran Señora (The Grand Dame, for those of you who don't habla) also reflects her demure side. It has a nice, dense scent that turns into liquid fury upon touching your palate. But once it settles, the nuances start emerging: the vegetal beauty of the agave, a hint of earthiness, a lot of sass that's nevertheless of substance. Men can drink it and not feel like a wuss; gals can take a shot and feel ready to conquer machismo once and for all.
La Gran Señora Tequila is already a smash, with bottles going for $200 bottles on eBay (it retails for $40). Locally, you can buy a bottle at Northgate González supermarkets, where my daddy works as a troquero; folks in Los Angeles and the Inland Empire can go to their nearest Northgate or try their luck with the Vallarta and Cardenas chains. The tequila will soon appear in Texas and other states. And if you're lucky to find a bottle? Raise a copa to La Diva de la Banda, blast her epic “Los Ovarios,” and marvel at her life.
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