More about Agave Nectar

I'm still skeptical that it (at least this brand) is 3x sweeter than honey. It's definitely not sweeter than sugar and it's absolutely not easier to use than "simple syrup" (which you get by boiling sugar and water).

However, if you occasionally need small amounts of cold-water-soluble sweetener, it turns out this stuff is actually pretty good.

I got some Triple Sec today and tried to make a fresh lime margarita, but it was WAY too tart when made as directed. I added some of this agave stuff to sweeten it, and indeed, my drink is now quite nice. There was a very faint, slightly viscous residue at the bottom of the glass, but that's all. A swirl of the glass got rid of that.

Flavorwise, the nectar didn't add anything except sweetness. Impressive!

This is the light version of Agave Nectar. The Fairhaven Stop & Shop also has an amber version, which supposedly is more maple-ish. (I'd just as soon use actual maple for my mapleicious needs, such as the applesauce that is bubbling happily on my stove right now.) In addition, according to the manufacturer's website, there's a "dark" version, which they didn't have at the store.

In case you didn't know, the agave is a plant native to Mexico. One variety, the Blue Agave, if grown in the state of Jalisco and harvested and distilled under strict regulatory controls, winds up in my medicine kitchen cabinet in the form of tequila. Other varieties, grown anywhere (including Jalisco) and prepared slightly differently, can be distilled and marketed as mezcal (sometimes barely distinguishable from tequila). For that matter, blue agave harvested or prepared outside of Jalisco also gets marketed as mezcal.

There, it's barely Sunday and you've already had your Spanish of the day!

Agave Nectar is made from wild agaves (i.e. not tequila-producing). There's still a lot of "wilderness" in Mexico; I confess that I don't know whether its conservation has been a result of deliberate actions, or if there simply hasn't been adequate "opportunity" to exploit all of that land yet. In any case, if these "wild" agaves are growing in true wilderness, then I am definitely in favor of supporting this venture.

Some people make alternative-healthish and even borderline magical claims about agave nectar, which I haven't looked into at all. It does appear to be more diabetic-friendly than HFCS, if that's an issue for you.

The stuff is not cheap - I paid $4.39 for 11.75 ounces - so it's not a bargain over regular sugar or honey, either. I imagine that its market niche will always be pretty small. But it's ideal within that small niche!