In 2012, Don Julio Tequila will celebrate 70 years in the business. To commemorate the occasion they've introduced a new addition to their portfolio -- Don Julio 70, the world's first clear añejo tequila. When I first heard about the clear añejo, I wondered how they managed to extract the color imparted by the barrel-aging. Then I wondered why the hell they'd even bother? Granted, there is a consumer segment out there that tends to be brown spirit averse... they're called "chicks." But as far as I can tell, ladies who dig tequila have always seemed perfectly content drinking blanco out of each other's belly buttons. The whole clear añejo concept smacked of a gimmick, and nothing turns me off more than gimmicky adult beverages... yeah, I'm talking to YOU, Miller Lite Vortex Bottle!

But then I tasted the Don Julio 70 and it all became... well, clear: It's one of the smoothest tequilas around.

Don Julio 70 is distilled twice, and spends 18 months in reclaimed American white oak barrels. It's then filtered using some top-secret magical process that not only brings back the crisp agave flavor typically found in a blanco, but also removes the color.

It's complex like an añejo, yet is as easily drinkable as an unaged tequila. Dominant flavors include honey, pepper, green melon and, of course, smoky agave... finished with wood influenced vanilla, nuts and light cigar notes. It's got the body of a Victoria's Secret model -- sleek and satiny. Retails for $70 a bottle. And it's worth it.

I came across a cocktail recipe the great Dushan Zaric of NYC's Employees Only fame created in celebration of el Día de los Muertos (the Day of the Dead). Dushan's recipe calls for Don Julio reposado, but I made one using the DJ 70 instead and it was splendiferous. Here, give it a whirl:

Paloma Brava
1 1/2 ounces Tequila Don Julio 70
Juice of 1 lime
Juice of 1 small orange
Juice of 1 small grapefruit
4 ounces of grapefruit soda
Pinch of salt
Agave nectar to taste

Add salt, tequila, lime, orange and grapefruit juices into a glass mug. Lime hull can also be included. Fill with ice and add grapefruit soda. Add agave nectar to taste. Serve in a clay mug.