Texas: big, bold, brash. At least, that’s what Texans claim and the bumper stickers adamantly repeat and affirm. Texas is a land of many people trying to prove many things to many others, and to be heard one must be big, bold, and brash. Hence, my reticence/reluctance/hesitation at tasting the bottle before me, regardless how attractive the packaging. I had a specific expectation, particularly with the white, capital letters on the bottle declaring TX.

Obviously, I knew what they stood for—TEXAS.

My taste buds trembled. They, as well as I, feared a rusty spur-spiked elixir that felt it necessary…