It was at Summer JFEX 2025 that I was arrested—stopped in my tracks—by the blowfish. No, it was not the result of having ingested a smidgen of tetrodotoxin, but owing instead to the sign on a booth and the bottles displayed on its counter announcing the presence of “Blowfish Tequila.” “What is that?” I asked myself. So, I went over and found out.
Simply put, this is a line of tequilas put out by Progressive Spirits Inc. and, by the way, there is nothing simple about their output and no poison therein.
I will start with their bottles. As you can see from my pictures, this piece of glassware is a work of art. The attention to detail is something that one does not often encounter. If it were in the Louvre, I suspect it would be stolen. You know how security is there.
My attention naturally turned to their “Indigo.” Ah, the color purple, a born-to-the-purple purple, not some pedestrian blue, the hue of a long-forgotten grapefruit, halved and fuzzy from a three-week residency on the breakfast table. What could be responsible for such an impressive appearance? Some substance extracted from a chemical painting set? I soon learned that it was Butterfly Pea Flower extract. Butterfly Pea Flower (a.k.a., blue pea, or known by its Latin name Clitoria ternatea [how’s that for a dead language?]), is interesting in and of itself, but I will confine myself to what is pertinent here.
Purple cabbage boiled will also give you a nice cheery purple, but tastes like cabbage. The brightest blue comes from the purple butterfly pea flower…. The coolest thing about it is that it turns purple in acid, the more you add, the more the color changes.1
Sensory Evaluations: I tasted two of their beverages for this entry. The Reposado Tequila & Soda (RT&S) and Indigo. RT&S: This is definitely poised to give the canned highball some serious competition. You are expecting whisky, but you get something else—tequila. Refreshing with no sugar or flavors added. Two shots to a can. Indigo: I tried it with and without lime. It’s great either way. I had it straight and picked up on vanilla notes on the nose. It’s smooth on the palate and has a long finish that is slightly sweet. Of course, bartenders of a creative bent should appreciate the possibilities here.
Link: https://blowfishtequila.com/
1Albala, K. The Great Gelatin Revival: Savory Aspics, Jiggly Shots, and Outrageous Desserts (University of Illinois Press, 2023).
Drinking Japan 