Your Daily Facts about Tequila
Tequila history lie with the indigenous Aztec peoples of Mexico, the Chichimecans, Otomies, Toltecans and Nahuatls who made a beverage from the agave plant long before the Spaniards arrived in a village called Tequila in the shade of a dormant volcano named Tequila in a land they called Techinchan.
Tequila was first distilled in the 1500-1600′s in the state of Jalisco, Mexico. Guadalajara is the capital of Jalisco and the city of Tequila was established in about 1656. This is where the agave plant grows best. The agave is not a cactus as rumored, but belongs to the lily family and has long spiny leaves (pincas). The specific plant that is used to make tequila is the Weber blue agave. It takes 8-12 years for the agave to reach maturity. During harvest, the leaves are cut off leaving the heart of the plant or pina which looks like a large pineapple when the jimadors are done. The harvested pina may weigh 200 pounds or more and is chopped into smaller pieces for cooking at the distillery.
Tequila, and its country cousin Mezcal, are made by distilling the fermented juice of agave plants in Mexico. The agave is a spiky-leafed member of the lily family (it is not a cactus) and is related to the century plant. By Mexican law the agave spirit called Tequila can be made only from one particular type of agave, the blue agave (Agave Tequiliana Weber), and can be produced only in specifically designated geographic areas, primarily the state of Jalisco in west-central Mexico.
There are two basic types of tequila, 100% blue agave (cien por ciento de agave) tequila and mixto. The 100% blue agave tequilas are distilled entirely from the fermented juice of the agave. All 100% agave tequilas have to be distilled and bottled in Mexico. If the bottle does not say 100% blue agave, the tequila is mixto and may have been distilled from as little as 60% agave juice with other sugars.
Beyond the two basic designations of Tequila—agave and mixto—there are four categories: Silver or Blanco/White Tequilas are clear, with little (no more than 60 days in stainless steel tanks) or no aging. They can be either 100% agave or mixto. Silver Tequilas are used primarily for mixing and blend particularly well into fruit-based drinks.
Gold Tequila is unaged silver Tequila that has been colored and flavored with caramel. It is usually a mixto.
Reposado (“rested”) Tequila is aged in wooden tanks or casks for a legal minimum period of at least two months, with the better-quality brands spending three to nine months in wood. It can be either 100% agave or mixto. Reposado Tequilas are the best-selling Tequilas in Mexico.
Añejo (“old”) Tequila is aged in wooden barrels (usually old Bourbon barrels) for a minimum of 12 months. The best-quality anejos are aged 18 months to three years for mixtos, and up to four years for 100% agaves. Aging Tequila for more than four years is a matter of controversy. Most Tequila producers oppose doing so because they feel that “excessive” oak aging will overwhelm the distinctive earthy and vegetal agave flavor notes.
Just as you can’t judge a book by its cover, you can’t judge a Tequila by its color. In fact, the majority of Gold (Oro) Tequilas are artificially colored with caramel coloring, while some of the finest aged Reposado, Añejo and Extra Añejo Tequilas acquire a golden color from the wooden barrels in which they age. Similarly, there are Silver (Blanco) Tequilas ranging from high-quality brands made from 100% Weber Blue Agave, to cheap, low-grade mixto brands that contain only the minimum 51% Agave. There is simply no way to determine quality solely by a Tequila’s color.
Like wine, fine Tequila is aged in barrels made from a variety of woods, their individual preparation helps to achieve certain characteristics. For instance, some Tequila is aged in oak barrels that were formally used to age Bourbon in Kentucky, giving the Tequila a very distinctive hint of Bourbon in its taste. Others use new French oak barrels.
Tequila never comes with a worm in the bottle, that’s Mezcal.
Tequila is becoming the most popular spirit in the world today.
Modest amounts of Tequila have been exported into U.S. border towns since the late 19th century. The first major boost to Tequila sales in the rest of the United States came in the late 1940s when the Margarita cocktail, a blend of Tequila, lime juice, orange liqueur, and ice was invented. Its origins are uncertain, but Hollywood actors and cocktail parties in California and Mexican resorts seem to be involved in most of the genesis stories. It is known that crooner and actor Bing Crosby was so taken with one particular brand of Tequila, Herradura, that he teamed up with fellow actor Phil Harris to import the brand into the United States. The Margarita, along with the Tequila Sunrise and the Tequila Sour, have become highly popular in the United States; in fact, it is claimed by many in the liquor industry that the Margarita is the single most popular cocktail in the nation. In the 1970s, when balladeer Jimmy Buffet sang of “Wasting away in Margaritaville,” the success of the song enticed millions more Americans to sip from the salt-rimmed Margarita glass.
