Senor, Tequila Por Favor

Tequila, Señor, is México in a bottle.

Holy guacamole! Red Hot Chili Enchiladas. Every time I open a bottle of Tequila I smell Mariachi playing - that's how powerful this spirit of sacred Blue Agave is. And it was high time we gave it a shot.

This party-starting and party-ending Spirit has been around for a while. Long before the Spanish arrived in 1521 the Aztec made a fermented beverage from the Agave plant which they called Pulque. Much is still a mystery, but legend says a lightning struck an Agave plant, cooked the insides and caused the juices to seep out. The Aztecs believed it was a gift from the gods which opened up communications between mortals and immortals.

Tequila came after Pulque in the 17th century, when the Spanish conquistadors ran out of their own brandy and began to distill agave, but it wasn't until the early 1800s that Tequila as it is known now became popular and mass-produced. Today it has to be made in the Jalisco State, where they've got plenty of Blue Agave plants - from which Tequila has to be distilled in order to be called as such.

Now we all love Mexico for their Tacos, Jalapeños, Selma Hayeks, Fridas and so on, but Tequila has always been a sneaky one and we've all had some fun experiences with it.

Luckily the Tequila from this pack isn't that kind. It's 100% Blue Agave Tequila which is quite different from the one we used to down in College. The pack contains four different styles:
- Blanco/Silver (un-aged)
- Reposado (rested)
- Añejo (aged)
- Extra Añejo (extra-aged)

More of a sipping pleasure rather than quick-shot-lime-and-salt-killer. So take your time and enjoy.

Salud!


SmartAss Corner

2) If the bottle of Tequila does not state on the label that it is manufactured from 100% Blue Agave, then, by default, that Tequila is a Mixto (manufactured from 51% Blue Agave).

3) Tequila labeled Gold (Oro) is your indicator (i.e. red flag) that it is a mixto tequila, unaged silver tequila that has been colored and flavoured with caramel to give the appearance of aged tequila.

4) Tequila is like Champagne or Cognac. It has a Denomination of Origin, meaning it can only be produced in the Jalisco State, Mexico.

5) Jalisco is divided into the Highlands (sweeter and fruitier Tequila) and Lowlands (more herbaceous Tequila).

6) Tequila Classifications:
- Blanco is bottled directly after distillation; or rested up to 2 months
- Reposado (rested) must be aged a minimum of 2 months by law
- Añejo (old) is aged a minimum of 12 months by law
- Extra Añejo is aged for at least 3 years

7) Top 3 countries by Tequila consumption: The US, Mexico, Germany. The US consumes twice as much Tequila as Mexico each year.

8) The difference between Mezcal and Tequila is that Tequila has to be made from Blue Agave from the Jalisco state, whereas Mezcal can be produced from any variety Agave and anywhere in Mexico.

9) Tequila goes bad with time. Once you open a bottle of Tequila, you better be in the mood to drink it. Generally, you have one to two months before oxidization and evaporation diminish the quality of the Tequila and destroys the Agave flavour profile.

10) Contrary to popular belief, the spiky-leaved agave plant is not a cactus.

11) The 1958 song, “Tequila” was the first, and only, #1 hit for a band called The Champs.

12) Mariachi is a form of folk music from Mexico.

13) The Aztecs believed the drink of the gods was hot chocolate.

14) Popular Cocktail - the Margarita: ¼ oz Fresh Lime Juice, ½ oz Triplesec, 1 oz Tequila