Tequila is Tequila: history, composition, rules and features of use

2024 Author: Isabella Gilson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:14

Tequila is Mexico. Mexico is tequila. These two concepts are inextricably linked. In any person, they are always associated with each other. This drink represents for Mexico the whole history of its culture and people. The popularity of tequila in Europe is growing every year. It is used in cocktails and pure. Tequila from the first sip causes either admiration or neglect.

The history of tequila

Tequila is the taste of Mexico, a drink of energetic Mexican temperament. According to an old legend, alcohol appeared more than four centuries ago. The story tells that lightning hit the agave, causing the plant to ignite. Fragrant nectar appeared from the core of the split cactus, which the Indians immediately called the gift of the gods. The Toltec tribe learned how to make a frothy drink of a light milky hue from agave juice, which they called pulque. The new product did not have much strength, it reached approximately four to six percent.

Pulque was Mexico's only alcoholic drinkuntil the Spaniards brought European technologies for the manufacture of alcoholic beverages to the territory of the state. In 1600, the first tequila factory was founded by the Marquis Altamir on his own ranch. The history of tequila is now becoming completely different: the product quickly began to gain popularity. Today, five Mexican states produce agave tequila. But the best varieties come from a state called Jalisco.

Beverage classification

Most people are sure that tequila is cactus vodka. But in fact, the product is made by distilling juice, which is extracted from the core of the blue agave. Tequila is divided into two categories: a drink made from 100% agave and a product that contains 51% agave sugars and 49% other sugars. Both species are further subdivided into four varieties:

• Blanko (Silver) is a clear and pure tequila that is bottled as soon as the distillation process is completed.
• Joven (Gold) - This tequila is not barrel aged. Flavors such as oak aging, sugar syrup, glycerin or caramel color are added to the alcohol before it is bottled.



• Reposado (Aged) is a tequila that has been aged for two months to one year in oak barrels.
• Anejo (Over-Aged) – This type of drink is aged in oak barrels for a minimum of one year and a maximum of ten.

Tequila is a productgained worldwide fame in 1968 at the Olympic Games held in Mexico City. Then all varieties of the drink gradually began to conquer the world.

Tequila Ingredients

What is tequila? Most people will answer this question like this: this is a drink that is made from a cactus. But this is not true. Alcohol is produced from the core of the blue agave, which is a cross between pineapple and cactus. In addition to agave juice, the product contains yeast, cane sugar or corn syrup and distilled water.

Tequila is a drink made by fermenting agave juice. The result is a liquid containing five to seven percent alcohol. This mixture is then distilled. The strength of the resulting tequila reaches 50-55 degrees. The finished drink can be sold, but there are manufacturers who, in order to increase the volume of the finished product, lower its strength. To do this, they mix distilled water and alcohol. Mexican law allows you to dilute this alcohol to 38 degrees.

Do I need a worm

Many people, when asked what tequila is, will answer that it is a drink in which a special worm is placed in a bottle. All this is deeply misleading. In fact, the presence of such an unusual additive only worsens the taste of the tequila itself and reduces its quality. Some manufacturers resort to this trick only in order to arouse foreigners' interest in their product. Real tequila, whose history is described above, was invented withoutadding any "animals". Today, all this is just a marketing ploy.

If there is a worm in a bottle with an alcoholic drink, then this is a completely different Mexican product - mezcal. And such an additive is the main feature that distinguishes it from other alcoholic beverages. Such alcohol is made not only from blue agave, but also from other varieties of this plant.

Ways to drink tequila

Drinking tequila is a very unusual thing. There are three ways to do this. The first option is used by true connoisseurs and connoisseurs of this product. A real, aged drink is slowly sipped in one sip to fully enjoy its bouquet. For this method, tequila at room temperature is suitable. Alcohol is poured into special piles with a thick bottom. Such dishes are called caballito, which means “little horse” in Spanish.

There is another traditional method showing how to drink tequila properly. Its rules are as follows: the product must be washed down with sangrita. This is a special non-alcoholic drink, which is based on lime juice, tomato juice and incredibly hot Mexican chili peppers. Sometimes sangrita can be so spicy that it can compete with tequila itself in terms of the effect it produces.

In clubs and bars, another, no less popular option for drinking tequila is practiced. It's called "lick-tip-bite". Its peculiarity lies in the fact thatin addition to the drink itself, you will need a lime quarter and s alt. There is an erotic version of this option: s alt should be licked from the shoulder of a lying woman, tequila should be drunk from her navel, and the young lady holds the lime with her teeth. The whole procedure is carried out without hands.

Useful information about tequila

So we figured out what tequila is made of. Its composition has been discussed above. But there are still some "secrets" that are recommended for every lover of the drink. Thus, the strength of export tequila reaches 38-40%, while the same figure for domestic consumption can reach up to 46%. In a bottle with a drink, the presence of solid small particles can be considered. This indicates that the product was not filtered before bottling to preserve the aroma.

The label of real tequila must contain the marking Denominacion de Origon. This is a license from the Mexican government to use the name of the drink in accordance with its area of origin. Also on the label there should be numbers that are responsible for the quality of the product.

Will there be a hangover

Tequila has almost no regulation on fusel oils. They are perfectly masked by the light aroma of grass. Therefore, the drink intoxicates a person faster than vodka. If a person can drink too much tequila, then she is guaranteed a hangover. So it turns out that tequila and a hangover are not compatible things, but, as you know, there are exceptions to any rules.

Popular tequila brands

In today's marketthere are several well-known brands involved in the production of this product. Jose Cuervo tequila appeared as a result of the fact that in 1785 José Antonio Cuervo bought agave plantations and a small factory that produces mezcal. José Maria, son of José Antonio, received the first document in Jalisco from the King of Spain a decade later, allowing him to manufacture alcohol. Then the plant was run by the children of José Maria, but after a while they lost their father's inheritance, but in 1900 they were restored to their rights.

Tequila Olmeca is a brand that was one of the first to appear in Russia. The name of the drink was given in honor of the ancient Indian civilization - the Olmecs. They claimed to be the offspring of a jaguar and a mortal girl. According to legend, blue agave juice was valued by one of the gods. He ordered to drink a wonderful drink only to the celestials. But after many years, one peasant from the Aztec family let the agave juice ferment. The resulting drink, despite the ban, was tasted by Emperor Montezume.