What is tequila?
Tequila: created because there isn’t a lot to do in the desert so why don’t we make alcohol out of succulents to fritter away the time? We’re happy they were bored on that fateful day in the desert — without tequila, the margarita, tequila sunrise, sangrita, el diabo, and other succulent cocktails wouldn’t exist. So, what is tequila, this mysterious, desert-dwelling plant-based alcoholic beverage? Let’s learn together!
The History of Tequila
Let’s go back to 1000 B.C. to 200 A.D. The Aztecs admired a fermented drink known as pulque, which used the sap of the agave plant (a technique likely used by the Olmecs dating back to 1000 B.C.). The liquid was milky, and a prominent part of Aztec culture.
Fast forward to the 1400–1500s, multiple theories pin the Spanish appropriation of pulque on the Spanish invasion of the Aztecs. Brandy supplies were critically low so Spaniards used mud and agave to distill a spirit. By the early 1600s, the Marquis of Altamira built the first mass distillery in modern day Tequila, Jalisco.
In 1758, the Cuervo family began distilling tequila with the Sauza family soon following in 1873. Cuervo and Sauza are both prominent tequila brands available today.
During Prohibition in the United States, miscreants travelled to Tijuana to fill their alcoholic void. By 1974, tequila was declared intellectual property of the Mexican government.
As of 2020, tequila sales in the United States amounted to roughly 23 million liter cases.
What is tequila?
Tequila is a type of mezcal. It’s a distilled, alcoholic spirit made from the agave plant. Mezcal is made from a variety of agave species, but tequila is only made with Weber’s blue agave (agave tequilana). Remember, all tequila is mezcal, but not all mezcal is tequila.
The blue agave thrives in Mexico and takes over seven years to fully mature. Then, agave farmers (jimadors) harvest the succulent by removing the leaves and exposing the hearts (piñas) during harvest. The hearts are sent off to a distillery.
Mexican law dictates that tequila is only allowed to be produced in Mexico, and only in designated regions including Jalisco, Nayarit, Guanajuato, Michoacán, and Tamaulipas.
The 5 Types of Tequila
You may not have known that there isn’t just one “tequila.” There are many types of tequila and they are:
Blancos are also called silver tequilas. They typically aren’t aged, but can rest in oak for up to 60 days. Slightly aged blanco may have a slight green tinge to it.
Joven (Gold) is a type of blanco blended with aged tequilas. It has a caramel hue and other additives for coloring.
Reposados are aged in oak barrels anywhere from two months to a day before the 365th day of the year. They are darker in color than blanco and joven and develop a richer flavor due to aging in barrels.
Añejos are aged in oak barrels for one to three years. On the higher end of quality, these are sipping tequilas.
Extra Añejos are aged longer than thirty six months in oak barrels.
So, that’s what tequila is: a mezcalian alcohol making your social gatherings more tolerable since 1600 A.D.
