The national drink of Mexico
Tequila (agave liquor) is divided into the following four categories:
| Silver or blank | clear, transparent tequila that is bottled immediately after distillation. |
| gold, joven or oro | like the Silver Tequila, but colored. The coloring is done either with sugar syrup, oak wood additives or caramel. |
| Aged, reposado | This is a tequila that has rested in oak barrels for at least two months. |
| Extra aged, añejo | This tequila is stored in oak barrels for at least a year. The barrels must not exceed a size of 600 liters. The alcohol content must be regulated with water. |
Tequila is an alcoholic drink made from a cactus whose common name is Blue Agave. Its scientific name is Agave Tequilana Weber, after the researcher who identified this agave as a separate species in 1902. It grows around the city of Tequila in the state of Jalisco, where it is cultivated just as lovingly as tulips are in Holland - after all, it takes 12 years before the plant can be harvested. When harvesting, the plant is stripped of its long blue-green leaves, leaving only the heart, which weighs between 20 and 75 kg and looks like an oversized pineapple, which is why the Mexicans call it a “piña”. The hearts of the plants are heated in large ovens and then ground to separate the juice from the pulp. Sugar is added to make a thick syrup that is left to ferment in aluminum vats. Tequila is finally produced after two distillations. It takes 7 kg of agave heart to produce one liter of the end product. Part of the clear liquid with a mild taste that is obtained in this way is produced, the añejo.
The large manufacturers usually offer several white tequilas and different Añejo qualities, while small family businesses often only produce one variety. The rule of thumb is: the longer the tequila is stored, the higher its price.
Nobody knows exactly how long tequila has been drunk in Mexico, but similar drinks were certainly consumed in pre-Hispanic times. The Toltecs and Aztecs used a relative of tequila, pulque, which was fermented agave juice. According to legend, the goddess Mayahuetl walked the earth with the agave plant and was so well received by the Mexicans that she gave them the plant and explained how it was processed. The large distilleries were built in the 18th and 19th centuries.
Also during the colonial rule of the Spaniards, the production of mezcal, which is obtained from another species of agave and grown in the region around Oaxaca, began in Mexico. This closest relative to tequila, the production process is simpler and the taste is much harsher. Normally, the dried maggot that lives in the plant goes into the bottle to refine the taste (some say) or to prove the correct alcohol content (some say).
For the European, tequila is not without its pitfalls: consumed in excess, it inevitably causes a fabulous hangover the following day. Even mixed with other drinks, as a margarita or as a tequila sunrise, it packs a punch. As an aperitif or digestif, however, it certainly has a beneficial effect, with many Mexicans attributing its longevity to their daily glass of tequila.
Source: Beatriz MartÌ, Cancun Tips
