Tequila

Tequila is a spirit made primarily in the area surrounding Tequila, a town in the western Mexican state of Jalisco, 65 km northwest of Guadalajara and in the highlands of Jalisco, 65 km east of Guadalajara. It is made from the blue agave (also known as Agave tequilana azul, Weber's blue agave, and also called Maguey by the local people), part of the lily and amaryllis families, which is native to Mexico. Tequila is most often made at a 38% - 40% alcohol content (76 - 80 proof), but there are also several varieties of Tequila produced with 43% - 46% alcohol content (86 - 92 proof)

Regions and other variations

Mezcal is the name of any distilled alcohol made from the agave plant. What makes tequila different from other mezcals is that tequila is made from Agave tequilana Weber, also called blue agave or agave azul, and other mezcals from the state of Oaxaca are made from more than 10 different kinds of agaves.Tequila is required to be at least 51% from blue agave; the remainder is usually maize or sugarcane. There are, however, premium tequilas made from 100% blue agave. If it is not made from 100% agave, tequila is referred to as mixto, although labels on the bottles will say only "Tequila". Tequila that is made only from agave must be bottled in Mexico and will say on the label "Tequila 100% de Agave" or "Tequila 100% puro de Agave" (some may add the word Azul after agave).[2]

A person trained in the facts of Tequila history, Tequila production, and Mexican Folklore is called a Tequilero.

Bulk agave syrup, usually derived from wild agave, may be exported, and often has other sugars added, and caramel for colouring. Agave syrup or nectar is about 90% fructose, and is often used as a sweetener and a safe substitute for table sugar, corn syrup, or honey. It is marketed as a natural sweetener with a low glycemic index.

History

A distillery oven loaded with agave "piñas" or "pineapples", the first step in the production of tequila.Tequila was first produced in the 16th century near the location of the city of Tequila which was not officially established until 1656. The Aztec people had previously made a fermented beverage from the agave plant which they called octli (later, and more popularly called pulque), long before the Spanish arrived in 1521. When the Spanish conquistadors ran out of their own brandy, they began to distill this agave drink to produce North America's first indigenous distilled spirit.

Some 80 years later, around 1600, Don Pedro Sánchez de Tagle, the Marquis of Altamira, began mass-producing tequila at the first factory in the territory of modern-day Jalisco. By 1608, the colonial governor of Nueva Galicia had begun to tax his products.

The tequila that is popular today was first mass-produced in the early 1800s in Guadalajara, Mexico.

Recent history

Blue agave fields and ancient distilleries near Tequila are recognized as part of the World Heritage List.In the late 1990s and early 2000s, increasing world-wide popularity of tequila drove corporate interest in the drink. Notable developments as a result included:

1. The purchase of Herradura by Brown-Forman for $776 million in September 2006.
   
2. Casa Noble was selected, after a lengthy split-decision between Casa Noble and Fortune Brands' El Tesoro de Don Felipe, as the Outstanding Tequila of the Decade (1996 - 2006) in July of 2006.
   
3. A new NOM (Norma Official Mexicana) for tequila (NOM-006-SCFI-2005) was issued in 2006, and among other changes, introduced a category of tequila called "tequila extra añejo" which must be aged a minimum of 3 years.
   
4. The purchase of the Sauza and El Tesoro brands by massive holding company Fortune Brands.
   
5. The production of the El Tesoro's Paradiso, a blended tequila, aged in French oak barrels that had been used for A. de Fussigny Cognac is one of the moves the industry has made to differentiate the "ultra-premium" tequila market.
   

Although some tequilas have remained as family owned brands, most well known tequila brands are owned by large multinational corporations. However, there are over 100 distilleries making over six hundred brands of tequila in Mexico and over 2,000 brand names have been registered.

A one-liter bottle of limited-edition premium tequila was sold for $225,000 in July of 2006 in Tequila, Jalisco, by the company Tequila Ley .925. The bottle which contains the tequila is a two-kilo display of platinum and gold. The manufacturer has received the Certificate from Guinness World Records for the most expensive bottle of liquor ever sold.

2006 Tequila Trade Agreement
On January 17, 2006 the United States and Mexico signed an agreement allowing the continued bulk import of Tequila into the United States. Without this agreement all tequila would have had to be bottled in Mexico. However, bulk importing applies to "well Tequila" which must include a minimum of 51% agave. 100% agave Tequilas must be bottled in Mexico. In addition to allowing bulk import, the agreement also created a “tequila bottlers registry” that identifies approved bottlers of tequila.

Other key elements of the agreement include:

• The end of restrictions of bulk tequila exports to the United States;
  
• A prohibition on Mexican regulation of tequila labeling or marketing, as well as the labeling, formulation, and marketing of distilled spirits specialty products outside of Mexico;
  
• Continuation of current practice with respect to addressing Mexican concerns regarding the manufacturing of tequila in the United States; and
  
• Establishment of a working group to monitor the implementation of the agreement.

TMA
For more detail on TMA, see the entry in Tequila agave
TMA is a blight that has reduced the production of the agave grown to produce tequila. This has resulted in lower production and higher prices throughout the early 2000s, and due to the long maturation of the plant, will likely continue to affect prices for years to come.

Types of tequila

Tequila is usually bottled in one of five categories:

• oro ("gold") – unaged tequila which is "joven y abogado" (young and adulterated) which means that caramel, fructose, glycerin and wood flavoring can be added to resemble aged tequila
  
• blanco ("white") or plata ("silver") – not aged white spirit
  
• reposado ("rested") – aged a minimum of 2 months but less than a year in oak barrels
  
• añejo ("aged" or "vintage") – aged minimum 1 year but less than 3 years in oak barrels
  

extra añejo ("extra aged") or ultra aged– aged minimum 3 year in oak barrels This is a new category which was established in March 2006.
The aging process changes the color of tequila, but the liquid can sometimes be colored with caramel to show a darker color, indicative of a longer aging process; añejos tend to be darker, the reposados slightly less dark, while the platas are not colored at all.

It is a common misconception that some tequilas contain a 'worm' in the bottle. Only certain mezcals, usually from the state of Oaxaca, are ever sold con gusano, and that only began as a marketing gimmick in the 1940s. The worm is actually the larval form of the moth Hypopta agavis that lives on the agave plant. Finding one in the plant during processing indicates an infestation and, correspondingly, a lower quality product. (Note: for more information on how tequila is made, see mezcal.) However this misconception continues, and even with all the effort and marking to represent Tequila as a premium -- similar to the way Cognac is viewed in relation to brandy -- there are some opportunist producers for the shooters and fun market who blur these boundaries.

In the 2000s, a distributor known for their Tequilas, launched Villa Lobos, a vodka which had the unique selling point that it too featured the "agave worm". The marketing of this product highlighted the drink's links with Tequilas and said that it was developed in reaction to the Tequila crisis of the previous years.

Types and brands
Main article: List of tequila brands
There is a very distinctive taste difference between the different types of tequila. The most notable is a "bite" for which tequila is often remembered. This "bite" is a characteristic of lower quality "gold" or "silver" tequilas and is mostly due to additives - commonly grain alcohols - that are less expensive than 100% agave.

With 100% agave tequila, blanco or plata is harsher with the bold flavors of the distilled agave up front, while reposado and añejo are smoother, subtler, and more complex. As with other spirits that are aged in casks, tequila takes on the flavors of the wood, while the harshness of the alcohol mellows. The major flavor distinction with 100% agave tequila is the base ingredient, which is more vegetal than grain spirits (and often more complex).

Drinks

Glasses

A margarita glassWhen served neat (without any additional ingredients), tequila is most often served in a narrow shot glass called a caballito,but can often be found in anything from a snifter to a tumbler.

The Consejo Regulador del Tequila (Tequila Regulatory Council) approved an "official tequila glass" in 2002, made by Riedel.

The margarita glass, rimmed with salt, sugar, or plain, is a staple for the entire tequila/fruit mixed drink genre, including the margarita itself.

Other drinks
There are an endless variety of drinks that involve tequila, relying only on the imagination of the preparer. As with most of the hard liquors, there is a martini variant that involves tequila as well as a large number of tequila drinks made by adding a fruit juice such as the Tequila Sunrise. Sodas and other carbonated drinks are a common mixer, as in the Tequila Slammer.