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 consumed in cocktails and in pure form. Tequila from the first sip causes either admiration or neglect.
The history of tequila
Tequila is a taste of Mexico, a drink of energetic Mexican temper. According to one old legend, alcohol appeared more than four centuries ago. The story tells that lightning hit the agave, causing the plant to ignite. Aromatic nectar emerged 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 light milk shade called agaric from agave juice. The new product did not have much strength, it reached about four to six percent.
Pulke was the only alcoholic beverage produced by Mexico until the Spanish introduced European technology for the manufacture of alcoholic beverages into the territory of the state. In 1600, the Marquis Altamir, on his own ranch, founded the first factory that produced tequila. The history of tequila is now becoming completely different: the product quickly began to gain popularity. Today, five Mexican states produce tequila from agave. But the best varieties are made in a state called Jalisco.
Drink classification
Most people believe tequila is cactus vodka. But in fact, the product is produced by distillation of juice, which is extracted from the core of blue agave. Tequila is divided into two categories: a 100% agave drink and a product that includes 51% agave sugars and 49% other sugars. Both species are divided into four more varieties:
- Blanko (Silver) - transparent and clean tequila, which is distributed in bottles as soon as the distillation process is completed.
- Joven (Golden) - This variety of tequila is not aged in barrels. Before bottling alcohol, flavorings such as oak aging, sugar syrup, glycerin, or caramel dye are added to it.
- Reposado (Aged) is that tequila that is aged in oak barrels for two months to one year.
- Anejo (Super-matured) - in oak barrels, this type of drink is aged for at least one year and a maximum of ten.
Tequila is a product that gained worldwide fame in the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City. Then all varieties of the drink gradually began to conquer the world.
Tequila Composition
What is tequila? Most people will answer this question this way: this is a drink that is made from cactus. But this is not true. Alcohol is produced from the core of blue agave, which is a "mixture" of pineapple and cactus. In addition to agave juice, the product includes 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. Then such a mixture is distilled. The strength of the resulting tequila reaches 50-55 degrees. It is quite possible to sell a finished drink, but there are manufacturers who, for the sake of increasing the volume of the finished product, lower its strength. To do this, they mix distilled water and alcohol. Mexican law allows dilution of this alcohol to 38 degrees.
Do you need a worm?
Many people, when asked what tequila is, will say that it is a drink in which a special worm is placed in a bottle. All this is a profound error. In fact, the presence of such an extraordinary supplement only worsens the taste of tequila itself and reduces its quality. Some manufacturers resort to this trick only to arouse foreigners' interest in their product. Real tequila, the history of which is described above, was invented without adding any “living creatures”. 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 use Tequila
The use of tequila is a very unusual thing. There are three ways to do this. The first option is used by true connoisseurs and experts on this product. A real, matured drink is slowly sipping one sip to fully enjoy its bouquet. Tequila at room temperature is suitable for this method. Pour alcohol into special piles with a thick bottom. This dish is called caballito, which is translated from Spanish as “little horse”.
There is another traditional method that shows how to drink tequila. Its rules are as follows: the product must be washed down with sangrita. This is a special non-alcoholic drink based on lime juice, tomato juice and incredibly hot Mexican chili peppers. Sometimes sangrita can be so acute that it can compete with the tequila in its effect.
In clubs and bars, another, no less popular option for using tequila is practiced. It is called "lick-knock-down-bite." Its peculiarity is that, in addition to the drink itself, you need a quarter of lime and salt. There is an erotic variation of this option: salt should be licked from the shoulder of a lying woman, a tequila should be drunk from her belly button, and a young lady holds her teeth. The whole procedure is carried out without hands.
Useful Tequila Information
So, we found out what tequila is made of. Its composition was considered above. But there are still some “secrets” that are recommended to every lover of the drink. Thus, the strength of export tequila reaches 38-40%, while the same indicator for domestic consumption can reach 46%. In a bottle with a drink, you can consider the presence of solid small particles. This indicates that the product for preserving the aroma was not filtered before bottling in the container.
This tequila label must bear the Denominacion de Origon label. This is a license from the Government of Mexico to use the name of the drink according to its area of origin. Also on the label should be numbers that are responsible for the quality of the product.
Will there be a hangover
The content of fusel oils is almost not regulated in tequila. 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 the hangover syndrome is guaranteed to her. So it turns out that tequila and a hangover are not compatible things, but there are exceptions to all rules, as you know.
Popular Tequila Brands
In today's market there are some of the most famous brands involved in the production of this product. Tequila Jose Cuervo appeared as a result of the fact that in 1785, Jose Antonio Cuervo bought agave plantations and a small mescal plant. José María, the son of José Antonio, a decade later received from the King of Spain the first document in Jalisco allowing him to make liquor. Then the plant was managed by the children of Jose Maria, but after a while they lost the inheritance of their father, but in 1900 they were restored in 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 - Olmecs. They claimed to be descendants of a jaguar and a mortal girl. According to legend, the blue agave juice was valued by one of the gods. He ordered to drink a wonderful drink only celestials. But after many years, one Aztec peasant gave agave juice to ferment. The drink, despite the ban, was tried by the Emperor Montezume.