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Easily one of the most popular spirits categories, tequila is a favorite of imbibers all over the world. Made exclusively from blue agave, this liquid can only be made in five states in Mexico. The name tequila itself is after a Mexican town thats just northwest of Guadalajara which is in Jalisco, one of the states where making tequila is authorized. Other states that can produce tequila are Michoacn, Tamaulipas, Guanajuato, and Nayarit.

History of Tequila

The history of Mexican agave spirits dates back to around 250-300 AD when its said that the Aztecs created pulque which was a cloudy, slightly sour tasting alcohol drink made from the extraction of the sweet sap from the plants hearts and fermenting it. This beverage was considered sacred and used as such. In the 16th century, Spanish conquistadors who found themselves in Mexico with a shortage of brandy decided to distill the pulque leading to the creation of tequila.

Today, there are over 22,000 registered agave farmers in the DOC Tequila region cultivating several hundred million agave plants over 125,000 hectares.

What is Tequila?

There are 166 different species of agave, 125 of which can be found in Mexico but only the Weber Blue (named in honor of the German botanist who classified the species in 1905 due to the slight blue hue) can be used to make tequila. More than 300 million of these plants are harvested every year and need at least six years to mature before they can be used for tequila, making the tequila process a very long one.

Once the blue agave plant matures it will produce a single flower before dying, but just as the flower begins to bloom, harvesters called jimadors cut off the shoot with a sharp curved tool called a coa, preserving the starch stored in the heart of the plant. These hearts look like pineapples and are called pias. Once they are trimmed properly they are roasted in ovens called hornos for 24 to 48 hours causing the starches to turn into fermentable sugar.

From here it goes into fermentation tanks for 24 to 96 hours. This liquid has a 6% alcohol content which then has to be distilled a minimum of two times by a combination of pot and column stills made of copper or more commonly stainless-steel. The resulting alcohol content varies between 70 and 110 proof and thats considered tequila blanco. Aging and barreling are then used to mature this tequila to make other variations and styles.

Regulations

Tequila is held to strict standards and regulations set by the Mexican government. Those that adhere to these regulations are authenticated by the Tequila Regulatory Council (CRT) and carry a NOM number (Norma Oficial Mexicana) on each bottles label identifying the distillery.

Additionally the tequila must be made from a minimum of 51% Blue Agave, with the remainder allowed to be made up of a neutral spirit made from cane sugar juice. Those that are 100% Blue Agave are labelled as such while those made with less than 100% are called mixto. All tequilas must be made from 100% natural ingredients and be a minimum of 38% alcohol.

Types of Tequila:

  • Blanco or plata has 1 to 59 days of maturation and can be bottled directly after distillation or rested in stainless steel or neutral oak barrels to allow oxidisation for up to two months.
  • Joven sometimes blends of unaged and aged tequilas but more commonly unaged tequilas produced in the same way as blancos but given a golden hue from the addition of colouring and additives for flavor
  • Reposado has at least 60 days of maturation, but no more than one year. It must be aged in oak barrels.
  • Aejo must be aged in oak casks with a maximum capacity of 600 liters for at least one year, or between one and three years.
  • Extra Aejo must be aged at least three years in oak barrels with a maximum capacity of 600 liters.
  • Cristalino - a newer category thats made using essentially aged (Reposado, Aejo, or Extra Aejo) tequila thats been filtered, often through charcoal (or redistillation), that aims to remove the naturally occurring colors it picks up from spending time in the barrel.

How To Drink Tequila

Tequila can be sipped neat or on the rocks and also in cocktails. Some popular tequila-based cocktails include:

  • Patron Perfect Margarita
  • Tequila Sunrise
  • Perfect Paloma
  • Bloody Maria
  • Ranch Water
  • Tequila Slammer Shot