| 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). | 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. | TYPES AND 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). |
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