Tequila is a direct descendant of North America's first distilled spirit, and was around long before any Cinco de Mayo celebration!
Origins of Tequila
The origins of tequila go back far enough that they’re a little murky, but the plant known as agave or maguey was being harvested as far back as the time of the Aztecs. Agave isn’t actually a cactus, botanically it is a member of the lily family, and it was used for food and for fiber. The sap from the heart of the maguey had long been fermented into an alcoholic beverage called pulque by the time the Conquistadors arrived. In fact, Cortez described pulque in his first letter back to King Carlos V.
The Conquistadors even tried to send pulque back to Spain, but it’s not likely that it would have been drinkable by the time it made it back, since it was fermented but not distilled. It was only a matter of a few decades before the Spaniards learned to distill the pulque into what is called mezcal (or mescal). Mezcal has several advantages over pulque – not only is it easier to preserve, but it’s twice as potent.
Tequila or Mezcal?
For most Americans, thoughts of mezcal include the mental image of a worm floating in the bottom of the tequila bottle. Yes and no. All tequila is mezcal, but not all mezcal is tequila. There are some differences in the production of tequila and mezcal – for tequila, the agave is usually baked in a steam oven or an autoclave, while the agave used in mezcal is traditionally baked in underground ovens fired with wood charcoal. The pulque is distilled once to make mezcal, while tequila is more often distilled two times. And the infamous worm? It’s actually the larva of one of two varieties of moth that lives on the agave plant, and can only be placed in mezcal – never in tequila.
But the biggest difference between tequila and mezcal has to be the agave. Mezcal can be produced from any of eight species of agave. Tequila can only be produced from one variety of agave, the famed blue agave - Agave Tequiliana Weber. In addition, tequila can only distilled in the state of Jalisco and a few surrounding areas.
To be labeled tequila, at least 51% of the fermented sugars came from the blue agave; the remainder may include cane or brown sugar. The tequilas containing a combination of sugars are labeled mixto, or mixed, and are considered the less-than-premium spirits. The Tequila Regulatory Council, which oversees tequila production, allows these tequilas to be exported in barrels and bottled abroad. Premium, top shelf tequilas, however, are produced from 100% blue agave. These tequilas are smoother and more flavorful, and must be bottled within Mexico.
Tequila Classifications
There are also four classifications to keep in mind when you’re looking for a premium tequila. These classifications can be either mixto or 100% agave.
Silver or Blanco tequilas are clear, and have been aged little, if at all – no more than 60 days in stainless steel tanks. Gold tequila is simply an unaged silver tequila that has been colored and flavored with caramel.
Reposado, or rested, tequila has been aged in wooden tanks or casks for a minimum of two months, with higher quality brands being aged 3 to 9 months. These are the best-selling tequilas in Mexico.
Anejo, or old tequila, is aged in wooden barrels, usually old bourbon barrels, for a minimum of 12 months. The best quality anejos are age 18 to 36 months for mixtos, or up to four years for 100% agaves.
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Why not enjoy an incredible margarita or a delicious tequila cocktail?
