Tequila

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Tequila is a type of distilled beverage with a very potent alcohol content. It is so named because it is made chiefly in a town called Tequila in Jalisco, Mexico. It is made from a plant native to Mexico, known as agave (also called maguey). This plant is similar to a lily.

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Types

Conventional Tequila is of four kinds :

  • Plata or Blanca – This is also called silver Tequila and is not aged for more than a couple of months and is colorless.
  • Oro or Javen Abocado - This is also called gold Tequila and “bottled when young”. It may be colored silver tequila made to resemble the aged variety.
  • Reposado – “Rested Tequila”. This type is usually aged for about one year and slightly dark in color.
  • Añejo – “Vintage” or aged tequila. Usually aged between 1 and 3 years and darker in color.
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Drinks

Tequila is mixed in various drinks, some of which are :

  • Margarita
  • Sangrita
  • Tequila Martini
  • Tequila Sunrise
  • Tequila Sunset
  • Brave Bull
  • Tequila Martini
  • Tequila Slammer
  • Tequila Macho

Tequila is also drunk neat in one shot Hollywood style. It is served with a salt and a slice of lime. This is known as “tequila cruda”.

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Origin

Tequila can be traced back to the 1700s to a city known by the same name. In 1600, the Marquis of Altamira, Don Pedro Sánchez de Tagle, opened the first tequila factory in Jalisco, Mexico. The tequila, as we know it today, began being manufactured in Guadalajara, Mexico in early 1800s.

The corporate world discovered tequila as a premium drink as late as the 1990s. Today, most of the popular tequila brands are owned by multinational corporations. Some of them are Cuervo, Cazadores and Sauza. There are over 600 varieties of tequila available and over 100 distilleries in Mexico alone.

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Tequila Trade Agrrement, 2006

USA and Mexico signed an agreement on 17th January 2006 which permitted the bulk import of tequila into USA. Without this, it would entirely have to be bottled in Mexico.

The salient features of the agreement include :

  • Relaxation of restriction on tequila exports to USA
  • 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 practices which addressed Mexican concerns regarding manufacture of tequila in USA
  • Establishment of a working group to look over the implementation of the terms of the agreement.
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