TEQUILA

 

TEQUILA

 

• Believed to be the first spirit made in the Americas
• Jalisco town of tequila
• National drink of Mexico
• Legally made in and around the town of Tequila
• Made from a cactus:  agave tequilana weber / azul

            (also known as the Blue Agave / Century Plant / American Aloe / Mezcal)

 

HARVESTING

 

• Looks like pineapple, locals call pina.
• Harvested by jimadors.
• The spiky leaves are removed to get to the heart of the fruit known as pina.
• It weighs 40-70 pounds.

 

MANUFACTURING PROCESS

 

The plant takes about 10-12 years to mature

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The ‘pineapple’ is split and oven-steamed

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Sweet sap (aguamiel) is extracted and yeast is added

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Fermentation takes about 2½ days

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Distilled twice in pot still

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Diluted with distilled water

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•         Silver (unaged ones are bottled immediately)

•         Aged ones take on a golden hue

 

Composition

 

• By law Minimum 51% blue agave

 

• TWO TYPES

 

• Mixto – It is tequila distilled from wash obtained from a minimum of 51% of agave tequilana sugar and maximum of 49% of other sugar.
• 100% Agave – This tequila has 100% distillate from agave tequila weber.

 

 

CATEGORIES

 

• JOVEN ABOGADO – ‘Young and Adulterated’. Not aged, Not from 100% agave. Example of Mixto.
• BLANCO (Plata/Silver) – Maximum aging 2 months. Generally un-aged.
• REPOSADO (Rested/Aged) – Rested for a period of two months to one year.
• ANEJO (Aged) – Aged for minimum of one year but less than three years.
• EXTRA ANEJO (Extra Aged) – Aged minimum three years in oak casks.
• ORO (Gold) – It is a blend of plata with reposado. Often caramel is added.

 

BRAND NAMES

 

• JOSE CUERVO
• SAUZA
• SAUZA ESPECIAL
• PEPE LOPEZ
• ARANDAS
• 1800
• ESPOLON
• AZTECA
• PARTIDA
• EL TOSORO DON FELIPE
• MONTEZUMA
• CAMINO

 

POPULAR TEQUILA COCKTAILS

 

• LONG ISLAND ICE TEA
• TEQUILA SUNRISE
• TEQUILA CRUDA