24 July is the perfect opportunity to grab the lime and salt, and celebrate National Tequila Day!
Tequila, made from the blue Agave plant, has a long history. Named after the small town of Tequila, which is situated in a valley west of Guadalajara in Jalisco, Mexico, the spirit was known as mezcal wine around the time the Conquistadors came to the continent.
Many of the names on the labels of tequila today are those of the very first commercial producers of the spirit. In fact, José Antonio Cuervo held the first licence for manufacturing the favoured beverage, courtesy of the King of Spain. He kept well-known company in the form of Don Cenobio Suaza and Félix Lopez, who were also producers of tequila. Their businesses still exist in some form today.
Agave grows in a variety of forms, and blue agave – grown in the lowland regions – are larger in size and sweeter in aroma and taste, and have a more herbaceous fragrance and flavour. Like similar legislation for bourbon and cognac, Mexican law states that tequila is only tequila if it was produced within Jalisco and limited regions in the states of Guanajuato, Michoacan, Nayarit and Tamaulipas. Even if the same ingredients are distilled anywhere else, the result is not tequila.
While many have enjoyed tequila cocktails such as the margarita, tequila sunrise and mojito, a good tequila can be savoured like a good whisky. Tequila is experiencing a renaissance of sorts, as savvy drinkers discover it does not have to be the fire-water of our youth.
Enjoy National Tequila Day with some friends, but remember to always drink responsibly and to not drink and drive.
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