ALL ABOUT TEQUILA

Tequila is North America's first distilled spirit, and has been produced in México since shortly after the Spanish conquered the country in the early 1500s.

LOCATION
Tequila is a spirit made from the blue agave plant, primarily in the area surrounding the city of Tequila, 65 kilometers northwest of Guadalajara, and in the highlands (Los Altos) of the western Mexican state of Jalisco.
Mexico has claimed the exclusive international right to the word "tequila", threatening legal actions against manufacturers of distilled blue agave spirits in other countries.

As of October 10, 2011, there are 145 registered tequila distilleries producing 1,181 certified brands.

BLUE AGAVES
The red volcanic soil in the surrounding region is particularly well suited to the growing of the blue agave. Blue agaves grown in the highlands region are sweeter in aroma and taste. Agaves harvested in the lowlands have a more herbaceous fragrance and flavor.

CATEGORIES OF TEQUILA
100% Agave, and Mixted (Mixto).
Tequila 100% Agave is made with only the sugars of the Weber blue agave.
Tequila, commonly called Mixted (Mixto) is made using 51% agave sugars and 49% other sugars. Each of the tequila categories has distinct characteristics.
If the bottle of tequila does not state on the label that it is manufactured from 100% blue agave (no sugars added), then, by default, that tequila is a mixto

PRODUCTION
Harvesting the agave plant remains a manual effort, unchanged by modern farming technologies, and stretching back hundreds of years. The agave is planted, tended, and harvested by hand. The men who harvest are called the jimadores.
The piñas, (the core of the plant), weighing 40 to 70 pounds, are cut away with a special knife called a coa.
They are then shredded; their juices pressed out and put into fermentation tanks and vats.
The fermented product is then distilled once to produce what is called "ordinario", a cloudy liquid, and then distilled for a second time to produce clear and silver Tequila.
From there the Tequila is diluted and bottled as “silver Tequila”, or it is pumped into barrels to begin the aging process.

NOM
All authentic, regulated Tequilas will have a NOM identifier on the bottle.
The number after NOM is the distillery number, assigned by the government.
The NOM applies to all processes and activities related to the supply of agave, production, bottling, marketing, information and business practices linked to the distilled alcoholic beverage known as Tequila.
Furthermore, the NOM establishes the technical specifications and legal requirements for the protection of the Appellation of Origin of "Tequila."

TYPES OF TEQUILA
White or Silver ("Blanco" Or "Plata")
This tequila is not normally aged. It is usually bottled straight from the distillation process, but sometimes will be stored in stainless steel tanks. Occasionally it will be left to settle in oak barrels for less than 2 months to increase smoothness.
Joven | Gold (Young and Smoothed)
This tequila is a "Blanco" or "Silver" with added ingredients such as caramel coloring, sugar-based syrups, glycerin and/or oak-tree extracts. These additives are meant to give an "aged" appearance and help reduce the harshness. This tequila is often the type chosen for margaritas or other tequila mixed drinks. They are known as a "mixto"
Reposado (Rested)
The term reposado or rested mandates that the tequila remain in wood for a period of two months but no longer than 12 months. This is a requirement of the Mexican government.The demand and price for reposado has risen sharply in recent history.
Añejo (Vintage or Extra Aged)
Añejo, which means "vintage", can only appear on bottles that contain tequila, aged in oak barrels having a maximum capacity of 600 liters, a minimum of one year, but less than three years. This is a requirement of the Mexican government.
It has a more sophisticated taste, darker color, pronounced wood flavors and a silkier body.
Extra Añejo (Ultra Aged)
This new classification was established in March 2006. This tequila must be aged for a minimum of 3 years. The oak casks or barrels must have a 600 liter maximum capacity, but usually will be smaller than 200 liters.
It is generally very rich in body and flavor with hints of wood, smoke, chocolate and caramel. The price will likely be rich as well.

WAYS TO DRINK
In Mexico, the most traditional way to drink tequila is straight (without lime and salt).
“Sangrita”: a sweet, sour and spicy drink typically made from orange juice, grenadine (or tomato juice), and hot chilies.
“Bandera” (Flag, in Spanish), named after the Flag of Mexico, it consists of three shot glasses, filled with lime juice (for the green), white tequila, and sangrita (for the red).
“Tequila cruda” "lick-shoot-suck". Outside Mexico, a single shot of tequila is often served with salt and a slice of lime.
The drinker moistens the back of their hand below the index finger and pours on the salt. Then the salt is licked off the hand, the tequila is drunk, and the fruit slice is quickly bitten.
In Germany and some other countries, tequila oro (gold) is often consumed with cinnamon on a slice of orange after, while tequila blanco (white) is consumed with salt and lime.

TEQUILA GLASSES
When served neat tequila is most often served in a narrow shot glass called a caballito "Little Horse" in Spanish.
The Tequila Regulatory Council approved an "official tequila glass" in 2002 called the Ouverture Tequila glass, made by Riedel.

"TEQUILA WORM" MYTH
It is a misconception that some tequilas contain a "worm" in the bottle.
The worm is actually the larval form of the moth Hypopta agavis, which lives on the agave plant.