Tequila is a strong alcoholic distillate produced in the Mexican city of the same name. Many people think that it is made from a cactus, but this is a delusion. It is the blue agave that is the main ingredient for the production of the drink. There are 6 types of tequila, and its strength is from 35 to 55 percent. What other interesting facts about this alcohol exist, how to choose and drink it correctly, we propose to find out.
Mexican vodka: interesting to know
Real mezcal is made only from the juice of the blue agave core, which can weigh up to 90 kilograms. According to Mexican law, tequila must contain at least 51 percent of the plant’s juice.
Planting, care and harvesting are carried out manually by specially trained people – jimadors. The experience of these specialists is literally inherited. It is they who regularly cut the stems of the plant, preventing its early flowering and death, and also determine when the agave is suitable for harvesting.
The mined leaves are slowly baked, and then crushed with a stone wheel. Yeast, water, sugar are added to the obtained juice from the core and fermented in wooden or steel vats. At the output, they have a wort, subject it to a double distillation and get a transparent “silver” tequila.
Just as France is considered the birthplace of real champagne, Mexico is the place of production of an alcoholic drink. Vodka is produced in five states of the country, most of the products are made in Jalisco.
In Mexico, the drink is served in its original form, in other countries it is drunk with salt and lime. Interestingly, this method was associated with an influenza epidemic, and drinking alcohol in this way was allegedly considered an excellent prevention of the disease, which, of course, is not reliable.
A corked bottle of drink is stored for a long time, but after opening it is better not to keep it for a long time, otherwise the quality of the mezcal will drop, the distillate will oxidize and begin to evaporate, especially if stored incorrectly.
José Cuervo is the first person to link the production of Mexican vodka with commerce. This is a household name, no less famous than Jim Beam, Jack Daniels or Captain Morgan. It is Jose Cuervo tequila that is considered not only the oldest, but also the best-selling brand in the world.
Agave drink: features of choice
- The distillate produced in Mexico has a barcode starting with the numbers 750.
- An important inscription on the drink label is the NOM-identifier, which guarantees compliance with quality standards.
- The original bottles of Mexican vodka always indicate the percentage of agave juice and the aging time. The best brands are labeled 100% Blue Agave and synonymous with it.
- The abbreviation DO is another indicator of quality. This means that geographic standards were not violated during manufacture.
Tequila: how to drink
If we discard the traditional Mexican way of drinking this type of alcohol in its original form in one gulp, as well as the European one with salt and lime, you can learn something new:
- special connoisseurs, having drained the glass to the bottom, wash down the distillate with sangrita – a peppery-salty mixture of tomato and orange juices;
- “Tequila Boom”, or “Rapido” – a foamy mixture of mezcal and tonic, which is quickly drunk after the glass, covered with a palm, hits the table surface with force;
- thrill-seekers will surely like to eat a small chili pepper before drinking vodka;
- as an appetizer for a drink and a pleasant aftertaste, an orange cut into half rings and rolled in cinnamon sugar is ideal;
- “Banderita” – a method in which glasses are alternately drunk with sangrita, tequila and lime juice, while the colors of the drinks imitate the flag of Mexico in this sequence;
- 330 ml of light beer combined with 33 ml of mescal is the choice of extreme sports lovers: it quickly intoxicates and in the USA it has the nickname “Fog”;
- “Tequila Gold” – a particularly refined combination of vodka with caramel, ideal for girls or gourmets;
- The most theatrical way of drinking, when 6 shots of alcohol are placed in a row and the drinker makes a howl of a wolf after each shot, this method is also called “wolf”.
Alcohol is used as an aperitif or digestif, drink only cold!