Luxury Living
May/June 08
In the Spirit
Did you know that Tequila is almost 489 years old? While most of us discovered Tequila at an early age, one thing is certain: depending on your experience that night, you can still drink (or sip) it today or not even be able to smell it!
It’s that bad boy reputation that Tequila doesn’t deserve. It really is a dignified spirit. And today, more than ever, Tequila is getting its just recognition among noble spirit drinkers and you can find a vast array of quantity and quality Tequila producers, with some costing as much as $400 a bottle. So as Aretha sings, give Tequila its R-E-S-P-E-C-T.
Tequila’s discovery was rather inadvertent. It all began back in 1519, when Hernan Cortez entered Tenochtitlan (Mexico City) and was greeted by Montezuma, the Aztec ruler. His men observed the Aztecs consuming Pulque (the fermented juice of the Mezcal plant). In around 1525, the Spanish brought back with them distilling pots and began distilling the Pulque. The spirit was founded. "Tequitlan,” (later shortened by the Spaniards to "Tequila”) is the region where all Tequila is originated.
Tequila must be made with the “blue agave” plant, which aren’t your common house plant. It takes one blue agave about 12 years to grow, and within the plant is a big fat piña (pineapple). It’s the piña, or core, that is really needed to make Tequila. Piñas are looked over by the "Jimador” (farmer), to identify ripe agaves, much like a grape grower in Napa Valley.
If the plant is harvested too soon, there won't be enough sugars to do the job. Too late and the agave's sugars will be too weak. Once the Jimador decides the piñas are at their peak, they are picked, roasted, shredded and pressed for their juices. During fermentation, the yeast acts upon the sugars of the agave plant converting them into alcohol. Then, they are distilled twice in traditional copper stills or more modern stainless steel stills. The first distillation produces a low-grade alcohol and the second a fiery colorless liquid that is later blended before being bottled. At this moment the liquor is no longer mezcal but tequila.
Locals refer to the blue agave plant as "mezcal" and many distillers call the distilled liquor “mescal”.
Remember, it’s only tequila when it is made from the blue agave and from the region of Tequila, everything else is mezcal. Confused? Think in terms of Cognac, in France. Cognac is brandy but not all brandy is Cognac. Sorry to disappoint, but no self respecting tequila producer would stick a worm in any of its bottles. Worms are for mescal.
There are two types of tequila: Tequila 100% Agave, contains sugars exclusively from the blue agave plant and must be bottled at the (Mexican) distillery; Tequila must be made with at least 51 percent blue agave juices and may be exported in bulk to be bottled in other countries.
There are four types of tequila. Blanco (white/silver) is the traditional style – clear, strong and typically consumed from a “caballito,” or 2-ounce glass; oro, or gold, is mellowed a bit by colorants and flavorings (mostly caramel) and is the common Margarita variety; resposado, or rested, has been kept for more than two months (up to a year) to give it a mellower taste and pale color (this type is highly demanded and more expensive); and Añejo, or aged, sits for more than a year and is amber colored with a unique taste.
Obviously tequila is a bit on the high maintenance side, and should be drunk as such. Ideally that means sipped, at room temperature (ice cold is acceptable in some cases), and in a caballito. The 2-ounce glass was made exclusively for this drink.
This information may surprise you if you’re used to the lick, slam, suck method of tequila (lick a spot of salt on your hand, do a shot of tequila, suck a lime), but citrus flavors and salt do complement the liquor well and can be incorporated for any method of consumption.
No matter, there is no right or wrong way to drink tequila, but it would be silly not to include it at your Cinco de Mayo celebrations on May 5 (or at your Memorial Day party or summer get-togethers in general). Viva Tequila!
David McMahon is a certified sommelier and manages Jasons, in Dublin. He is a contributing writer for Luxury Living Magazine.
Some tequila recipes for your Cinco de Mayo parties:
Classic Margarita
(*Note: Always use fresh limes. Bottled lime juice is too sweet)
2 ounces tequila
1 ounce Triple Sec
½ ounce Mexican lime juice
Combine the ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice. Strain the mixture or pour it into a salt-rimmed margarita or martini glass. To get the salt to stick to the glass pour fine salt on a plate, then run a lime wedge around the lip of a Margarita glass and lightly press it against the salt. For a strong agave flavor, use a Blanco tequila. For a milder taste, use Reposado. If you are giving a party use Gold: it's cheaper.
Tequila Sunrise
2 measures of ice-cold tequila
4 measures of orange juice
1 measure of grenadine (or less if you prefer)
Pour orange juice in a highball glass and then pour tequila slowly tilting the glass to get a layered effect. Trickle grenadine on top. You should get a perfect sunrise. Garnish stirrer, straw and cherry-orange. Instead of ice-cold tequila you may use ice cubes.
Vampiro (Bloody Mary)
1 ½ ounces tequila
One glass of tomato juice
Add salt, pepper, and Worcestershire sauce to taste
Garnish with a celery stalk and lemon slice.
Blanco 100% agave is great for a Vampiro. It is the drink of choice the morning after a hangover. You may try Clamato instead of tomato juice, or half-and-half. Some people squeeze half a lemon into the mix to add flavor.
Petroleo
1 ½ ounces tequila
1 ounce Mexican lime juice
1 serrano chile halved from top to bottom
Pour the tequila and lime juice into a small glass. Add salt, pepper, Maggi sauce and Worcestershire sauce to taste. Mix ingredients. Add one half of the serrano chile and one or two ice cubes. Use Blanco or Reposado tequila.