Uno Mas!

Tequila, the land and the legacy

By Craig R. Carey and Jerry P. Pietrzak

Easily the best-known drink to hail for Mexico, tequila is a spirit distilled from fermented agave azul (blue agave), a yucca-like succulent native to the highlands of Jalisco. And though often associated with wild college students and wayward rockers and the excess-laden party scenes, the bleary-eyed and raucous images of tequila consumption betray the spirit’s long cultural history, one interwoven with that of the Spanish conquistadores and the indigenous cultures of Mexico.

Long before the arrival of Europeans, the Aztecs produced a drink of fermented blue agave sap known as octli, and the Mayans a similar drink know as pulque.

When Spanish brandy supplies began to dwindle in the New World (and a source of fermentable sugars needed to be found), the Spaniards who explored the Jalisco region in the early-and mid-1500s distilled the native pulque to their satisfaction. They eventually concluded that the blue agave growing in the rich volcanic soils above present-day Guadalajara yielded the most desirable results, and called it mezcal wine.

With this practice established, North America had its first distilled spirit. The rest, as they say, is history.

At the dawn of the seventeenth century the Marquis of Altamira, Pedro Sanchez de Tagle, began the first mass-production of the spirit in Jalisco.

As with all spirits, the quality and taste of tequila varies despite the shared origins and process. Labels such as Jose Cuervo and its nearest competitor, Sauza, dominate the popular tequila scene and account for the vat majority of the 10 million-plus cases sold in the United States last year. A number of premium labels (e.g., El Tesoro, Don Julio, Patron, etc.) cater to more discerning clientele (Patron is likely the best-known of these, enjoying heavy marketing and exposure stateside).

A bottle of tequila can be as many as 20 years in the making. The majority of this time investment is in the blue agave itself, which usually takes from seven to 12 years to grow from a 10-20 inch offshoot to a full-sized agave nearing six feet tall. Growing the blue agave is labor-intensive, with the planting, tending, and harvesting done by hand. The laborers who tend the fields – agaveros or magueyeros – are part of a centuries-old tradition.

Once ripe, the agave is harvested. If harvested too early, there will be less sugar; too late, and the plant begins to convert stored energy into a single stalk (quiote) between 15 and 30 feet high, which then flowers and releases seeds. In harvesting the agave, a jimador wields a long-handled tool called a coa to remove the spiny leaves of the agave, quickly reducing it to its core. Called piñas for their resemblance to pineapples, these cores are the basis for tequila production. In the lowland areas around Tequila, piñas may run from 50 to 150 pounds, while piñas from the highland areas run larger—from 150 to 250 pounds. Approximately 15 pounds of piña will produce one liter of 100% agave tequila.

Once harvested, the piñas are transported to the distillery and chopped into halves or quarters depending on their size. Before the sectioned piñas are stacked into ovens for baking, the top of the piña—the corta, where the quiote would sprout— is removed so as to not impart a bitter taste to the final product. The cooking ovens (hornos) used today are above-ground steam affairs of brick, stone, or stainless steel.

Some distilleries pre-cook the piñas for a few hours to allow waxes and other bitters to run off. After draining this liquid from the ovens, the piñas are allowed to cook anywhere from 12 to 72 hours—shorter times for the more efficient stainless steel ovens, longer for older ovens. Baking reduces the firm white core of the piña to a sweet, softened golden mass.

The baked piñas are shredded and mashed— sometimes by old stone horse-driven mills—and the pulp is pressed. The resulting liquid is mixed with water and transferred to fermenting vessels. Yeast is typically added—as with beer, each maker has their own closely-guarded strains—but the occasional distiller lets the natural yeast found in the agave (as many as 40 strains) run their course. This is allowed to ferment for 24-48 hours before being distilled twice to produce a liquid around 110 proof. Mixing with water brings it to the standard range of 76-90 proof. From here the tequila is either bottled or transferred to casks for aging.

Drinking tequila is often a relatively simple matter, but as with any spirit, there are countless recipes. In Mexico, tequila is typically a sipped shot, often accompanied by sangrita, or perhaps a simple slice of lime, and enjoyed with spicy food. The two most popular mixed drinks are the margarita (tequila, fruit juice, and crushed ice, served in a salt-rimmed glass) and the tequila sunrise (tequila, orange juice, and grenadine).

¡Salud!

Cual Esta En Un Nombre

Not all spirits distilled from agave can by rights be called tequila.

Akin to the French laws mandating only the sparkling wine from the Champagne region can be called “champagne,” so too do Mexican regulations limit those products that can be called “tequila.” Primary among these regulations is that the agave must be grown and processed in the state of Jalisco or designated swathes of four neighboring states (Michoacan, Nayarit, Tamaulipas, and Gaunajuato). The region is roughly centered around the original town of Tequila (about 45 miles northwest of Guadalajara) for which the spirit is named.

In the nascent days of government regulations, all tequilas were derived from a 100% blue agave base. In 1930, however, agave crop yields were low, and the Mexican government relaxed regulations, its sugar base was a minimum of 51% blue agave. For many years Herradura (recently purchased by spirits heavyweight Brown-Forman) was the only 100% blue agave tequila available in the States. The best labels today are 100%, and proudly advertise the fact. 

Agave-based spirits not meeting these requirements are the “sparkling wine” of the industry, and are known as mezcal.

“sin gusano”

The concept of a worm in one’s tequila is a novelty not “properly” associated with true tequila but rather some other forms of mezcal—the worm (gusano) in question being the larvae of either of two kinds of North American moths. The presence of larvae in the agave is generally an indicator of infestation, and not something los magueyeros wish to discover, as it is often a sign of a low-quality crop. Inclusion of the worm began with—and is still considered by many—to be a marketing ploy.

aging

Mexican law divides true tequila into five different classiffications.

Blanco (or plata), is colorless and bottled or stored immediately after distillation (or aged no longer than two months in oak).

Oro is blanco blended with aged tequilas or other additives so as to resemble aged tequila.

Reposado (“rested”) is aged at least two months, but less than one year in oak barrels.

Añejo is aged in oak barrels one to three years.

The recently-designated extra añejo is aged a minimum of three years in oak barrels.

The barrels used in aging tequila vary widely, each imparting a unique character: American or French oak barrels, as well as barrels previously used for whisky, bourbon, sherry, and even red wine can be used..