10 Facts About Tequila
Many a night in bars and nightclubs all over the globe, people have done “Tequila shots”. A lick of the salt, a sip of the drink and a suck of the lemon, what ever your process, this is one serious beverage. On Saturday July 24, American’s celebrate National Tequila Day. It’s not a formalized national holiday, but who cares! Don’t complain, just enjoy and drink up at the bar. We’re celebrating in our very own way. Here are ten fun facts you should know about tequila.
One: Never buy tequila that you’ve seen advertised over and over again. So many companies spend way too much cash on TV ads and billboards featuring topless girls holding tequila bottles between their boobs that they forget what really matters – the quality.
Two: Check labels for the “100 percent Agave”. Tequila is made from an Agave plant – a tree generally found in the mountains in the Tequila region of Mexico. It’s pretty safe to suggest that if the label doesn’t say that it’s made from this plant, then its not real tequila.
Three: You should already know this one, but just in case you’ve been living under a rock for the past 100 years, there are three simple steps to shotting tequila. Lick the salt, shot the tequila and suck on a slice of lemon.
Four: Historically, salt and lemons weren’t used in the shotting tradition. Previously, sugar was used instead of salt and oranges rather than lemons were used for sucking.
Five: Tequila can be used in cooking. Try your hand at whipping up beef and tequila stew, margarita steaks, tequila fried shrimp or a tequila salsa.
Six: There are five different types of tequila. Blanco [silver], is a clear, unaged tequila that is normally bottled after being distilled. Joven [gold] is tequila which has not been left to rest or mature, but to which colour and flavourings like caramel and sugar syrup have been added. Reposado [aged], also known as vintage tequila gets this name because it is aged in oak barrels for at least a year – giving a smoother taste. The last two types of tequila are the anejo – one is extra aged, followed by the ultra aged. The difference is that these are generally left to rest for three years and the alcohol content must be diluted by bartenders using water when being prepared for consumption.
Seven: The word tequila is an ancient Nahuatl term. The Nahuatl were the original people who lived in the area of Tequila.
Eight: The famous “worm” that is often found at the bottom of the tequila bottle is actually the larva of one of two moths that live on the agave plant. The worm being in the bottle serves as proof the alcohol is genuine.
Nine: The first bottles of tequila were exported out of Mexico and to other parts of the world including America and Europe in 1876 by what is now one of the hugest tequila companies, Jose Cuervo.
Ten: Tequinis are becoming increasingly popular around the world. This is the tequila version of the martini. Tequila replaces the dry gin.
Happy National Tequila Day!
By Nastasia Campanella
