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Talk tequila:Join the Blue Agave discussion forum to ask questions, make comments, vote in polls, rate your favourite tequilas, read up-to-date industry news, or simply meet other tequila aficionados.
Tequila sips:"Tequila reminds us of a particular world, a world that was born of shared imagination - a wild, rural landscape of robust men on horseback, accustomed to difficult tasks... A powerful shadow, that of the mountain also called Tequila, falls over this great region. That terrain of hard beauty is as hypnotizing to contemporary travellers as it was in centuries past. " From Jalisco, Tierra del Tequila, published by Artes Mexico, 1995.
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About meI am a Canadian writer and editor, with a passion for history, sociology and the sciences. Click this link to read my biography, and this one to see some of my other web sites.
Updated May, 2011
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An introduction to the spirits of the agave
This site offers a comprehensive look at the Mexican drink called
tequila - with individual sections (pages) on tequila's production,
history, lore, culture, the agave and much more. Just click on the menu above or
the links on the left to
read about some of the myths and legends surrounding tequila; about the
tequila industry, or to peer into the Mexican home of tequila:
Jalisco state. Along the way you will read personal notes, news,
trivia, and production data. I also look at tequila's sister drink,
mezcal, as well as its predecessor, pulque, with some asides on
other regional Mexican drinks like bacanora and sotol. There are copious references
and links to my sources, including links to recipes, drink mixes,
margaritas, industry sites, and other tequila fans. I hope you enjoy
reading this as much as I have enjoyed writing and researching it.
Please email me with corrections, updates and any related news or
relevant links. For
up-to-date tequila industry news, see the
news section in the forum.
You can also post your comments, share opinions, rate tequilas and ask questions
on my discussion forum. "Tequila is Mexico," said Carmelita Roman, widow of the late tequila
producer Jesus Lopez Roman in an interview after her husband's
murder. "It's the only product that identifies us as a culture."
No other drink is surrounded by as many stories, myths, legends and
lore as tequila and its companion, mezcal. Tequila transcends simple
definition by reaching into the heart of Mexico, past and present.
It blends indigenous and Spanish cultures with Filipino and Arabian
technology. The turbulent history of Mexico is paralleled in the stories of
tequila and mezcal. One cannot fully appreciate Mexico without some
understanding of tequila's place in its history and culture.
Tequila is easily the most evocative word in the lexicon of
drinkers. It conjures images of Pancho Villa's men riding the dusty
roads, of dry plains and sullen volcanoes, of brightly-dressed
señoritas whirling in a traditional dance. But it also suggests
images of pop stars, emerald margaritas, and endless parties. At its most basic, tequila is an alcoholic, distilled drink made in the arid
highlands of central Mexico, from fermented and distilled sap of one
species of agave (also called a
maguey), an indigenous plant (a succulent related to the lily family,
not a cactus).
Archeologists say agaves have been cultivated for at least 9,000
years, and used as food for even longer. The agave has woven its fibres through the entire course of
Mexican history.
'Tequila wine' was first made by the Conquistadors within a few
decades of their arrival. They
discovered a fermented native drink made from the agave, called
pulque,
and soon found a way to distill the syrup of various agaves (aguamiel) into a stronger spirit. In
almost 500 years following the Conquest, tequila has become an icon of
Mexican nationality, pride and culture, recognized worldwide. Today,
most of it is made in Jalisco state around the towns of
Tequila and Arandas, using only one species of plant:
the blue agave. Tequila is an androgynous word, being written as both el tequila and la
tequila in Spanish; masculine and feminine (although the masculine form is more
commonly used). Tequila is technically a mezcal, as are all agave spirits, but it is limited as to where it can
be produced and where its source agave can be grown. Like cognac is a brandy from a specific region of France, tequila
is a mezcal from a specific region of Mexico. In Tequila: Panegyric and Emblem, the Mexican poet Alvaro
Mutis wrote:
Tequila has no history; there are no anecdotes confirming its birth. Translated by Mark Schafer, from issue 27, Artes de México
magazine.) According to the International Wines & Spirits Record (IWSR), Adams Handbook, Many visitors to the east coast of Mexico - the Mayan Riviera and Cancun -
get tours through what they believe is a "tequila" factory. It isn't. It may be
a mezcal distillery, or it may produce another regional spirit. It is NOT
tequila, no matter what the guide tells you. Tequila is not made in the states
of Yucatan or Quintana Roo and the closest tequila factory is more than 1,000
miles away. But tequila is not simply a drink: it is a culture, it is an emblem, it is a
rallying call for Mexican identity. It is a tradition and heritage, it is about
families and feuds, about land and politics, and it is an economic force. For
all the marketing and the hype, the advertising and the promotion, tequila still
retains its magic after its 400-plus year journey to get to this point. 2009: World Tequila
Conference, Sept. 13-18, Guadalajara. Click for more
information. (also spelled mescal) is a related distilled
spirit, and is the older form of the name for
all tequila as well. The name for the product made in Jalisco state -
tequila - was
adopted in the late 19th century.
Mezcal is actually a generic word that covers a wide range of distilled agave
spirits that are made in every Mexican state except Veracruz, Quintana Roo,
Campeche and Baja California. It is not a singular product, but should be
considered in the plural - mezcals (Sp. mezcales). Technically, all tequilas are mezcals, which were also known as mezcal wines and mezcal brandies
before the name tequila became common and replaced mezcal for that
one particular type of mezcal. Today they are distinct
products, differentiated by production process, place of origin and taste, much the
same way rye whiskey and Scotch whisky differ. Most mezcal is made in
Oaxaca state today, although some (mostly regional and not for
export) is also made in Guerrero, Zacatecas, and other states.
Mezcal has its own magic and mystery. It retains its traditions as a
'people's drink' - made in tiny operations that have hardly changed over the
intervening centuries. Slow to modernize, family run, tiny output, mezcal is
still at the heart and soul of ancient Mexico and her traditions. No other
spirit in the world comes from such a wide natural and cultural array as do
mezcals. There is a separate section for mezcal
on this site. To help me defray costs of maintaining this site, I would
very much appreciate your donation. Use the Paypal button above (or make any online payment service
payment through Paypal directly to
ichadwick@rogers.com). Cheques and money orders are
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