Tequila is a beverage of ancestral origin. It has been produced since the sixteenth century (around 1538). It takes its name after the region where it was born. Therefore, Tequila is also the name of the town that gave rise to this spirit. A large number of factories that produce this beverage are settled in this town.
The Nahuatl origin (tequitl: work or trade; tlan: place) of the word, makes reference to a place of work. However, a complementary version of the origin of the word, makes reference to the rock that is typical of that region: obsidian. These rocks that were carved to be used as a tools, were known as tecatlis, and the person who handled them was called tecuilo. Thus, it became a habit to first call this place Tecuila and later in time, Tequila.
Among the legends that explain the origins of this drink, there is one that says that tequila was discovered during a thunderstorm, when lightning struck a crop of agaves and because of its intensity, caused a fire. The vapors that were produced heated the agave it produced at honey of sweet taste and pleasant aroma, which caught the attention of the natives.
They also discovered that, when fermented, it had relaxing powers and produced effects of euphoria when drinking it. Thus, Mexican natives considered this beverage a gift from the gods of drunkenness. This explains why we can see Bacchus God in many of the paintings that make reference to this beverage.
In the first decades after the conquest of America, the drink came forth as a fermentation from the agave plant and later, with the Arab and Hispanic influence, it was distilled in the stills that were just introduced to the continent. For many years, it was known as mezcal wine or mezcal tequila, since mezcal was one of the names of agave.
Story tells that the one who first named this beverage Tequila, was one of the most important tequila producers, Don Cenobio Sauza, who changed the name from mezcal wine or mezcal tequila to Tequila.
Tequila comes from a plant that belongs to the agavaceae family, the Weber Tequilana Agave, blue variety. There are around 295 different agave species but only one may can be used for this drink. Mezcal and Pulque are beverages made from other species of agave that are not Tequila's. So this would be the main difference between tequila, mezcal and pulque.
Tequila is a Denomination of Origin (DOT) product, which gives the drink the exclusiveness of being elaborated in certain regions of Mexico only, those that are among the denomination of origin. These are: Jalisco, part of Nayarit, part of Michoacán, part of guanajuato and part of Tamaulipas.
Tequila is defined as a mixture of alcohols that come from the fermentation and distillation of agave musts. How many tequilas are there?
Caramel coloring
Oak extract or natural pinewood
Glicerine
Sugar based syrup
Rested tequila: This product goes through a maturation process in wooden containers called pipones for at least 2 months, 12 months at the most. These pipones are made of oak wood and have no more than a 600 lt of capacity. This tequila might also be softened.
Now that you know more about the kinds and types of tequilas, it'll be easier for you to decide which tequila do you like best.
In my next blog post, I will talk about a few myths that surround this drink. Don't miss it!
Come to Casa Sauza and learn all about the way we produce each kind of tequila.