tequila - Blue Agave Forum

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T h e P o c k e t G u i d e To
TEQUILA
Includes Mezcal & Pulque
by Ian Chadwick
www.ianchadwick.com/tequila/
I
Table of Contents
Introduction . . . . . . . . . 2
Tequila Myths . . . . . . . . 4
Types of Tequila . . . . . . 6
Tequila Production . . . . 8
Quality Control . . . . . . . 12
Tequila Country . . . . . . 14
Tequila History . . . . . . . 16
News & Events . . . . . . . 20
Drinking & Sangrita . . . 22
Reading the Label . . . . . 24
NOM List . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Margaritas. . . . . . . . . . . 30
Tequila Cocktails . . . . . . 32
Cooking with Tequila . . 34
Mezcal. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Pulque. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Other Spirits . . . . . . . . . 42
Links & Resources. . . . . 43
Glossary . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Based on: www.ianchadwick.com/tequila
Join the Blue Agave Forum for tequila camaraderie at:
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Foreword: 2011
t’s been almost
20 years since I
first started
spreading the word
online about tequila,
and almost 30 since I
discovered good, 100%
agave tequila. This
onscreen guide is the
13th edition, taken
from my web site at www.ianchadwick.com/tequila.
My interest in tequila as both a drink and a cultural icon
came through visits to Mexico for three decades. I learned to
appreciate Mexico’s rich culture and community, and enjoy
the beauty of its national drinks. I hope this guide also helps
you to enjoy them. I owe a debt of gratitude to many people
for their help and support, including Robert Denton, Ron
Cooper of Del Maguey Mezcal, Dave Yan, Dr. Ana Valanzuela
Zapata, the many generous, gracious hosts on our Blue
Agave Forum tours, and my friends and moderators on the
Blue Agave tequila forum: Reifer, Mike Morales, *45*, Don
Azulito, Wichie13 and CaliTequilaSipperGirl, Lippy: great
friends and helpers. And thanks to the many distillers and
distributors of fine tequila. Salud!
Dedicated with love to my wife, Susan, whose
patience, editorial guidance and support has helped
keep me focused on what really matters in life.
Copyright © 1999-2013 Ian Chadwick [email protected]
ISBN: 978-0-9920214-0-5
The Pocket Guide to Tequila
The Pocket Guide to Tequila - 1
Introduction - 1
Introduction - 2
"Tequila is Mexico," said Carmelita Roman, widow of the late
tequila producer Jesus Lopez Roman. "It's the only product that
identifies us as a culture."
Although many brands are
considerably cheaper than in
the US or Canada, premium
brands are expensive (many
premium tequilas are exported
and not even sold in Mexico).
For production blends or
brands from large distilleries
like Sauza, Cuervo, Orendain
and Herradura, try the shops
away from the tourist areas you'll save a lot of money over tourist store prices. Airport 'dutyfree' shops are more expensive than anywhere else and their
selection is usually limited to large distilleries - but they may have
a rare, expensive reserva de casa no one stocks locally. Remember
that US and Canadian Customs have regulations on how much
you can bring back without paying duty.
Your best bet for the combination of selection and price are
stores that specialize in vinos y licores. Their price may not be the
lowest, but they usually have the most variety. Check them all out
first, make notes of the prices for the brands you plan to buy, and
then make your purchases where the value is best. You may even
find some liquor wholesalers that sell to the bars and retaillers in
the town.
Look for a set of caballitos - traditional tequila glasses, also
called tequilitos. The best allow
you to see the colour of the tequila
through the glass. Many gift shops
have handmade glasses. Some
have small glass maguey or cactus
ornaments inside - make sure the
decorations are solidly made and
that glass slivers won't break off
when you're drinking!
N
o other drink is surrounded by as many stories, myths,
legends and lore as tequila. Tequila, and its companion
mezcal, transcend simple definition by reaching into the
heart of Mexico, past and present, mixing cultures and
communities. The turbulent history of Mexico is paralleled in the
stories of tequila and mezcal, even today.
Tequila is an alcoholic drink made in the
arid highlands of central Mexico, from
fermented and distilled sap of the agave, an
indigenous succulent (not a cactus).
Archeologists say agave has been cultivated for
at least 9,000 years.
‘Tequila wine’ was first made by the
Conquistadors, who distilled it from a
native agave drink called pulque. In the
400 years following, it has become an
icon of Mexican nationality, pride and
culture, recognized worldwide.
In Tequila: Panegyric and
Emblem, the Mexican poet Alvaro Mutis
wrote: “Tequila has no history; there are
no anecdotes confirming its birth. This is
how it’s been since the beginning of time, for tequila is a gift from
the gods and they don’t tend to offer fables when bestowing
favours. That is the job of mortals, the children of panic and
tradition.”
Translated by Mark Schafer. From issue 27, Artes de México.
You can buy tequila in hundreds of places in Mexico, including
pharmacies, grocery stores and specialty outlets - licorerías. Local
corner stores as small as a closet usually have a selection, which
may be surprisingly better than that in
some large shops, and a lot cheaper.
Tequila Myths - 1
Myth 1: The worm
There is no worm in
Mexican-bottled tequila and it
is not a Mexican tradition.
There never has been a worm
in tequila. Mexican law doesn’t
allow it! There is a ‘worm’ - a
gusano; really a butterfly
caterpillar - in some bottles of
mezcal, (but generally not in
premium brands). You may also get a small bag of 'worm salt' dried gusano, salt, and chile powder with some mezcal. But NO
WORM in tequila!
Myth 2: Tequila is made from cactus
Tequila is made from distilled sap
from the hearts (piñas) of the mature
agave or maguey plant. This plant is a
succulent (not a cactus) related to the
lily and amaryllis. Of the 136 species of
agave in Mexico, only the blue agave agave tequilana weber azul - is allowed
for use in tequila production, and only
from specified growing areas. Tequila can
only be made in Mexico.
X
Myth 3: Tequila and mezcal are the same
Tequila is a type of mezcal, but mezcals are not necessarily
tequilas. They both derive from varieties of the agave plant.
Despite many similarities, tequila and mezcal are as different
today as Scotch whisky and rye. Most commercial mezcal is
produced in Oaxaca state, while most tequila is made in or near
Jalisco. Production processes are also very different - obvious in
their resulting tastes.
Tequila Myths - 2
Myth 4: Tequila is bottled home brew
Production is tightly controlled by the Mexican government and
the Tequila Regulatory Council
(CRT). Statements made on the
bottle about age, style and
content have legal requirements.
There is also a non-profit council
called the Chamber of Tequila
Producers that regulates the
industry. Most manufacturers
take considerable pride in their
production.
Myth 5: The best tequilas cost the most
Price isn't always a good way to judge the value of things. A
lot of the cost may go to fancy
packaging, designer bottles, large
advertising campaigns and simply
to status and image. There's a
large market of excellent midpriced tequilas available in Mexico.
However, as a general rule,
premium and 100% agave tequilas
cost much more than mixtos, but
they’re worth the difference.
Myth 6: All tequilas are the same
Tequilas vary considerably according to the company making
them, the processes, aging, and the growing environment. The
temperature, soil, types of equipment, age of the plants, how the
heads are baked and how the distilled tequila is aged all affect the
flavour, colour and body. There is a wide variation in tequila
styles like blanco, reposado and añejo - and even more between
100% agave and mixto tequilas.
Types of Tequila - 1
Types of Tequila - 2
here are five types of tequila (see no. 1, above) officially
recognized by Mexican laws. Types 1, 3-5 can be made
with 100% agave. Type 2 is a mixto (not 100% agave). All
tequilas are distilled at least twice, some three times.
1. Blanco or plata is white or silver: Stored less than 60
days in steel tanks, and may be bottled fresh from distillation.
This is generally has more agave nose and is more robust and
peppery sharp than other types. Not aged in wood.
2. Joven abocado is young and smoothed: Basically the
same as blanco, but with colouring and flavouring ingredients
added to make it look aged. These are also called suave or oro
(gold) because of the colouring (usually from added caramel,
almond, vanilla and sometimes oak essence). In the industry
they're known as mixto*, or mixed blends.
3. Reposado means rested: Aged from
two months to up to a year in wooden tanks
or barrels. The tastes become richer and
more complex. The longer the aging, the
darker the colour and the more the wood
affects the flavour. Very popular; reposado
accounts for more than 60% of all tequila
sales in Mexico.
4. Añejo (aged) is vintage: aged in
wood. Many añejos become quite dark and
the influence of the wood is more
pronounced than in the reposado variety. It
is sometimes removed from the barrels and
racked into stainless steel tanks to stop the
aging and alcohol loss.
5. Extra Añejo (Maduro) - ultra aged or extra vintage.
Añejos aged a minimum three years in oak barrels of no more
than 600 litres. Some five- and seven-year-old tequilas are
already on the market, and 10-year tequilas are coming. New
category, introduced in March, 2006.
Unofficial designations
In the past, añejos more than three
years old may have been called muy añejo
or tres añejos by the manufacturers.
Reserva de casa usually means premium,
and may be a limited production variety.
Other unofficial categories include gran
reposado - aged longer than the
minimum - and blanco suave. Types
aside, all tequilas have similar alcohol
content: 38-40% (76-80 proof), similar to
scotch or vodka.
100 per cent agave: The mark of purity
The most important identifier on the label is "100% agave" or
"100% agave azul" - cien por ciento de agave. This means it is
made only from the blue agave plant, approved by government
inspectors to ensure purity, and bottled in Mexico. If it doesn't say
100%, up to 49% of the alcohol can legally be made from nonagave sources - usually cane sugar - and still be called 'tequila.'
Tequila made with less than 100% agave is called “mixto” but
on the label it still says “tequila.”. Mixto uses other sugar during
fermentation, but has less taste than 100% agave sugars. Mixtos
may contain caramel and almond essence for colour and flavour.
Mixto tequilas bottled outside Mexico may not have the same
quality controls on their product. In general, 100 per cent agave
means better quality, flavour, taste and purity. Mixed tequila
drinks (coolers, beers, liqueurs) are made with mixto tequilas or
sometimes just agave flavouring (from syrup).
Flavoured tequila
In March 2006, the CRT allowed a new category of flavoured
(infused) tequilas to be sold by Mexican producers, blending
mixto or even 100% tequilas with various fruit juices, flavours
and colouring. These are expected to open a new market for
younger drinkers who prefer sweet, mixed drinks or coolers.
T
* Mixto is simply called “tequila” today.
Production - 1
Production - 2
equila is made from the
roasted centre (piña) of
the blue agave (maguey)
plant - the agave tequilana weber
azul - one of 136 species of agave
that grow in Mexico). It has a
lifespan of 8-14 years, depending
on soil, climate and cultivation
methods. The agaves used in
mezcal, although similar, may
sometimes be harvested younger
than the tequila agave.
Most of Jalisco state where tequila is made is a high plateau that
averages 7,500 feet above sea level, with sandy, mineral-rich red soil in
the highlands, and black, volcanic earth in the valleys. The agave plants
are grown in cultivated orchards called potreros (pastures, also called
agave fields, or campos de agave and huertas, or groves). Traditional
plantings may have corn and beans growing between the rows. Agaves
are grown from shoots (mecuates or hijuleos) taken from the adult
plants at the start in the rainy
season in their fourth to sixth
year, when the shoots are about
the size of a leek or small onion.
The agave may rarely be grown
from a seed. There can be
anywhere from 1,000 to 2,000
plants in an acre, more in the
highlands.
The agave plant takes at least
eight years to reach the stage
where it is suitable for
fermentation and may be left for
up to 12 before harvesting; the
more mature, the better its
natural sugars. During this time it
is pruned (barbeo), cutting the
points off the leaves with
machetes to
encourage the centre
to grow. Most fields are still handcultivated, using traditional
methods passed down from
generation to generation. Some
fields have three generations of
harvesters (jimadors) working in
them.
Fields are not irrigated; the
plants depend entirely on the
rainy season for moisture.
Experiments with irrigation
showed the larger plants that
resulted did not produce any
more agave sugars.
The part of the plant used for
tequila is the heart or piña (also
called the head, or cabeza), which
looks like a large pineapple. It
starts underground, but soon
pushes its way into the light. A
mature piña weighs 80 to more
than 300 pounds.
Left to grow in the wild, ripe piñas extend a tall shoot, 15 feet high
or more, with pale yellow flowers at the top. The wild flowers are
pollinated by long-nosed bats, and then the plant produces its seeds,
and dies. The young, tender flower stalk is called a quiote, and can be
steamed and eaten. This stalk is not allowed to grow on cultivated
agaves, because it uses up the nutrients in the plant. Without the quiote,
the piña ripens and grows fatter with accumulated nutrients.
When ready for harvesting, the carbohydrate-rich piña is cut from
its root stalk. The jimador (harvester) cuts away the spiky and thorncovered leaves (pencas), using a sharp, long-handled tool called a coa. A
good jimador can harvest more than a ton of piñas in a day. At the
factory (fabrica), the piñas are quartered or halved before baking.
Some distillers ‘pre-cook’ the piñas to rid them of external waxes
and solids that may be retained - these make a bitter or unpleasant
juice. Steam-injected autoclaves used in modern distilleries
also wash away any external materials from the
piñas.
T
Production - 3
Traditional distillers
(tequilleros) let the piñas cook
(steam) in ovens (hornos) for 2436 hours, at 140-185 degrees F
to process the natural juices and
soften the fibres. The low
temperature keeps the agave from
caramelizing (which adds darker
colour and bitter flavours to the
juice and reduces the agave
sugars). Baking in ovens also
helps retain more of the natural
agave flavours than steaming.
Many large distillers prefer to
cook their piñas faster in efficient
steam autoclaves and pressure
cookers in as little as a single day
(8-14 hours).
The baking process turns the
complex carbohydrates into
fermentable sugars and softens
the piñas so they can easily
release their juice. The piñas are
allowed to cool for another 24-36
hours after steaming, then they
are mashed or crushed to separate
the pulp (bagazo) from the juice
(some traditional distillers keep
some pulp in the tank during the
fermenting).
Originally, distillers beat the
cooked piñas with mallets to
break them up once they were
soft and cool. Then they moved to
the tahona, a giant grinding
wheel, usually stone, weighing up
to two tons, operated by mules,
oxen, or today a
tractor. Modern distilleries use a mechanical
crusher, or shredder, like a giant
Production - 4
wood-chipping machine.
The resulting sweet juice (aguamiel,
or honey water) is sprinkled with yeast
and left to ferment in wooden or
stainless steel tanks. This can take seven
to 12 days, but some modern plants
add chemicals to accelerate yeast
growth so fermentation only takes two
to three days. Longer fermentation
results in a more robust body.
The result is a liquid with about 57% alcohol. This is distilled twice in
traditional copper pot stills
(alambiques), or in modern stainlesssteel stills. All tequila is clear right after
distillation. Any subsequent colour
comes from aging in wooden barrels
(barricas) or from additives (mixto
only). Demineralized water is usually
added to the distillate to get the desired
alcohol content.
Reposado and añejo tequilas are
stored in wooden barrels or casks
generally purchased used from
American or French distillers (oak
barrels are preferred). These barricas
are stored in warehouses or bodegas
until sufficiently aged. Blanco tequila
will remain in stainless steel tanks until
bottling, up to 60 days. It may also be
bottled immediately after distillation.
Añejo and extra-añejo tequilas are
stored in smaller containers than
reposado, less than 350 litres.
The final product is usually blended with other barrels or tanks of a
similar age to create a consistent taste and aroma. Some premium
single-barrel brands are available today.
Quality Control - 1
Quality Control -2
OM on the label
means Normas
Oficial Mexicana:
the tequila meets
government standards - it's
not any guarantee of quality,
however. But without
NORMA's stamp of
legitimacy, you can't even be
sure it's tequila in the bottle.
All 100% agave tequilas
must have a NOM identifier on the bottle.
The number after NOM is the three- or four-digit distillery
number, assigned by the government. A lot of apparently
competing brands have the same NOM number because they're
produced at the same distillery or by the same company,
regardless of any real or invented history behind them.
There are only 143 licensed tequila distilleries in all of Mexico,
and they make 11,43 different domestic brands (plus 202 for
export only). Numbers change annually.
Before 1978, the term used on labels to identify industry
compliance was DGN (Direccion General de Normas) but that
system isn't used any more, but may appear on older mixto
tequilas bottled outside Mexico. All Mexican-bottled tequilas and
all 100% agave tequilas should also say Hecho en Mexico (Made
in Mexico) on them.
Tequilas bottled outside Mexico use bulk Mexican mixto
tequila as a base. These are not governed by the strict Mexican
laws, and may be adulterated with other ingredients by the
bottler. There is no guarantee as to their quality or even the
amount of tequila they contain.
A more recent term added to the label is DOT Denomination of Origin, Tequila, but many labels still lack
this stamp (DOT number is listed with
NOM at www.crt.org.mx).
Regulatory bodies
The Mexican government
has strict regulations about
how tequila is made and
labelled, called a NORMA.
This states tequila must be
made from at least 51% blue
agave sugars and must be
distilled at least twice. Agaves
for tequila can only be
harvested from specific areas
in Jalisco, Michoacan, Nayarit
and Tamaulipas states.
The non-profit Tequila
Regulatory Council (Consejo
Regulado de Tequila, or
CRT, founded in 1994)
maintains these rules and can
take legal action against
violators. The CRT verifies the
performance and the
fulfillment of the standards. It guarantees the consumer of
tequila's authenticity and quality, and it protects the
Denomination "Appellation of Origin” worldwide. Members of the
CRT include the Mexican government, organizations, agave
farmers, tequila producers, bottlers and distributors. Every
distiller gets a single NOM number and a CRT registration code.
See www.crt.org.mx.
The other regulatory body responsible for tequila is the
Camara Regional de la Industria Tequila, or Regional Chamber
of the Tequila Industry, composed of industry members, based in
Guadalajara. Its purpose is to strengthen and develop the tequila
industry, working with other Mexican government agencies to
protect agricultural, industrial and commercial activities related
to tequila.
N
Tequila Country - 1
T
equila is produced
mostly in the western
Mexican state of
Jalisco, near the capital,
Guadalajara. The two main
areas of production lie around
the town of Tequila, about 34
miles (55 km) west of
Guadalajara, and the town of
Arandas in the highlands (Los
Altos), 100 km to the east.
Many visitors know the state for its Pacific coast resort town,
Puerto Vallarta. Jalisco also has mining, manufacturing, arts,
crafts, and jewellery industries.
The drink tequila took its name from the town in the late 19th
century. Before that it was known as mezcal or mezcal wine.
The hills of the area are
covered in agave farms
sporting more than 250
million plants in spiky, greyblue rows, 1,000-2,000 plants
to an acre, covering more than
100,000 acres. Today about
38,000 people work in the
industry, about 33,000 of them
farmers and field hands. More
than 66 million gallons (almost
255 million liters) of tequila
are produced annually - about 60% of it exported.
The indigenous people in the Tequila area were called the
Nahuatl. The town was founded under the Spanish commissioner
Juan Calero de Escarcena, in April, 1530, near the base of an
extinct volcano. Tequila was made a municipality in 1824 and
finally became a city in 1974. Today it has
a population around 30,000.
Tequila Country - 2
The National Tequila Fair is
held annually in Tequila at the
end of November to midDecember (Nov. 30-Dec. 12).
There are parades, charreadas
(Mexican rodeo events), cock
fights, serenades with mariachis,
fireworks displays. You may also
want to drop by on May 13 for
the festive “Day to Feast
Tequila.”
Once all tequila had to be
made by law in Jalisco state.
Although that has been changed
for more than 20 years, of more
than 120 tequila distillers
currently in business, only three are not located in Jalisco. Most
are found near Tequila or the highland region, Los Altos - these
produce over 50% of all tequila
made in Mexico.
La Gonzalena - makers of
Chinaco - operate the sole
distillery in the northeast state of
Tamaulipas. Another distillery
outside Jalisco is Tequilera
Corralejo, which opened in 1996
in the neighbouring state of
Guanajuato.
Blue agave for tequila use may
also be legally grown in some
areas of the states of Nayarit,
Guanajuato and Michoacan. No
other type of agave is permitted
for use in tequila.
Tequila’s History - 1
equila is North
America's first
distilled drink, and
its first commerciallyproduced alcohol. In preHispanic times, natives
fermented sap from the
maguey plants into a beerlike drink called pulque.
Mezcal wine - tequila's
grandparent - was first
produced only a few
decades after the Conquest.
Don Pedro Sanches de
Tagle, Marquis of Altamira,
the 'father of tequila,'
established the very first
tequila factory in his Hacienda Cuisillos, in 1600. In 1785,
the production of all spirits, including mezcal wines and
pulque, were banned by the government to favour and
promote the importation of Spanish wines and liqueurs.
Officially, production was halted, but actually went
underground until 1792, when King Ferdinand IV ascended
the throne and lifted the ban. Tequila did not achieve its
prominence again until after 1821 when Mexico attained
independence, and Spanish products were harder to get.
The first licensed manufacturer was Jose Antonio Cuervo
who got the rights to cultivate a parcel of land from the King
of Spain in 1758. In 1795, his son Jose Maria Cuervo got
the first license to produce mezcal wine from the Crown and
founded the first official Mexican distillery, Casa Cuervo. In
1812, Jose died. His son-in-law, Vicente
Albino Rojas, changed its name to 'La
Rojeña' and increased
production. By mid-century
his fields had more than three
million agave plants. Cuervo
was the first distiller to put
tequila into bottles - in the late
19th century when others were
still using barrels. Today
Cuervo is the largest
manufacturer, with a huge
export market.
In 1873, Don Cenobio
Sauza bought La Antigua
Cruz, his first distillery. He changed the name to La Preservancia
in 1888 and started making mezcal wine. One legend says Don
Cenobio determined the blue agave was the best maguey for
making tequila, in the 1870s, and the rest of the distillers
followed his lead. Tequila was first exported to the USA in 1873,
when Sauza sold three barrels to El Paso del Norte. Before his
death in 1906, he purchased 13 more distilleries for his own use.
Sauza today owns about 300 agave plantations and is the second
largest tequila manufacturer. The family sold the company to the
Spanish corporation, Pedro Domecq, in 1976, but Guillermo
Sauza continues the family tradition at Los Abuelos.
Tequila Herradura ("horseshoe") was founded in 1861 by
Feliciano Romo. Its original distillery is now a company museum.
Herradura became the first distillery to produce a reposado
tequila and until recently has always made only 100% agave
tequilas. It was sold in 2006 to Brown-Forman.
Vicente Orendain acquired a distillery from Jose Antonio
Cuervo in the 1830s, later selling it to Sauza. Tequila Orendain is
the third largest exporter of mixto tequilas. El Centinela was
established in 1904, the first distillery (fabrica or factory) in the
highlands area, which now has about 20 factories.
The first wave of modernization began
T
around this time. During the
Revolution from 1910-1920,
tequila became a symbol of
national pride, associated with
the hard-riding rebels and
gun-slinging heroes of the
period.
Modern production
techniques, including
cultivated yeasts, were
introduced in the late 1920s.
Prohibition in the USA boosted
tequila's popularity when it
was smuggled across the
border. The decision to use
non-agave sugars (usually
cane sugars) in fermentation
was made in the 1930s, a move that changed the industry and
affected its reputation for decades. By 1964 distillers were
allowed to use 30% other sugars, which soon climbed to 49%.
The blander product, however, helped boost export sales.
During World War 2, tequila rose in popularity in the USA
when spirits from Europe became hard to get. Agave fields
expanded 110 per cent between 1940 and 1950. In 1948, exports
fell to an all-time low, but national consumption grew, due to the
portrayal of tequila as a macho drink of heroic rancheros in
Mexican movies from the 1930s to 1950s.
In 1944, the Mexican government decided that any product
called 'tequila' had to be made by distilling agave grown only in
the state of Jalisco. The first standards for tequila were laid out in
1947 and have been upgraded and revised ever since. In the
1950s, many distilleries modernized and upgraded their facilities.
The 1968 Olympic Games in Mexico City helped worldwide
exposure, and by the 1980s, the growing
population of tourists and visitors to Mexico
were discovering the premium brands.
Tequila enjoyed popularity
among the cocktail set and
high society when Chinaco
became the first premium
tequila sold in the USA, in
1983.
In 1974, tequila gained
international recognition and
acceptance of tequila as a
product originating only in
Mexico - the AOC, or
Appellation de Origin
Controllee was published in
1977. The Tequila Regulatory
Council (Consejo Regulado de
Tequila, or CRT) was founded
in 1994 to oversee production,
quality and standards in the
industry. In 1996 Mexico
signed an international
agreement for all countries to
recognize tequila as a product
from defined areas in Mexico.
The European Union signed a
trade accord in 1997,
recognizing Mexico as the sole
producer of tequila.
Although the US has been
the largest consumer for many
years, Mexican consumption grew until 1997 when internal sales
almost equaled exports, but slowed when prices soared. Today,
exports again dominate sales.
There are 143 distillers in Mexico making tequila today,
producing almost 1,200 domestic brands plus 202 brands made
solely for export (see www.crt.org.mx for
current listings and industry details).
News & Events - 1
News & Events - 2
shortage of agave (the
plant used to make
tequila) in the late 1990s
made tequila prices jump by 6070% around the world by mid2000 (magnified by local duties
and taxes), putting tequila on a
price-par with Scotch and other
premium spirits. Prices continued
to rise but by late 2004, intense
planting had brought the agave
harvest back. Prices slowly
stabilized. Ironically, the increases
put most tequila outside the reach
of the average Mexican.
Continued demand through a decade of escalating export
sales put increasing pressure on distillers to make more
product. In 1997, a rare frost killed off a portion of the
immature harvest in Jalisco, further affecting future
production.
Worse, in the 90s the crop was infected by a dual blight of
fungus (fusarium oxisporum) and bacteria (erwinia
caratavora). A 1997 survey conducted by Mexico's Tequila
Regulatory Council estimated that at least 27% of the agave
crop was infected with at least one of the diseases. Some
farmers and scientists said that figure was higher.
Researchers at the University of Guadalajara are developing
a fusarium-resistant strain of agave.
Soon, independent agave growers demanded higher
prices for their plants, saying the crop was undervalued and
had not kept pace with demand over the past decade. Some
growers refused to sell at the low rates, forcing distillers to
negotiate and compete for raw materials in a seller's market.
Agave prices rose to an all-time high rising tenfold over two years. Despite
the rise in prices, agave farmers
were still hurting. When the
Mexican government announced a
subsidy to help farmers in 2002,
speculators got into the act and
planted lots of agave.
Until those plants matured,
several small distilleries without a
guaranteed source of agave closed.
Most distilleries cut back
production and brands. When the
agave came back, production
soared. In 1999 agave production
was 778,000 tons. It peaked in 2008 at 1.125 million tons
(1.14 m tons in 2010). Of that, more than 72% was used for
100% agave tequilas.
International demand is still on the rise, but domestic
consumption has fallen (in large part due to increased retail
prices). In spring, 2006, the CRT announced a new NORMA
covering tequila. This introduced a new category of ultraaged añejos called maduro (aged more than 3 years), and
allowed for flavoured and infused tequilas.
Agave was in a surplus again by 2007 and prices were
falling. Some farmers started burning and plowing agave
fields to replant beans and corn. Some fields were abandoned
to weeds, not worth the cost of maintenance. Another agave
shortage has been predicted for 2012-15.
Registered brands have grown steadily, and reached over
1,200 by 2011, with more than 200 for export only. Most
newcomers rent space in existing distilleries, now a seller’s
market. While international sales climbed, market pressures,
the global recession of 2008-09, highly increased competition
for limited shelf space in stores have also
seen some closures. The market is very
crowded. Expect a shakeup soon!
A
Drinking Tequila - 1
Drinking Tequila - 2
he traditional way to
drink tequila is in a
tall, narrow shot
glass called a caballito
(‘little horse’) or tequilito,
although añejos are perhaps
better served in a brandy
snifter so you can appreciate
their nose. The caballito,
with its narrow base and
wider mouth, is modelled
after the original bull’s horn,
from which tequila was
drunk. The bottom was cut
flat so it could rest on a
table.
In 2002, the Tequila
Regulatory Council chose a new glass by Reidel which it felt
best expresses the body and nose of a fine tequila. It is
similar to an ISO 9000 wine tasting glass (see picture).
First: sip it straight, without the lime and the salt. Forget
the margarita mix. Don’t even add ice. If you want to taste
it properly, drink it neat at room temperature to appreciate
the full bouquet and body. Afterwards, once you’ve
appreciated its character, you can always put out a plate of
lime slices and salt.
Learn to appreciate the premium tequilas neat in all
their glory - slowly and gently, to enjoy the aroma, the
body and the taste. Taste it as you would a fine wine. Life is
really too short not to enjoy it properly. The same goes for
premium mezcals: why hurry a good thing?
By the way, the proper order of the popular method of
drinking tequila is salt-tequila-lime:
lick, sip, bite. Yes -it is a real Mexican
tradition!
Sangrita
Sangrita ("little blood") is a spicy nonalcoholic Mexican drink served as a chaser, a cosip or as a mix. The traditional method is to
alternate sips of tequila with sangrita, but it is
sometimes mixed with the tequila and served in
a single glass. There is no absolute recipe for
sangrita, but almost all versions contain tomato
juice and orange juice in roughly equal amounts,
with additional lime or lemon juice (or
concentrate) to give a sharp tang. The best
recipes use fresh ingredients (peel and seed the
tomatoes, then blend). The final result tastes a
little like a Bloody Caesar, but with much more
character. It can also contain in varying
quantity:
pureed sweet onion,
a dash of Tabasco or other fragrant hot sauce (good
sangrita should be a little spicy),
a dash of Worcestershire sauce, A1 or Maggi sauce,
a dash of Grenadine or pinch of sugar,
celery salt
fresh-ground black pepper
grapefruit juice
Clam juice or Clamato juice, V8 or another thick
tomato-based juice.
There are regional versions that do not contain tomato
juice, but use another red juice such as pomegranate juice
(sometimes used instead of Grenadine). You can buy bottled
sangrita mix at liquor and grocery stores in Mexico or online at
www.sangritareal.com. It is not as good as fresh, homemade
sangrita but it will work in a pinch. It's easy and rewarding to
make your own and another interesting way to
enjoy tequila. You can also use sangrita in
cooking or in cocktails.
T
Reading The Label - 1
L
earn to read the label so you know what you’re
buying. There are many legal requirements for
information to be displayed on a tequila label but
none of them necessarily mean quality. You should be able to
recognize these elements on any tequila label:
u The type of tequila: blanco, añejo, extra añejo, reposado,
joven - may also say plato (same as blanco).
v The purity. Unless it says 100% agave, it’s a mixto
and may be a bulk product bottled outside Mexico (only
tequilas bottled in Mexico can be 100% agave!).
w The NOM (distiller registration number). There are 774
brands (plus 146 export-only brands), but only 122 distillers
listed by the Tequila Regulatory Council. A single NOM
owner can distill for more than one company.
x The distiller's name (and sometimes address, but this
may not be shown on the front).
y CRT - Certification by the Tequila Regulatory Council not a guarantee of quality, simply that the distillery met the
official rules for production and labelling;
z Hecho en Mexico - Made in Mexico. 100% agave tequilas
can only be made and bottled in Mexico;
{ DOT - denomination of origin/tequila number:
compliance with Mexican regulations regarding where the
product was made. Not shown on all labels.
| Brand name - Sometimes accompanied by a photo,
illustration or logo - seldom an indication of the producer.
} Alcohol content and volume of the bottle. Alcohol content
is 38-42% by volume (mezcal may be as high as 52%).
Volume is in mili-litres (i.e. 750 ml) or litres.
~ Of course it should also say "tequila" on the
label - otherwise it could be anything
inside the bottle.
Reading The Label - 2
v
}
}
u
~
w
x
{Not shown here
y
|
z
T
Margaritas - 1
he margarita was allegedly invented in the 1940s by
Tijuana bartender Carlos 'Danny' Herrera for fledgling
actress Marjorie (Margarita) King who was said to be
allergic to most other kinds of alcohol except tequila.
An alternate legends says Francisco 'Pancho' Morales, a
bartender in Tommy's Bar in Ciudad Juarez, made the first
margarita on July 4, 1942.
Yet another story attributes
it to Margarita Sames, a
Texas socialite who brewed
up the cocktail in 1948 for
guests at her Acapulco villa,
as a challenge to create
something new. Her friend
Tommy Hilton took it from there
to his hotel chain. Other stories place
its origin in various Mexican towns,
particularly along the US border, or and
even in California, from as early as 1930
to the 1950s.
Regardless of its real or imagined
beginnings, tart-sweet margaritas are
one of the most popular cocktails in
North America and continue to boost
tequila sales.
The basic margarita contains lime juice, Cointreau (or another
orange liqueur such as Triple Sec) and tequila. Obviously, 100%
agave tequila is always the recommended choice when making
any mixed drink, but many bars use a mixto instead.
Countless margarita recipes are available, many using a
variety of fruit juices instead of lime, sometimes adding other
spirits, or even beer. Plus there are many other drinks with
tequila, such as the tequila sunrise. Check my links page online
for dozens of ideas and recipes for tequila
cocktails, margaritas and more.
Margaritas - 2
The Original Margarita Recipe:
Three parts tequila (100%
agave is recommended);
One part orange liqueur
(Cointreau is preferred, but some
people use Triple Sec or Orange
Curacao);
One part fresh lime juice,
sweetened to taste with sugar
(remember: margaritas are
meant to be a little tart, not
sweet). Use small Key limes
instead of the larger Persian limes
and squeeze them yourself. If you
can’t find any, then concentrated
lime juice is acceptable, but NOT lime cordial (it’s way too
sweet).
Coarse salt (sea or Kosher is best).
Process:
Prepare the glass by rubbing the rim with a piece of lime peel,
then place the rim on a sprinkling of coarse salt. Lift it up
quickly so only a small amount sticks to form a light dusting
around the rim of the glass.
Put the tequila, lime juice and orange liqueur into a shaker
with ice. Some aficionados recommend one or two large ice
cubes, while others prefer broken or crushed ice.
Shake. Pour into your salted glass.
Enjoy.
Alternate recipes include putting the ingredients into a blender
and whirling until slush, to make a frozen version. You can also
add thin lime wedges as a garnish.
Fruit margaritas are made by mixing blended fresh
strawberries, peaches or other fruits into
the basic mix. These can also be served
frozen or as a slushy.
Cocktails & Mixes - 1
Cocktails & Mixes - 2
Tequila Sunrise
2 oz Tequila
4 oz Orange juice
2 dashes (3/4 oz)
Grenadine
Pour tequila and orange
juice in a highball glass. Add
ice and stir. Tilt the glass
and pour the Grenadine
down the side. The
Grenadine should fall to the
bottom of the glass, and
then rise up slowly. Garnish with an orange slice. This drink
is sometimes stirred gently.
Tequila Sour
1¼ oz. tequila
juice of ½ lemon
½ tsp. bar sugar
Shake with ice. Strain into chilled sour glass. Garnish
with lemon slice and maraschino cherry.
Tequila Martini
¾ oz. tequila
½ oz. dry vermouth
Stir with ice. Strain into chilled cocktail glass. Garnish
with an olive.
Low Rider
1½ oz. tequila
½ oz. triple sec
1 splash cranberry juice
Acapulco Blue
¾ oz. tequila
½ oz. blue curacao
½ oz. bar syrup
1 splash club soda
Rim whiskey sour glass with lime juice and salt. Place ½
orange slice in glass. Add crushed ice, tequila, blue curacao,
bar syrup and club soda to fill. Stir lightly.
Añejo Pacifico
1¼ oz. añejo tequila
½ oz. lime juice
½ oz. passion-fruit syrup
Chill mixture over rocks. Strain. Serve in cocktail glass.
Garnish with lime wheel.
Always use 100% agave tequila!
Cactus Margarita
1¼ oz. tequila
½ oz. pineapple
concentrate
5 oz. sweet & sour or
margarita mix
1 oz. cream of coconut
12 oz. ice
Blend all ingredients until
slushy. Note: tequila is not made
from cactus!
Ixtapa
2 oz. coffee liqueur
1 oz. silver
tequila
T
Cooking - 1
equila makes a wonderful ingredient in cooking. It
adds a new flavour to many dishes. Since the
fragrance of tequila is easily lost either by
overcooking or by being overpowered by spices, herbs, or
garlic, you should add it last wherever possible, to retain as
much of the fruity tequila essence as possible.
While some cooks may balk at using an expensive
premium tequila in cooking, certainly 100% agave brands
should always be used. Not only do they offer better agave
flavour, but they don’t contain the mixto additives (caramel,
almond or wood essence) that might interact unfavourably
with your dish. Blanco tequilas are more robust and can
withstand moderate cooking and still retain much of their
taste.
All of the books listed in the resource chapter have a
variety of recipes using tequila that will please you. In my
experience, tequila works best in dishes where it contributes
to, rather than competes with, other ingredients. Included in
this are fish, shrimp and
pasta meals where subtle
flavours are the nature of
the dish. Fresh ingredients
also contribute to the end
result.
On the next page you’ll
find Susan’s original recipe
for Tequila Pasta. She’s tried
several brands, but finds a
100% agave blanco is the
best to use when cooking.
Try it yourself and enjoy!
Cooking - 2
Susan’s Tequila Cream Pasta
Ingredients:
2 tbsp butter
1 large sweet onion, thinly sliced
1 tbsp dried basil
3 tbsp minced garlic
3/4 cup half-and-half cream
1 28 oz tin peeled tomatoes,
Salt and freshly-ground
pepper to taste
1/2 cup 100% agave
blanco tequila
Spaghetti for four
Process
Melt the butter in a frying pan.
Add onion and cook until clear.
Add pureed tomatoes, basil, salt, pepper, garlic.
Cook at medium-low heat for 20 minutes,
until thickened. Boil water for spaghetti.
Add cream to sauce. Stir frequently.
Cook the spaghetti.
Add 1/2 cup 100% tequila to sauce and stir.
Cook at low heat for several minutes then serve
on spaghetti.
Top with grated parmesan cheese.
Serves four.
Optional: use fresh tomatoes, or add sun-dried tomatoes to
sauce, or add a cup of cooked baby shrimp.
S
Tequila Tours
ince 2006, groups of
25-30 tequila
aficionados from the
USA, Canada and Mexico
toured the tequila industry.
Most of us are members of the
tequila forum at
and the tour was organized
by the forum’s moderators.
We visited many distilleries in and around Tequila and Arandas.
They have been the best travel experiences I’ve ever enjoyed and
some of the best people I’ve met. Having a group of
knowledgeable, well-informed and sophisticated tequila fans was
also a pleasant surprise for many of the distillery owners we met.
Photographs and stories of
the trip are posted on the
forum for anyone who wants
to know more about visiting
the land of the Blue Agave.
A new tour is planned for
spring 2014. If you’re
interested in joining us in
future, details are on my
forum.
C
Quality Taste Tips
lose the bottle carefully, then hold it upside down. If you see
bubbles (concha - conch) appear on the surface or pearls on the
side (perla - like the ‘legs’ in a good wine) when you turn it right
side up, and the concha continue to float, they indicate a fine quality
tequila. Otherwise it is likely tequila cortado - cut tequila - and probably
mixto). Serve some in a clear glass, let it stand
for a few seconds then drink. If the tequila
leaves an oily layer at the top of the glass, the
tequila has full body.
M
Mezcal - 1
ost of the 100+
brands of mezcal
are produced
around the city of Oaxaca. It
can officially be produced in
the states of Guerrero,
Durango, San Luis Potosi and
Zacatecas, although these are
rarely exported. Mexican law
passed in 1994 protects the
name mezcal, just like tequila
protects a specific product.
Many small village
producers use traditional
methods and equipment,
such as clay stills and
bamboo pipes instead of
copper. In part because much
of it is still made in small lots
by small village producers,
mezcal retains more mysticalreligious and cultural links
than tequila.
While tequila can only be made from one variety of
agave, mezcal can be made from several species, but the
most commonly used variety is espadin. There is no
mescaline in mezcal! Like tequila is is a distilled spirit.
Mezcal piñas are roasted or grilled over hot rocks in
covered conical pits (called palenques or hornos; 5-8 feet
deep and 12-15 feet across). These are lined with stones. A
fire is lit in the pit to burn for about 24 hours to
heat the stones. Then the piñas are
placed in the pit and covered with
Mezcal - 2
moist fibre (left over
from the previous
fermentation, and
containing natural
yeast residues). This is
then covered with a
layer of agave leaves or
woven palm leaves and
earth during the twothree days of cooking.
The sugary juice of the
cooking magueys acts as a
glue to seal the palenque.
The baking caramelizes the
sugars. After three days, the
earth covering is
meticulously removed so as
not to dirty the roasted
piñas. The piñas are left to
stand in the sun for several
days before shredding and
fermenting.
Baking the agave piña
in pits is an ancient craft; a
traditional method of
cooking the agave for
eating at least 4,000 years
old. The traditional tahona
(stone grinding wheel) is
used to mash the baked
plants. The fibres, pulp, and juice are mixed together with
pure water.
Mezcal - 3
Airborne yeasts start the
fermentation, which takes
from 13 to 28 days to
complete. Mass producers
use urea and ammonium
sulfate to accelerate
fermentation - traditional
producers depend on the
natural yeasts in the air and
on the maguey. The result of fermentation is the must, or
tepache, a low-alcohol juice similar to pulque. Distillation is
done twice or even three times in tiny, 25-gallon stills,
although mezcal for bulk sales may only be distilled once.
Some mezcals (never tequila!) are bottled with a
“worm” (a gusano; actually a butterfly caterpillar). There
are two different types of
gusano - red (rojo - lives in
the root and heart of the
maguey, considered
superior) and white or gold
(oro), which lives on the
leaves. Red gusano turns
pale in the mezcal, gold
turns ashen-grey. Premium
mezcal distillers don't put
one in the bottle.
Adding the worm is not a
Mexican tradition, but
rather a successful marketing ploy from the 1940s, to make
mezcal stand out from other spirits. The worm is harmless eating it may be a freshman rite of passage, but it has no
magical or psychedelic properties.
Pulque & other spirits - 1 Pulque & other spirits - 2
T
equila's ancestral
drink, pulque, was
first produced in Aztec
times. It is made from
fermented sap from several
types of agave. Pulque is one
of about 30 different alcoholic
beverages made from agave in
Mexico - many of which are
regional, and seldom available
commercially.
Pulque is like modern beer
- it has a low alcohol content,
about 4-8% and is a sweet
(when fresh), milky and fruity
drink, rich in vitamins.
Historically, it served as an
important nutritional element in many communities.
To the Aztecs, pulque was a ritual and ceremonial drink.
Other pre-Columbian Mexicans fermented the agave sap
(aguamiel, or honey water) into a similar drink called octili
poliqhui. Olmec legend credits the discovery of aguamiel to a
woman, Mayahuetl, and fermentation of the sap to her husband,
Petecatl. Aztec legend says fermented maguey sap was revealed to
them by the gods who split a ripe plant with a lightning bolt
where the sap fermented naturally. To the Nahuatl, the maguey
was divine, represented by the goddess Mayahuel, who had 400
breasts which oozed nutritious pulque.
Pulque is still available in some traditional Mexican
communities today, usually sold in small pulquerias. It's a custom
to spill a few drops of your drink on the floor of the pulqueria
before drinking, in homage to the god of inebriation, Two Rabbit.
Pulque dulce is young and sweet; pulque fuerte is older,
stronger and sometimes acidic or sour. Sometimes it is mixed with
fruit juices for drinking. While tequila was
never made from distilled pulque, the drink
told the Conquistadoes that
the agave could be consumed
and fermented.
Other agave drinks
The cousin of mezcal is
bacanora, a drink made by
distilling the juices of the
roasted yaquiano maguey
piña. It is made in the state of
Sonora. Making bacanora was
illegal in Mexico until 1992, when the government changed the
laws. Today it is available commercially, but mostly regionally,
and only in small quantities. It may be as high as 92 proof (46%).
There are other drinks made from the blue agave, including
numerous liqueurs - known as elixir de agave. Some of these are
even marked añejo and reposado and may be limited-production,
premium drinks. Tequila liqueurs may mix agave spirits with fruit
juices like pomegranate or other
flavours like coffee.
Sotol is a regional mezcal made
from Dailyrion (not agave) in the
northern state of Chihuahua. So far,
there is only one commercial brand
available. Tlahuelompa is made
from blue agave in Hidalgo state.
Aguamiel, or agave syrup, is
available in many areas, sometimes
used in fruit drinks.
Raicilla is another distilled agave
home brew, made around Puerto
Vallarta, on Jalisco’s Pacific coast. You
can visit some of the raicilla stills on day trips from that city.
Watch for new spirits and liqueurs made from South African blue
agave syrups and distilled from South African agave. But beware:
they are not tequila.
Links & Resources - 1
M
y favourite reference
source is Tequila! A
Natural and Cultural
History by Dr.Ana ValenzuelaZapata and Gary Paul Nabhan
(University of Arizona Press, 2003).
If there is a champion of agave
today, it is Ana Valenzuela-Zapata.
Her affection for the agave
brightens every page. It's both a
personal telling of her lifelong
passion and fascination with the
plant, and a scientific/cultural
treatise.
Heaven, Earth Tequila: Un
viaje del corazon de Mexico
(Waterside Publishing, 2005) is a
book of superb photographs by
Douglas Menuez. Subitled “A
Journey to the Heart of Mexico,” it
is a window into the life, culture
and people of Jalisco and, of
course, Tequila. Sometimes stark,
often stunning, it is a superb work
of art. This is a social journey, not
an industrial one: it's not a
photographic guide to the industry,
or a tasting guide: it's a side of the
land you don't see as often. You
can check it out on the website
www.heavenearthtequila.com. I had the honour of
providing a short FAQ on tequila for
this book.
M
undo Cocktail: A Shaken
and Stirred History, by
Christine Sismondo
(McArthur & Company, Toronto,
2005). A wonderful, entertaining social
history of the cocktail. Witty,
exuberant, literate and great fun to
read. It includes a chapter on the
margarita (subtitled Irony, Parody and
Intertext) and another on sangrita
(and the birth of feminism). This isn't
a bartender's guide or a collection of
recipes: it's a window into how
cocktails and human history
intermingle. But you will also get some
wry comments on how to - or how not
to - make a good margarita.
The Tequila Lover's Guide to
Mexico and Mezcal, by Lance Cutler
(Wine Patrol Press, 2nd edition, 2000)
is about his trips to tequila and mezcal
distilleries, and his personal experiences
in Mexico. It’s fun, entertaining and
lively . Cutler provides lots of
commentary on travelling in Mexico, and has the most
comprehensive tasting system of all sources. Highly
recommended.
Another comprehensive but not as up-to-date guide
is The Book of Tequila: A Complete Guide, by Bob
Emmons (Open Court Press, 1997) - packed with historical
and technical information, distillery guides, anecdotes and
tasting notes.
Mesa Grill Guide to Tequila by Laurence Kretchmer
and Zeva Oelbaum (photographer) (Black Dog &
Leventhal Publishers, 1998) has recipes and drinks, plus
mezcal notes, and great colour
photographs of tequila production,
bottles, and agave fields.
Tequila, edited by Alberto RuySanchez and Margarita de Orellana
(Smithsonian Books). Incorporates
articles from Artes de Mexico’s
magazines and books. Well-crafted,
full-colour with great art, graphics,
photographs and vintage images.
Update of the Artes de Mexico Guia
de Tequila.
Tequila: Cooking with the
Spirit of Mexico, by Lucinda
Hutson (Ten Speed Press) - full of
great recipes that include tequila as a main ingredient.
Tequila, The Spirit of
Mexico: a coffee-table book with
an unabashedly affectionate look
at tequila, Mexico and the
industry. The exquisite
photographs are paired well with
an elegant text presentation in
large type. A revised edition was
released in 2004 with a chapter on
mezcal.
Alcohol in Ancient Mexico,
by Henry J. Bruman,
University of Utah Press. Explores the
tradition of intoxicating beverages before
and after the Spanish Conquest. Not just
about tequila or mezcal.
Oaxaca Tierra de Maguey y Mezcal,
by Alberto Sanchez Lopez (ISBN 9709916-00-9). In Spanish with English
appendix. The history and development of
mezcal production in Oaxaca. Includes CD
with informative video clips.
Artes De Mexico publishes a beautiful,
bilingual coffee-table book, Jalisco tierra
del Tequila about the entire state, with
wonderful images of the tequila-growing
region and plantations. Order it online at
www.artesdemexico.com.
Every visitor to Mexico should read
Carl Franz's book, The People's
Guide to Mexico (13th edition). This
delightful, entertaining book contains a
treasure trove of information about the
people and culture of Mexico. A terrific,
witty and touching read.
Many other
books and sources
are listed on my web
site at
www.ianchadwick
.com/tequila
Web sites and the Internet
There are hundreds, perhaps
thousands of tequila-related
websites online. Start at
www.ianchadwick.com/tequila
where this booklet was taken
from. You’ll find hundreds of
links to other web sites, including
all the major distillers, fan sites,
industry and news sites, recipes,
production, history, mezcal,
pulque, tasting, buying, trivia,
books, and more. Join the
international community of
tequila lovers on my forum. Add
your comments, tasting notes or
ask questions at
For tasting information,
current news, reviews and
industry information, see
www.tequilatastings.com
www.tequilaaficionado.com.
and www.tequila.net
The best mezcal information
(and the worm myth explained)
is the Del Maguey Mezcal site:
www.mezcal.com.
The official Tequila
Regulatory Council (CRT) site is
at www.crt.org.mx (in Spanish
and English) where these NOM
lists are taken from.
NOM List - 1
NOM/DOT
1068 (116)
1102 (88)
1103 (93)
1105 (125)
1107 (94)
1108 (87)
1110 (95)
1111 (83)
1112 (112)
1115 (105)
1119 (89)
1120 (104)
1122 (113)
1123 (106)
1124 (97)
1127 (110)
1137 (111)
1139 (101)
1140 (86)
1142 (82)
1143 (93)
1146 (102)
1173 (155)
1333 (124)
1360 (126)
1368 (127)
1412 (185)
1413 (128)
1414 (129)
1416 (138)
1417 (133)
1419 (139)
1420 (134)
1424 (140)
1426 (141)
1431 ((144)
Distillery Name
Agroindustrias Guadalajara
Tequila Sauza
Tequila San Matias de Jalisco
Tequila Catador Alteño
Tequila El Viejito
Jorge Salles Cuervo y Sucesores
Tequila Orendain de Jalisco (also 1172)
Pernod Ricard Mexico (Viuda de Romero)
Tequila Santa Fe
Tequila La Parreñita
Brown Forman (Tequila Herradura)
Tequila Siete Leguas
Casa Cuervo (also 1104)
Tequila Cascahuin
Tequilas del Senor
Tequilera la Gonzaleña
La Cofradia
Tequila Tapatio
Tequila Centinela
La Madrileña
Destiladora Gonzalez Gonzalez
Tequileña
Tequilera Newton e Hijos
Fabrica de Aguardientes de Agave La Mexicana
Corporacion Ansan
Tequilera Corralejo
Destiladora de Los Altos
Compañía Destiladora de Acatlán & Tequila
Feliciano Vivanco y Asociados
Productos Finos de Agave
Industrializadora Integral del Agave
Metlalli
Industrializadora de Agave San Isidro
Destiladora de Agave Azul
Agaveros Unidos de Amatitán
Destiladora los Magos
1433 (148)
Tequila Quiote
1434 (147)
Procesadora de Agave Penjamo
1435 (150)
Destiladora la Barraanca
NOM List - 2
1436 (156)
1437 (160)
1438 (152)
1439 (153)
1440 (151)
1442 (155)
1445 (158)
1449 (163)
1450 (165)
1451 (166)
1455 (174)
1456 (171)
1457 (172)
1458 (176)
1459 (173)
1460 (175)
1463 (177)
1464 (188)
1465 (180)
1466 (192)
1467 (181)
1468 (182)
1471 (186)
1472 (187)
1473 (160)
1474 (189)
1476 (193)
1477 (194)
1479 (195)
1480 ((204)
1482 (199)
1486 (203)
1487 (103)
1488 (205)
1489 (205)
1490 (206)
1492 (207)
Tequila Artesanal de Los Altos de Jalisco
Tequilera Don Roberto
Destiladora del Valle de Tequila
Proveedora y Procesadora de Agave Tres Hermanos
Destiladora San Nicolas
Tequilera del Salto
Productores de Agave
Tequila Don Julio
Marco Antonio Jauregui Huerta
Destilerias Sierra Unidas
Fabrica de Tequila el Nacimiento
Tequila Supremo
Tequilera la Quemada
Tequilera La Primavera
Tequila Selecto de Amatitan
Compañia Tequilera de Arandas /Tequilera Rustica de Arandas
Cooperativa Tequilera La Magdalena
Destileria 501
Fabrica de Tequila El Eden
Tequilera Tres Mujeres
Impulsora Rombo
Grupo Tequilero Mexico
Grupo Internacional de Exportacion
Fabrica de Tiquilas Finos
Tequilera la Barranca de Amatitan
Cia Tequilera Los Alambiques
Destiladora Rubio
Letiica Hermosillo Ravelero
Hacienda La Capilla
Tequila Las Americas
Fabrica de Tequila Tlaquepaque
Tequilera Los Generales
Bacardi y Compañia (Tequila Cazadores)
Cavas Vamer
Destiliados Leyros
Destiladora Arandas
Patron Spirits
1493 (212)
Tequila Los Abuelos
1498 (213)
Tequilera La Perla
1499 (215)
Casa Tequilera de Arandas
NOM List - 3
1500 (216)
1501 (217)
1502 (218)
1503 (117)
1505 (219)
1507 (223)
1508 (222)
1509 (224)
1510 (225)
1511 (230)
1512 (227)
1513 (229)
1514 (226)
1515 (232)
1517 (233)
1518 (234)
1519 (235)
1520 (242)
1522 (236)
1523 (240)
1524 (237)
1525 (238)
1526 (239)
1527 (241)
1528 (243)
1529 (245)
1530 (244)
1531 (253)
1532 (261)
1533 (246)
1534 (251)
1535 (247)
1536 (255)
1537 (249)
1538 (248)
Tequilera Las Juntas
Tequilera El Triangulo
Autentica Tequilera
Empressa Ejidal tequilera de Amititan
Productores de Tequila de Arandas
Casa Reyes Barajas
Fabrica de Tequila Don Nacho
Tequila Embajador
Destiladora Casa Blana Vazquez
Cia Tequilera Hacienda Sahuayo
Grupo Familiar Don Crispin
Tierra de Agaves
Productores de Agave Derivados del Degollado
Destiladora Santa Virginia
Tequila Galindo
Tequila Casa de Los Gonzalez
Agroindustrias Casa Ramirez
Juan Angel Rivera Partida
Hacienda de Oro
Agrotequilera de Jalisco
Elaboracion de Bebidas Destiladas de Agave
Destiladores Los Sauces
Productos Regionales de Atotonilco
Tecnoagave
Destiladora Suprema de Los Altos
Agaveros y Tequileros Unidos de Los
Altos
Tequilera Simbolo
Rivesca
Tequilera Gonzalez
Vinos y Licores Azteca
Compañia Destiladora de Xamay
Destileria Morales
Tequilas Garcia
Tequilera la Lupita
Destiladora de Agave Hacienda los
Huajes
1539 (262)
Herlindo Luna Garcia
1540 (252)
Tequila Doña Engracia
1541 (264)
Destileria Eugenesis
NOM List - 4
1543 (257)
1544 (258)
1545 (266)
1546 (256)
1547 (259)
1548 (260)
1549 (265)
1550 (269)
1551 (268)
1552 (267)
1554 (271)
1555 (274)
1556 (272)
1558 (273)
1559 (276)
1560 (278)
1561 (277)
1563 (284)
1564 (281)
1566 (283)
1568 (283)
1569 (286)
1570 (287)
1571 (290)
1572 (291)
1574 (292)
1575 (296)
1576 (300)
1577 (295)
1578 (294)
1579 (297)
1580 (298)
1581 (301)
1584 (303)
1584 (303)
Lucio Rivera de Aro
Antonio Mejia Leyva*
Havienda Capellanian
Tequila 7 Mares*
Integradora San Augustin
Grupo Tequilero de Los Altos
Destiladora Refugio
Comercializadora de Agave y Derivados
La Mula
Destiladora Juanacatlan
Destileria las Canada
Cavas de Don Max
Destiladora de Los Altos la Joya
Tequila 3 Reales de Jalisco
Premium de Jalisco
Tequilera Milagro
Tequilas Gonzalez Lara
Destiladora el Paisano
Asociacion Procesadora de Agave de Churinitzo
Compania Tequilera la Mision
Productos Selectos de Agave
Tequilera Fonseca
Agaveros de Michoacan
Altos Cienega Unidos
Tequila Zapotlan Del Rey
Destiladora de Agave El
Destiladora de Tequila Marava
Tequilera Casa Real Gusto
Promotora Agro Industrial Milenium
Agave Conquista
Grupo Tequilero Weber
Destileria El Pandillo
Destiladora El Paraiso
Ftpsa
Tequila El Tepozan
Tequila El Tepozan
Glossary - 1
100% Agave Pure (puro) tequila made from only blue
agave sugars.
Agave
A succulent member of the lily family.
Only Agave Tequilana Weber Azul is used
to make tequila.
Aguamiel
Honey water: a sugary solution obtained
by crushing the steamed piñas before
fermentation.
Alambique A traditional pot still.
Añejo
Tequila aged a minimum of one year in
oak casks.
Blanco
White or silver (plata) tequilas, bottled
right after distillation, or aged up to
three months.
Caballito
A tall, thin Mexican shot glass used for
tequila.
Cabeza
Head of the agave, central part
harvested for tequila production. Also
called piña or bola (pineapple or ball).
Coa de jima Sharp, rounded tool used by the jimador
for cutting the pencas off and harvesting piñas.
Desquiote Cutting the flower of the agave plant to make the piñas
develop before harvesting.
Gusano
Butterfly caterpillar sometimes called a worm. May be
placed in some mezcal bottles, but never in tequila.
Hijuelo
Young agave shoots that grow from the mother plant.
They are cut away at one year old and replanted.
Hornitos
Traditional ovens for baking the agave piñas.
Jalisco
State where the majority of tequila is produced.
Jima
Harvesting, or cutting the leaves from the agave and
pulling the piñas from the ground.
Jimador
The skilled farmer who harvests the agave.
Joven
Young tequila, bottled soon after it is fermented.
Maduro
Vintage: añejos aged a minimum three years in oak
barrels. New category, introduced in March, 2006.
Maguey
Spanish name for agave. In native Mexican
languages, it was called metl or mextametl in
Nahuatl.
Glossary -2
Mexican spirit, made from
agave but baked in ground
ovens. Mostly produced in
Oaxaca state.
Mixto
Tequila made from only
51%-99% agave sugars (see
100% agave).
Mosto
Juice of the agave used for
fermentation.
NOM
NORMA Official Mexicana:
number to identify
legitimate tequila
producers.
NORMAS
Laws established by the Mexican government which
explicitly define tequila and its production.
Oro
Gold tequila coloured by storage in barrels, or often by
additives. Usually a mixto.
Pencas
The spiny, broad leaves of the agave plant, used by
early Indians as needles and for paper.
Perla
Pearl, or concha (conch or shell). A bubble that
remains on the surface of the 100% agave tequila after
serving or stirring it.
Piña
Pineapple. The sugar-rich heart of the agave formed
by the stem and base of the leafs.
Potero
Pasture, or agave plantation. Also called huerta.
Quiote
Stem or shaft that develops the flower of the maguey.
After cutting, it can be boiled or roasted, then eaten.
Reposado Rested - stored for two to six months in wooden
barrels to make the tequila smooth and mellow.
Tahona
Traditional pit where a heavy stone wheel mashes the
pulp of the agave for fermentation.
Tatemar
Roasting or cooking the piña to ripen the sugars for
fermentation.
Tequila cortado Cut tequila. Tequila that does not produce the
desired perla or concha after being shaken.
Tequilleros The master crafters who oversee the production of
tequila from the harvesting of the
agave plant through to the
fermenting and aging processes.
Mezcal
Notes
Production ò History ò Lore & culture
Buying notes ò Reading the label ò
News on the shortage ò Popular myths.
Learn about:
Page:
The worm myth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
How tequila is made . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Where tequila comes from . . . . . . . . . . 14
Tequila’s history. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
How to drink tequila . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
The worldwide tequila shortage . . . . . . 20
Who makes all that tequila? . . . . . . . . . 26
What’s on a tequila bottle label? . . . . . . 24
Where the margarita originated . . . . . . 30
Cooking with tequila . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
How mezcal is different . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
What is pulque? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
Where to find out more . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Getting to Tequila . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Plus:
150 producers make 1,289 brands. NOMs removed from list since
2001: 740, 856, 1079, 1104, 1109, 1113, 1114, 1117, 1118, 1121,
1128, 1131, 1141, 1154, 1196, 1235, 1258, 1298, 1384, 1395, 1418,
1422, 1423 (now 1484), 1427, 1429, 1430, 1432, 1441, 1443, 1444,
1446, 1447, 1448, 1452, 1454, 1469, 1470, 1475, 1481, 1483, 1484,
1485, 1494, 1495, 1497, 1498, 1504, 1505, 1506. Source:
Tequila Regulatory Council web site
www.crt.org.mx. Latest update: Jun. 2013.
The Pocket Guide to Tequila
Tequila cocktails, harvesting the agave, the cactus myth,
how to drink tequila, types of tequila, aging and bottling,
quality control, a glossary of popular terms, other agave
spirits, quality control, 100% agave, list of distillers, and
much more.
Copyright © 2000-2013 by Ian Chadwick
[email protected] - www.ianchadwick.com/tequila
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The Pocket Guide to Tequila -
The Pocket Guide to Tequila -

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