Alcoholic Beverage : SPIRIT

 

TEQUILA and MEZCAL

1. Introduction

Tequila is probably the most known and consumed spirit in North America. It is consumed both neat (with no other ingredients) or as part of mixture of ingredients to produce a multitude of cocktails. True tequila is made from blue agave a succulent plant found in the region surrounding the city of Tequila. Tequila must be made with a minimum Blue Agave Tequilana Weber content of 51% to be labeled as tequila, otherwise it is called Mezcal. Fine tequilas are made of 100% blue agave.Tequila is an alcoholic distillate from the mash made from the blue agave plant, primarily in the area surrounding the city of Tequila, 65 kilometres (40 mi) northwest of Guadalajara, and in the highlands (Los Altos) of the western Mexican state of Jalisco. Tequila is most often made at a 38–40% alcohol content (76–80 proof), but can be produced between 35–55% alcohol content (70–110 proof). Though most tequilas are 80 proof. Some brands are: Jose, Cuervo, Sauza, Montezuma, etc.

Mexican laws state that tequila can be produced only in the state of Jalisco and limited regions in the states of Guanajuato, Michoacán, Nayarit, and Tamaulipas. Mexico has claimed the exclusive international right to the word "tequila", threatening legal actions against manufacturers in other countries.

2. History of Tequila

It is thought that the Aztecs fermented drink as early as the 3^rd century BC. They used to produce pulque wine from the heart of the agave plant. It is fermented beverage from the agave plant (mescalin-similar to cactus), which they called octli (later and more popularly called pulque) long before the Spanish arrived in 1521. When the Spanish conquistadors ran out of their own brandy, they began to distill this agave drink to produce North America's first indigenous distilled spirit. Tequila was first produced in the 16th century near the location of the city of Tequila, which was not officially established until 1656.

Some 80 years later, around 1600, Don Pedro Sánchez de Tagle, the Marquis of Altamira, began mass-producing tequila at the first factory in the territory of modern-day Jalisco. By 1608, the colonial governor of Nueva Galicia had begun to tax his products.

The tequila that is popular today was first mass-produced in the early 1800s in Guadalajara, Mexico.

Don Cenobio Sauza, founder of Sauza Tequila and Municipal President of the Village of Tequila from 1884-1885, was the first to export tequila to the United States. Don Cenobio's grandson Don Francisco Javier gained international attention for insisting that "there cannot be tequila where there are no agaves!" His efforts led to the practice that real tequila can only come from the State of Jalisco.

Although some tequilas have remained as family owned brands, most well-known tequila brands are owned by large multinational corporations. However, there are over 100 distilleries making over nine hundred brands of tequila in Mexico and over 2,000 brand names have been registered (2009 Statistics). Due to this, each bottle of tequila contains a serial number (NOM - Norma Official Mexicana) depicting which distillery the tequila was produced in. Because there are only so many distilleries, multiple brands of tequila come from the same location.

3. Tequila Production

i.       Harvesting

The agave is harvested manually all year round by skilled “Jimadors”. If they are harvested too earlier, there will not be adequate sugar and if too late, the sugar would have been used by plant. The Blue agave or Tequilana Weber Azul, which grew around the town of Tequila in the state of Jalico, produced the finest spirit. The spiky leaves of the agave plant are pulled out to get heart. The heart of this plant is called “Pina” which weight around 60 kg., it is used to make spirit. It takes 7 kg of pina to produce 1 liter of 100% tequila.

 ii.     Baking/ Cooking

This pinas are cooked to removed waxes and solids or steamed in slow bake stone ovens (hornos) for 50 – 72 hours. Now day’s large producer use steam autoclaves to speed up the process to 8 – 14 hours.

 iii.   Grinding/ Crushing

They are left to cool for 24 – 36 hours before being mashed in a giant grinding wheel (Tahona) or crushed in steel roller to extract the juice called aguamiel. The juices are mixed with water in large vats for the fermentation.

 iv.   Fermentation

The juice is transferred in vat; the result wort is ferment by adding yeast in wooden or stainless tanks for 7 – 12 days to convert the sugars into alcohol, it can be also speed up to 2 -3 days by adding chemicals. Then fermented liquid is left for 12 hours to settle with the strength of 5-7% alcohol.

 v.     Distillation

The fermented wash is double still in pot still to get desired spirit. They are distilled twice in traditional copper stills or more modern ones made of stainless steel or in continuous distillation towers. The first distillation produces a low-grade alcohol “ordinario” which is about 20% and the second a fiery colourless liquid that is later blended before being bottled. Alcohol content may be between 70 and 110 Proof.  Some distilleries distill the product again to produce a triple distilled product.

 vi.   Ageing and Bottling

The higher strength of Tequila is diluted and bottled as “silver Tequila”, or it is pumped into oak barrels to begin the aging process, then diluted to 40% abv and bottled.

 Some brand of Tequila

·      

·       Jose Cuervo ·       Partida ·       Chinaco ·       Grand Centenario

·       Sauza ·       Cabo Webo ·       El Tesoro Don Felipe ·       Patron

Agavero

·       Corazon de Agave

·       Herradura

·       Montezuma

·       Milagro tequila

 

4. Types of Tequila

There are basically two types of Tequila.

i. Mixto (Mixed): It is tequila distilled from wash obtained from a minimum of 51% of agave tequilaana sugar and maximum of 49% of other sugar.

 ii.   100% agave: This tequila has 100 % distillate from Agave Tequilana Weber.

Categories of Tequila

 Blanco ("white") or plata ("silver"): white spirit, un-aged and bottled or stored immediately after distillation, or aged less than two months in stainless steel or neutral oak barrels.

 Joven ("young") or oro ("gold"): a mixture of blanco tequila and reposado tequila (Ex. José Cuervo Oro).

 Reposado ("rested"): aged a minimum of two months, but less than a year in oak barrels of any size;

 Añejo ("aged" or "vintage"): aged a minimum of one year, but less than three years in small oak barrels;

 Extra Añejo ("extra aged" or "ultra aged"): aged a minimum of three years in oak barrels. This category was established in March 2006.

 Other Categories:

Con gusano: With a caterpillar, it is bottled 4 – 6 weeks after distillation and is straw coloured.

 Tobala: 44 -48% strength, produced from a rare agave that grows in the canyons and is not aged.

 Minero:  This is named after the gold and silver miners who could afford the better quality. It is clear and strong and sometimes triple distilled.

 Mezcal con chile: This is bottled a month after distillation with added chilli peppers.

 Cremas de Mezcal (Pechunga Mezcal): Infused with fruits and nuts to make mild liqueur (18 – 22%).

5. Serving Tequila

Traditionally tequila is served chilled in small shot glasses accompanied with a wedge of lime and salt. It is drunk after a lick of salt and squeeze of lime or lemon. The salt is kept at the web of hand between the thumb and forefinger and quarter of lemon is held with the same fingers. Pre-poured 1ounce chilled tequila in shot glass in other hand. The salt is licked; chilled tequila is gulped in single shot and lemon is bitten. It is believed that salt lessen the alcohol burn and lime balances and enhance the flavour of tequila.  In German, cinnamon is taken before tequila and a slice of orange after drinking.

It can have also with mixer (soda, lemonade, water). A good quality 100% agave does not have significant alcohol burn and should be taken from snifter/ balloon glass to enjoy aroma and true taste.

 6. MEZCAL

It is produce from approved agave plant in very similar way to tequila. There are about 30 species of agave certified by the Mexican government for the production of mezcal. The Mezcal should come from any of the state approved areas of production, which are Oaxaca, Durango, Guanajuato, Guerrero, San Louis Potosi, Tamaulipas, and Zacatecas. Oaxaca has highest number of mezcal producers.

Mezcal is very strong and has a smoky flavour. Worms that live in agave plant are handpicked and added to mescal while bottling, especially in the mezcal produced in the southern state of Oaxaca, Mexico. Worms make mescal a unique drink. Some also believe that it gives strength and the worm is an acquired taste, like the drink.

Traditionally, it is taken straight without any salt and lemon. Some brands of Mezcal are: Gasano Rojo Mezcal, Monte Alban, Miguel de la Mezcal.

 Different between Tequila and Mezcal

Tequila is distilled from agave tequillana whereas mescal is distilled from about 30 certified varieties of agave. Tequila is not bottled with worm while some mescal is bottled with worm.