Who doesn't saliva at the mere mention of a slice of lime, a whisper of salt and, of course, tequila? And after all, most of us are in the persistent delusion that this exotic alcoholic drink is made from a cactus! Well, then it's time to show your cards - you will learn what tequila is made of, as well as a lot of interesting things about its production, types and hangovers.

What is tequila

It is not "cactus moonshine" at all, it is a strong alcoholic drink made from a species of plant in the desert lily family, similar to aloe and called blue agave. But not any agave is used, but only a special variety - agava tequilana.

Interesting: for the first time alcohol from agave was thought to be produced by the atzecs of the Nahuatl people already in 1239, who made it from fermented agave juice and called it "pulque" and considered it "the drink of the gods."

Currently, tequila is produced only in Mexico from agave grown in the territory of certain 5 states: Guanajuato, Tamaulipas, Michoacan, Jalisco, Nayarit.

Composition and production of tequila

For almost 800 years, the drink has been produced in the same way from the core of the agave, which the Mexicans themselves call piñas, or pineapple, due to the similarity of the cultivated plant with a huge pineapple weighing up to 90 kg. And this size is achieved in the following way: during the industrial cultivation of blue agave in the first year of life, all shoots are cut from the plant, due to which the juices obtained from the bowels of the earth go to the core. And only in the twelfth year of life, the lily is cut off and all the squeezed juice is sent to fermentation.

Interesting: for many centuries the tequila production process has been unchanged and today it can decently shock Europeans: the drink included human saliva - the Aztecs sucked the juice from the trunk of the agave and spat it out into a jug in which fermentation took place.

As a result of fermentation of blue agave juice with sugar and yeast, an aromatic drink with a strength of 35 ° to 55 ° is obtained, but usually the most common tequila varieties have a strength of 38 ° -40 °. FROM

Tequila and the hangover

Many connoisseurs of elite alcohol claim that this alcohol is drunk surprisingly softly and does not leave unpleasant memories like a hangover. Let's check if this is so?

As for the softness of the drink, it's true: tequila is so easy to drink that the risk of overeating is very high, and hence the hangover. But it does not only arise from too much drinking.

In fact, esters and impurities cause hangovers. And if pure vodka, which contains only ethyl alcohol and water, rarely gives a hangover, then with tequila everything is different. It is also rich in higher alcohols, especially ethyl acetate, which is about 50 mg per liter. This alcohol is a known solvent, which has been assigned the food additive code E1504.

Yes, thanks to the esters in tequila, it is so pleasant and aromatic, but as impurities, they cause a fairly strong hangover and are a burden on the liver.

Although it is worth mentioning a very rare and most expensive form, made from 100% agave juice, it is with this drink that you can avoid a hangover, because it does not include other impurities. Please note - the label must say "100% blue agave".

By the way, during production, elite types of this alcohol are kept in oak barrels - this fact also affects the hangover: fusel oils contained in alcohol are absorbed by wood.

Types of tequila

Depending on the exposure, there are:

1. White (Blanco) and silver (Plato) tequila, bottled immediately after distillation (un aged) or aged for less than 2 months in oak or metal stainless barrels,
2. Gold (Oro) or young (Joven) - a mixture of silver varieties and more aged,
3. Reposado (or "Rested") - aged in oak barrels from 3 to 12 months,
4. Añejo ("Aged") - stays in oak barrels from 1 to 3 years,
5. Extra-Añejo is a variety that appeared in 2006 and is matured for over 3 years.

Mexicans themselves never drink diluted tequila, preferring 100% agave. Aged varieties - for an amateur because of the woody taste.

In order to find out what tequila is made of, you need to make a trip to Mexico. It is this country in North America that is the birthplace of the drink. What is tequila? It is a fairly strong alcoholic product made from the blue agave plant in Mexico, near the city with the name that gave the drink its name.

In the article:

Tequila composition

The history of the invention of the drink goes back to the 16th century during the invasion of the Spanish conquistadors into the territory of present-day Mexico. When the pale-faced men ran out of brandy they had brought with them, they borrowed the alcoholic drink from the locals, transforming it to their liking. The Spaniard liked the resulting product so much that they did not want to part with it in any way, calling it "mezcal". This one became the progenitor of modern tequila. the composition, which it is now, began only at the beginning of the 19th century. Several bottles of the drink, made in 1800, have survived to this day.

The Mexican government is very jealous of production, making the product one of the assets of its country. Established government organizations such as the Association of Producers and the Regulatory Council strictly monitor the production process of the alcoholic beverage, and compliance with all established standards, down to bottle labels. The historical production sites and the plant from which this amazing product is made are taken under the protection of UNESCO as World Heritage Sites.

Let's see what this mysterious drink, which has gained wide popularity throughout the world, consists of.

It is mistakenly believed that tequila is made from cactus. In fact, the main ingredient is blue agave, a succulent in the asparagus family. Once this plant in large quantities grew in the wild in Mexico. Over time, growers domesticated it, planting huge fields with blue agave. Agave is a huge plant with fleshy leaves, reaching 12 meters in height. For the production of alcohol, a plant that is about 5 years old is needed.

As we already wrote in the article about, the quality and category depends on the percentage of syrup obtained from blue agave in the drinks. By the percentage of content in the drink, agave is divided into two types:

• Tequila 100% Agava (premium) - the highest quality and most expensive drink contains 100% agave juice. It is produced and bottled only in strictly defined places. The labels must be marked "agave" or "100% puro de agave".
• Mixta (standard) - the content of blue agave juice must be at least 51%. The remaining 49% is filled with sugar syrup from any sugar-containing culture. Each blender manufacturer develops a different composition, so mixta has a wide variety of flavors. This product is labeled tequila.

The rest of the ingredients in Mexican tequila are yeast and water. Everything is like in our production of moonshine.

Tequila production process

From blue agave, only the core is used. This part of the plant is soared in an oven at a temperature of 70 degrees for two days. During heat treatment, the plant produces a large amount of juice.

After cooling, the released juice is mixed with yeast and left for the fermentation process for 10 days. At the end of the specified period, the strength of the semi-finished product is 10 degrees.

The next stage is the process of distillation (distillation) of the resulting liquid. Quality tequila is distilled twice. As a result of this procedure, the strength of the final product reaches 55 degrees.

The produced quality product is stored in barrels. Bourbon or cognac barrels are best suited for this purpose. When bottled, tequila is diluted with water to a strength of 38 degrees.

Tequila of different ages has its own unique color and aroma. Connoisseurs prefer a product that is four years old. In addition to its exquisite taste, it also has a fabulous price.

Tequila has never been a cheap alcohol, and recently, due to the increased interest in it and the recent TMA disease, which destroyed a large amount of blue agave, the cost of this exotic drink has grown exponentially.

But nothing can stop the true connoisseurs of the ancient Mexican alcoholic beverage.

Having once tasted real tequila, you will never confuse the taste of this noble drink with any other.

Not so long ago I happened to visit Mexico at the El Baston Del Rey farm near Puerto Vallarta, where a small production of tequila is organized in the old manner. I love tequila and this excursion was very interesting and informative for me. This family has been making tequila for three generations. The process used is quite old-fashioned, but avoids the use of chemicals and any other additives. The process begins with these plants, called blue agave. By the way, blue agave is not a cactus, but a direct relative of aloe. So tequila is a medicine :) It will turn blue when ripe and ready for production. Blue agave contains the maximum amount of fructose and is very sweet and soft in taste. It usually takes a plant 10 years to fully mature. At this moment, the blue agave blooms, a beautiful white flower appears in its center. So it's time to harvest. Ripe blue agave contains a huge amount of sugar, so no sweetening is required. Honey is also made from blue agave, it is even sweeter than bee honey.
The root of the agave is called piña (pine cone). First, the piña is steamed properly. In production, they usually use gas steam rooms and cook the cone for several hours. A pit lined with stones is also used here.
Oak logs are laid at the bottom of the pit and set on fire. When the fire is well lit, stones are laid out on top. After 3-4 hours, the stones will heat up, and the fire will practically disappear. Then the piña is cut in half and these halves are placed on the stones. The top is covered with banana leaves and fresh palm leaves. The moist leaves and the heat of the stones give the right steam. Then the pit is covered with sand and left for three days. Here the pinecone takes on a light smoky oak scent and becomes incredibly sweet.
To squeeze out the juice, the piña is laid out here in a circle. A heavy stone called tajona is used as a press. A donkey is used as a labor force, charged with three glasses of tequila :) The only additional ingredient that is used here is water to take out as much sugar as possible from the piña. The bottom is uneven and the sugar water runs down to the edge where there is a hole in the wall. The liquid is very sweet, it has to be diluted with plenty of water (65% -70% of the total). After 3-4 hours fermentation begins, which will take 8-10 days. The production uses chemicals to speed up the fermentation process and sugar cane to increase the amount of tequila produced. Only 5-6 liters of tequila can be obtained from each plant. This is not much, so manufacturers are allowed to use additives. According to the law, the label on the bottle may say that tequila contains 100% agave if there is more than 50% agave. So sugarcane is added to 51% of the agave in production. Famous brands of tequila probably contain 70% or 80% agave. The more agave, the softer the taste.
This is where the fermentation process, or fermentation, takes place. In 8-10 days, the sugar level drops to 10% and the mixture is ready for distillation.
And here is the tequilo-moonshine still. Inside there is a container, the bottom of which is not flat, but in the form of a cone. Water gets inside and flows out without mixing with the composition inside. It only cools the coil. 200 liters of already filtered mash are poured into the lower part, everything is tightly closed, and the process begins. After a few hours, the mash begins to boil. The steam flows upward and condenses in the coil. Methyl alcohol, as one of the lighter alcohols, comes out first. Therefore, the first part is thrown away. The very remnants below are also not of very good quality. They are called "tails" and are also thrown away. The resulting tequila is distilled once more. This, by the way, is one of the requirements for certified production. All tequila is distilled twice. The tequila obtained in this way is called Blanco tequila, white tequila, or silver tequila. It is used for cocktails such as margarita, tequila sunrise and more. Barrels are used to make all other types of tequila. Tequila is infused there from 2 months to several years. Tequila is not kept in barrels for more than 3 years, as it is very saturated with the taste of oak. Tequila between the ages of 2 and 12 months is called reposado (rested). It is sometimes called golden tequila, which is not entirely correct. Tequila Oro (golden tequila) is a blend of blanco and reposado. Tequila Reposado is strong, has a pleasant smell and mild taste. You don't need salt and lime to drink this tequila. There is no such Mexican tradition to drink tequila with salt and lime. The salt and lime simply drown out the flavor of the sugarcane and added chemicals. Good tequila shouldn't burn in your mouth. Its taste should be felt in the throat. Tequila Reposado can be simply drunk or used in cocktails for a very mild flavor. It is not recommended to make cocktails too sweet, then in the morning you will have a headache. If tequila is infused in barrels for more than a year, it is called Añejo (aged). This tequila should not be mixed with anything and should not be used in cocktails. It is a crime to use lime and salt with this tequila. This farm has recently started producing tequila infusions. Almond - tastes like Amaretto. Orange-tangerine - reminiscent of Grand Marnier liqueur. It can also be used as a marinade for fish. Coffee (coffee, chocolate, vanilla) - sweet chocolate liqueur, very good for desserts. According to the guide, you need to be careful when using almond tincture - it acts like Viagra. The drinking method is simple: First smell. The smell should be free of cane alcohol and chemicals. Then take a deep breath, exhale and drink. Moonshine - it is also moonshine in Mexico. Only in Mexico is it medicinal, made of scarlet. Tour video, in English:

My personal impressions: Tequila Blanco was not even offered to us. But I tried it once - it tastes like moonshine. Tequila Anejo tastes like whiskey. Probably, it is not correct to keep it in barrels for a long time. But Tequila Reposado is amazing. I bought it on the farm. It really drinks very easily without lime and salt, the taste is very, very mild. The differences from store-bought tequila are colossal. The price doesn't bite at all - 400 pesos ($ 40) for 0.7 liter. Here she is! The photo shows my tactical reserve of industrial production.
The tequila liqueurs are not bad, but they are not interesting. The tequila taste has been completely killed and the tequila has turned into regular strong liqueurs. It would be interesting to try marinating fish in orange tequila, but I will prepare such a tincture myself. Agave honey is sweet, does not have a pronounced taste. Such a soft, thick sweetness. Whereas this is aloe honey, should be good for treating colds. I will try to use it in a chicken marinade. By the way, let me recommend Tequila Milagro Reposado. Very, very good taste, although manufactured. Honey, contagion, about $ 70.

Now we will not talk about what tequila is, since everyone knows about this famous Mexican drink. The topic of discussion will be the process of making a drink, that is, what tequila is made of and how it happens. And if you think that the main ingredients of this process are cacti that grow in a Latin American country, then be sure to read the article that will debunk this ancient myth.

In the production of Mexican vodka, it is important not only what tequila is made of, but also the observance of the technology of each stage. In order to make the best mezcal, you need to go through 6 stages.

Did you know? Tequila is a type of “mescal”. Translated from Mexican, the name of the spirit sounds like “cooked agave”. Therefore, it becomes clear that this plant is the main ingredient in the production.

Growing blue agave

To begin with, it is necessary to clarify that real tequila from Mexico is made from a special plant - blue agave. Now this crop is grown by farmers in the Mexican states of Tamaulipas, Nayarit, Michoacan, Guanajuato and Jalisco.

The plant cultivation process takes place entirely in manual mode. According to Mexican law, the sugar content of agave for tequila must not be below the 24% threshold. Therefore, the cultivation takes from 8 to 12 years.

After ripening, the plant is cut off and peeled from the leaves and, as a result, a fruit is obtained that visually resembles a cedar cone or pineapple.

Did you know? Agave is a plant from the lily family, but in an arid climate and in order to protect itself from various animals that encroach on it, the flower had to evolve into a rough plant with dense leaves and thorns, which is very similar to a cactus. This gave rise to the "worldwide" misconception that Mexican alcohol is vodka from a cactus.

Heat treatment of the crop

The agave juice necessary for mezcal is released only under the influence of high temperature, so earlier the fruits of the plant languished in special ovens. Now, more modern devices are involved in this stage - steel autoclaves, in which the agave is heat treated with steam.

Grinding ingredients

After the main constituent component has undergone steam processing, it begins to release the necessary juice, but its bulk is still concentrated inside the fruit. Therefore, to obtain this elixir, they are washed and crushed with special mills. The resulting mass is squeezed out and filled with the resulting liquid vats, while adding a certain amount of water.

Fermentation

The resulting liquid is filled with yeast. Mostly brewer's yeast is used, but the manufacturing company uses a technology that uses yeast extracted from the leaves of the same agave. The fermentation period can be from 7 to 14 days. The following factors influence the fermentation process and its duration:

• the percentage of sugar in the fruits of the plant;
• temperature regime of production (when cold, fermentation slows down);
• volumes of containers for aging (in a large container, the liquid maintains the required temperature for fermentation).

Distillation

This stage can be started after the mixture starts to contain 4-7% alcohol. Filtration is considered a preparatory procedure before the distillation stage - this is the process of removing various sediments and fibers from the fruit.

Since agave has a specific flavor, distillation is performed several times. After the first round, the liquid becomes clear. Its inherent hue appears only after aging in barrels or adding caramel to it.

Bottling

The finished product is subjected to final filtration through activated carbon or cellulose before bottling.
Most Mexican liquor industries use state-of-the-art automation and are dispensed on a conveyor belt. But nowadays there are also enterprises where everything is done in the old fashioned way, and the filling of bottles takes place manually. This is also due to the fact that manual labor in this country is too underestimated, and high technologies are often not affordable for local industrialists.

Features of the production of different types of tequila

How many degrees in tequila will be at the end of production depends on its type. This figure ranges from 38 to 43%. But what influences him? Let's figure it out.

There are five main types of tequila that enter the alcoholic beverages market:

From the foregoing, it turns out that the production does not provide for such a long aging in wooden barrels as when creating cognacs or. This is due to the fact that with a long aging, the drink can lose its strength. Therefore, if the original product contains 55-degree alcohols, then the finished product (after filtration and dilution with distilled water) is less strong - only from 38 ° to 43 °. It is the last indicator inherent in a drink that is exported, but inside the country you can find samples with a strength of up to 46 °.

Since the Indians made the first mezcal, a lot of time has passed, and the technology of this process has undergone many changes, but one thing has remained unchanged - this is the best alcohol that Mexico has given the world.

As we can see, the drink is made without any special secrets and difficulties, but there is no other country around the globe that can repeat the achievements of Latin Americans in North America, so every bottle must contain the inscription Hecho en Mexico on the label. Traveling through this wonderful country, do not miss the opportunity to taste a unique drink - you will not regret it.

TequilaIs a strong alcoholic drink made from agave juice, produced in Mexico.

For the Mexicans themselves, this drink is very important, many historical moments are associated with it.

History of the drink

Agave has been growing in Mexico for over 9000 years. The ancients used it for food, considering it a useful product. Tequila production began in the 16th century. It was then that the Spanish conquistadors came to the territory of Mexico. They brought brandy with them, but the drink ran out very quickly. In order not to be left without alcohol, the conquistadors began to make a drink from the heart of the agave, which they called "mezcal". It is he who is the "older brother" of tequila.

At the beginning of the 17th century, serial production begins. The drink in its present form appeared in the early 19th century. It began to be produced in the Mexican state of Guadalajara. It is noteworthy that several bottles from 1800 have survived to this day. They are considered rare and marketed as a commercial product.

Composition

Perhaps tequila is the most vague drink around which many myths have developed. Many, having heard the question of what tequila is made of, will not hesitate to answer that it is from a cactus. In fact, this thorny plant has nothing to do with the production of the drink. Tequila is made from agave. Moreover, there are more than 100 of its types, but for the preparation of the drink, only the core of blue agave is taken (pictured).

Mexicans clearly distinguish between tequila and mezcal. But the rest of the peoples have confusion, so the opinion arose that these drinks are exactly the same. In fact, despite their common roots, they are different drinks. They differ in several ways. As already mentioned, tequila is made only from blue agave; five species of this plant are used to produce mescal. Tequila is distilled twice, mezcal once.

Some European manufacturers, in an attempt to impress customers, add an alcohol-based caterpillar that lives on agave leaves to a bottle of tequila. In fact, real Mexican tequila is poured into an empty bottle, without worms. And European manufacturers are once again confusing tequila with mezcal. It is in it that caterpillars are sometimes put.

Tequila makes you drunk much faster than vodka. Therefore, there is a myth that there is no hangover from a drink. In fact, many people simply do not have time to drink enough tequila to get hungover. If you drink a lot of it, then in the morning you will definitely have a headache and dry mouth.

Types of tequila

The degree of tequila varies from 40 to 55, depending on the age of the drink. Tequila is divided into two categories: made 100% from agave and made from 51% from agave and 49% from other sugars.

• silver tequila, the aging of which is equal to two months;
• golden, in which the exposure is equal to two months, but it is artificially tinted to make it look like a well-aged tequila;
• rested, which has been aged for about a year;
• aged, the exposure of which varies from one year to three years;
• super-aged, the aging period of which exceeds three years.

Usually the shutter speed changes color. In such cases, the drink is sometimes tinted with caramel to give it a darker color.

Each type of drink has a unique taste and aroma. It is believed that the best tequila is the one that has been aged for at least four years. It has a delicate aroma and exquisite taste. Sometimes manufacturers mix different types of tequilas to create new unusual combinations.

The Mexican government closely monitors the production of the drink. To this end, the Tequila Producers Association and the Tequila Regulatory Council have been established. They make sure that manufacturers comply with all laws and regulations. The Mexican government even monitors the labels on the bottles. They should contain information about the composition, grade and aging of the drink. Bottles with high-quality real tequila always bear a stamp stating that its production is authorized by the Mexican government. Unsurprisingly, with this approach, tequila is considered one of the highest quality alcoholic beverages.

Real quality tequila is quite expensive. For example, a bottle of The 1800 Coleccion tequila costs $ 1,800. This is an expensive collectible tequila that has an extraordinary aroma of vanilla, almond and melon. Of course, not all types of drinks are that expensive. You can find tequila at an affordable price that will be affordable for most people. Recently, the demand for the drink has increased significantly, so the prices for the drink continue to grow.
Tequila is a national Mexican drink, the history of which goes back more than one century. Today the drink is popular all over the world, it is loved by both true gourmets and simple fans of good alcohol.

How and with what to drink tequila?

There are several ways to consume tequila. It is noteworthy that in the homeland of the drink in Mexico, this aspect is not given special attention. Tequila is drunk as it is more convenient. But among Europeans, drinking a drink can be compared with a ritual. The most popular way is with lime and salt. First, there is a little preparation: a few drops of lime are dripped onto the back of the hand between the index and thumb. Then sprinkle a little salt on the same place. A slice of lime is placed next to it. You need to lick off the salt, quickly wash it down with tequila and eat it with lime. If there is no lime, then you can replace it with regular lemon.

Young people have a very common way of using tequila, like tequila boom. It is especially often used in nightclubs and discos, when you need to quickly cheer up. Tequila is mixed with a tonic (sprite) and the glass is covered with the palm of your hand. Then you need to sharply hit the container on a hard surface. From such a shake-up, the cocktail boils, and it must be drunk as soon as possible.

Sometimes tequila is drunk neat, washed down with an original cocktail of lemon and tomato juice with the addition of chili peppers.

Tequila is often used in the preparation of cocktails such as margarita, sangrita, El desierto. It can be added to coffee, tea, cognac. That is why it is impossible to unequivocally answer how to drink tequila correctly, everyone drinks it the way it is more convenient for him.