Even in traditional Aztec Mexico, the qualities of a large plant known as the agave were undeniable. It was utilised in various forms such as soap, footwear, and rather predictable was used to create a drink with alcoholic content known then as ztac octli, or white wine.
During Spanish occupation however, this spirit now known as mezcal wine was initially banned due to the Spanish wanting a monopoly for their own brandies.
However this was lifted, and in 1608, mezcal wine was taxed, and then formally legalised in 1636.
In the late 1700s there was another brief period of the spirit being banned, but the industry really boomed in 1795 as the first official license to distil was granted to a certain José Maria Guadeloupe Cuervo.
The 19th century saw a real boom in the production of mezcal, with over 200 species of agave being used. However it didn’t take long for producers to realise that the blue agave made the best tasting mezcal.
As mezcal production in the Jalisco state primarily used blue agave, a new drink was created, and it took is name from the town at its centre- Tequila, with Don Sauza then first exporting this new spirit in the 1870s.
It needed a classic serve to really cement tequilas status though, and that happened around 1948 with the creation of the margarita. This was then further boosted by its rebellious image that was created in the USA during the 1960s.
Unfortunately a lot of people will have had a bad experience of tequila, but that’s because there are so many low quality examples. We’re now going to have a look at the range of tequilas available.
Silver/Blanco- an unaged spirit, or very briefly rested before being filtered to remove any colouring.
Gold- the same as silver, with the addition of caramel to create a golden appearance.
Reposado- aged in a wooden vat of between 10 and 30 thousand litres capacity for between 2 and 12 months
Anejo- aged in a wooden barrel of a maximum capacity of 600 litres for between 1 and 3 years.
Muy Anejo- the same as an Anejo, except it has been aged for over 3 years.
Most people would have encountered a silver or gold tequila in the form of a shot, but due to minimal or no ageing, they will most likely to be harsh and only bearable in the form of a shot.
A Reposado, Anejo or Muy would most likely be found in a cocktail or drunk neat as a sipping drink.
It is also worth noting that in 1970s the Mexican government created a subcategory of tequila named mixto to deal with the overwhelming demand of tequila.
This essentially means that tequila can contain other natural sugars up to 49% without the need to display it.
However if a bottle states ‘100% Agave’ it means that only blue agave has been used in the production of said tequila.
