Tequila is an alcoholic beverage. It is made from the cactus-like agave plant (also called maguey), a succulent similar to the lily which is native to Mexico.

Tequila is a strong distilled alcoholic beverage made in an area near the town of Tequila, in the western Mexican state of Jalisco. It is the name of one type of mezcal, which is the name of any distilled alcohol made from the agave plant. What makes tequila different from other mezcals is the region it is made in – and the Denominación de Origen protection afforded to that region – and the fact that tequila is made from Agave tequilana Weber, also called blue agave or agave azul. Tequila is required to be at least 51% agave; the remainder is usually corn or cane sugar. There are, however, premium tequilas made from 100% blue agave.

Tequila made only from agave sugars must be made in Mexico, and is marked Hecho en México (made in Mexico). Bulk agave syrup may be exported, and often has other sugars added, and caramel for colouring. If it is not made from 100% agave, tequila is called mixto.

Tequila is usually bottled in one of three categories: plata or blanca ("silver" – aged no more than a couple of months), reposado ("rested" – aged about a year), and añejo ("aged" – aged from 1 to 3 years). The aging process changes the color of tequila, but the liquid can sometimes be colored with caramel to show a darker color, indicative of a longer aging process; añejos tend to be darker, the reposados slightly less dark, while the platas are not colored at all.

It is a common misconception that some tequilas contain a 'worm' in the bottle. Only certain mezcals, usually from the Oaxaca region of Mexico, are ever sold con gusano. The worm is actually the larval form of the moth Hipopta agavis that lives on the agave plant.

Note: for more information on how tequila is made, see mezcal.

Drinks

Tequila may be drunk straight, as with Scotch whisky, or as an ingredient in other drinks:

• Margarita
• Sangrita is served mixed with tequila, or accompanying it
• Tequila martini, substituting tequila for gin
• Tequila Slammer is a popular tequila based shooter
• Tequila Sunrise
• Brave Bull is a potent Tequila /coffee liqueur based cocktail
• El desierto is a long drink made of tequila, tomato juice, salt and tabasco
• Tequila Macho is a shot of tequila with a sliced, roasted serrano chile

A single shot of tequila is popularly served with salt and a slice of lemon or lime. The drinker dampens the back of his hand below the first finger (usually by licking) and pours on the salt. Then the salt is licked, tequila downed and slice eaten in rapid succession. Groups of drinkers usually do this simultaneously. There is a variation called the Savannah Whore with cinnamon coating an orange slice instead of using lime and salt.

In addition to Tequila, Jalisco, there is another municipality called Tequila in the Mexican state of Veracruz.

External link

• Tequila: Culture and Myths
• Tequila Jones Tavern: The Place for Everything Tequila!