History of Tequila
Today, July 24, is National Tequila Day. Sounds fun, right? Back in the
day, I drank my share of tequila, with salt and lemon. As a nod to my younger days, I thought I’d
research the history of tequila.
Tequila is the name for a distilled beverage made from the blue agave
plant, primarily in the area surrounding the city of Tequila, 40 miles
northwest of Guadalajara. The red volcanic soil in the surrounding region is
particularly well-suited to the growing of the blue agave plant. (Wikipedia)
Mezcal
wine, tequila’s grandparent, was first produced only a few decades after the
Spaniards came to the New World in 1521. Agave played a much larger role than the source
of an alcoholic drink. Its leaves were used for a hemp-like fiber to make mats,
clothing, rope and paper. It was also the source of the nutrient and
vitamin-rich brew, pulque. (Source: Los Cabos Magazine)
The
distillation of pulque into something stronger may have originated by the
Conquistadors as early as the 1520s. You’re all familiar with Cuervo Tequila.
Jose Antonio Cuervo was the first licensed manufacturer of tequila. He received
the rights to cultivate a parcel of land from the King of Spain in 1758. Today,
Cuervo is the largest manufacturer of tequila in the world. (Source: Los Cabos
Magazine)
Mexican laws
state that tequila can only be produced in the state of Jalisco and limited municipalities in the states of Guanajuato, Michoacán, Nayarit, and Tamaulipas. Planting, tending, and harvesting the
agave plant remains a manual effort, largely unchanged by modern farm machinery
and relying on centuries-old know-how.
The men who
harvest it, the jimadores [ximaˈðoɾes], have intimate knowledge of how the plants should be
cultivated, passed down from generation to generation. (Wikipedia)
"Tequila worm"
misconception
A young agave plant
THE WORM
Another interesting error is an urban legend related to a worm. The worm-in-the-bottle myth is old and tired. The truth has been broadcast and expounded for years by the cognoscenti of tequila, in newspapers, magazines and on the internet. Yes, it’s true, some American-bottled brands put one in their bottle to impress the gringos and boost sales, but it was a marketing ploy developed in the 1940s, not a Mexican tradition.
Sometimes however, there is a worm, properly a butterfly caterpillar, in some types of mezcal. You may also get a small bag of worm salt and chile powder tied to a mezcal bottle. There are two types of worms in mezcal: the red, gusano rojo—considered superior because it lives in the root and heart of the maguey—and the less-prized white or gold gusano de oro, which lives on the leaves. The red gusano turns pale in the mezcal, the gold turns ashen-gray. Both larvae are commonly eaten as food and are sold in Zapotec markets.
Yes, you’re supposed to eat the worm in mezcal. Don’t worry: it’s quite well pickled and free of pesticides (they’re often raised just for use in mezcal, cooked and pickled in alcohol for a year). But dispel any idea it has any magical or psychotropic properties, that it’s an aphrodisiac or the key to an "unseen world." It’s merely protein and alcohol—but it’s very rich in imagery. Note: Yuck.
Another interesting error is an urban legend related to a worm. The worm-in-the-bottle myth is old and tired. The truth has been broadcast and expounded for years by the cognoscenti of tequila, in newspapers, magazines and on the internet. Yes, it’s true, some American-bottled brands put one in their bottle to impress the gringos and boost sales, but it was a marketing ploy developed in the 1940s, not a Mexican tradition.
Sometimes however, there is a worm, properly a butterfly caterpillar, in some types of mezcal. You may also get a small bag of worm salt and chile powder tied to a mezcal bottle. There are two types of worms in mezcal: the red, gusano rojo—considered superior because it lives in the root and heart of the maguey—and the less-prized white or gold gusano de oro, which lives on the leaves. The red gusano turns pale in the mezcal, the gold turns ashen-gray. Both larvae are commonly eaten as food and are sold in Zapotec markets.
Yes, you’re supposed to eat the worm in mezcal. Don’t worry: it’s quite well pickled and free of pesticides (they’re often raised just for use in mezcal, cooked and pickled in alcohol for a year). But dispel any idea it has any magical or psychotropic properties, that it’s an aphrodisiac or the key to an "unseen world." It’s merely protein and alcohol—but it’s very rich in imagery. Note: Yuck.
In Mexico,
the most traditional way to drink tequila is neat, without lime and salt.
Outside Mexico, a single shot of
tequila is often served with salt and a slice of lime. This is called tequila cruda and is sometimes referred to as
"training wheels", "lick-sip-suck", or
"lick-shoot-suck" (referring to the way in which the combination of
ingredients is imbibed). The drinkers moisten the back of their hands below the
index finger (usually by licking) and pour on the salt. Then the salt is licked
off the hand, the tequila is drunk, and the fruit slice is quickly bitten.
Groups of drinkers often do this simultaneously. (Wikipedia)
Note: I always thought you
used lemon. That’s what we did. We used to drink it this way in groups in a
bar, mostly the summer of 1971, at the Jersey Shore.
Now that you know all the
important facts about tequila, go out and celebrate National Tequila Day.
Since this is summer and many of us go to the shore or the beach (We say Shore for New Jersey, Beach for the Delaware beaches), I have a sweet story set the Jersey Shore.
Loving Or Nothing
2012 Gulf States Silken Sands Star Contest Third Place Winner
2012 Best Indie Book Award Semi-Finalist
2012 Best Indie Book Award Semi-Finalist
When a ruthless developer and a sentimental bridal shop owner clash, sparks fly.
No stranger to loss, Tami Morrelle is holding on with one satiny thread to the only thing she has left that ties her to her loved ones – the family bridal shop.
Local bad boy Daniel Ramsey is back in town and on a mission – to turn Tami’s world upside down – any way he can.
Daniel needs Tami’s beachfront home and business to complete his crowning achievement as a successful developer. His latest proposal hinges on buying former high school classmate Tami’s land to make it happen. More importantly, it will show those in Loving who were convinced he’d amount to less than nothing they were dead wrong about him.
For Daniel, it’s Loving or nothing. For Tami, selling out to Daniel will leave her with nothing. But when the ruthless developer and sentimental bridal shop owner clash, sparks fly.
A secret crush. Two wounded hearts. Will Daniel and Tami be willing to give up what they think they need and open their hearts to what really matters in Loving?
(Includes bonus short story, "Accidental Love.")
No stranger to loss, Tami Morrelle is holding on with one satiny thread to the only thing she has left that ties her to her loved ones – the family bridal shop.
Local bad boy Daniel Ramsey is back in town and on a mission – to turn Tami’s world upside down – any way he can.
Daniel needs Tami’s beachfront home and business to complete his crowning achievement as a successful developer. His latest proposal hinges on buying former high school classmate Tami’s land to make it happen. More importantly, it will show those in Loving who were convinced he’d amount to less than nothing they were dead wrong about him.
For Daniel, it’s Loving or nothing. For Tami, selling out to Daniel will leave her with nothing. But when the ruthless developer and sentimental bridal shop owner clash, sparks fly.
A secret crush. Two wounded hearts. Will Daniel and Tami be willing to give up what they think they need and open their hearts to what really matters in Loving?
(Includes bonus short story, "Accidental Love.")
