| How tequila is made
Tequila is made in a
similar fashion to beer. That is, it is distilled and fermented. It is made from a type of succulent similar to cactus. When the cactus is harvested the outside spiny leaves are discarded leaving the tequila producing heart of the plant ((pictured above). We tasted the plant after it had been cooked. It actually tastes very sweet , similar to sugar cane but stronger in flavour.Pure tequila is no longer sold as it is too potent. It is now watered down before
sale. At the end of the distilling process the tequila looked like water to us. But the horrific smell produced by the vat of tequila assured us that it wasn't water. You could easily get drunk by simply inhailing that smell. The types of tequila
There are three types of
tequila, each distinguished by their age. White tequila, which is the cheapest is not aged at all. Repesado, which is yellow in colour is aged between 3 and 12 months. Note however, that sometimes cheap white tequila is mixed with yellow food colouring. Care should therefore be taken when making purchases. The other expensive category is aged for longer than 12 months. The older the tequila the better the taste and the sharpness or hardness of the tequila's bite is
lessened. There are also different flavours of tequila including raspberry, apple, coffee and chocolate. How to drink tequila
Tequila is most commonly consumed straight. It is best followed by sucking on a lime. Limes have a much better flavour than lemons. Note that Mexicans
don't use salt before their tequila shots. In certain areas, tequila drinks are mixed with a local drink. In Guadalajara for example, the strong tomato Bloody-Mary type mix in drunk from a shot glass immediately after the tequila shot instead of using a lime. Other tequila drinks include Margaritas and Tequila slammers.Mexican shots glasses aren't like the small 30ml shot glasses used in Australia. The tequila glasses are similar to those that spirits would be
served in. Basically, you can't swallow the whole shot in one gulp. |
