The origin of tequila, which today is one of the symbols of Mexico, is almost beyond dispute: in the west of the country there is a small town of Tequila, which, as it is easy to guess, gave its name to the popular drink. It was here that Don Pedro Sánchez de Tagle, Marquis of Altamira, founded the first distillery on his hacienda in 1600.
In the past - the privilege of the elderly and the sick
The history of tequila goes back to the 8th century, when Indians learned to make pulque from the heart of a huge plant - the blue agave - a viscous and slightly foamy drink of milky color with an alcohol content of 4 to 6 percent. It should be said that almost 136 species of agave grow in Mexico, but only one - agave teguilana weber azul - is suitable for making real tequila. By the time the agave is harvested, when its age reaches 8-10 years, it is an 80-90-kilogram barrel. In appearance it is very similar to a huge pineapple, from which several dozen almost two-meter needle-leaves stick out. From such a giant, from 5 to 13 liters of tequila are obtained.
Indians were allowed to drink pulque only once every four years at a festival in honor of the fire god. At other times it was a privilege of the elderly and the sick. For a long time, pulque was almost the only alcoholic drink in Mexico. Then Spanish conquistadors appeared here and brought European technologies for distilling alcohol.
Historical paradox
Tequila, or, as they said then, tequila wine, was first made by the Spaniards - and the drink for the next 400 years became the emblem of the Mexican national character, a product that is identified with the history and culture of the country.
The first producer to receive an official license in Mexico in 1795 was José María Cuervo. Tequila Jose Cuervo is still alive today and is rightfully considered the oldest. The first half of the 19th century - first the struggle for Mexico's independence, then the war with the United States - was a golden time for tequila. It becomes a universal currency for the warring sides. But its truly widespread distribution was impossible until the heyday of railroads in the 1880s. Then, having conquered the American market, which, it must be said, did not resist much, tequila producers began to establish exports to Europe.
Symbol of national liberation
The beginning of the 20th century again proved turbulent. In 1910, a revolution broke out in Mexico. It raised its heroes to the pedestal: Pancho Villa, Emiliano Zapata, and ... tequila as a symbol of national liberation.
The drink gained worldwide fame thanks to the Olympic Games in Mexico City in 1968, and in 1974 Mexican teguileros - producers - received the exclusive right to use the name "tequila" on the global market. Today more than 500 kinds of tequila are known. All real tequila, which is produced only in the highland northwestern state of Jalisco and bottled in Mexico, must have the inscription: "Hecho en Mexico", i.e. "Made in Mexico".
Ways of consuming the drink
Connoisseurs and experts drink real aged tequila slowly, sipping it. It should be at room temperature and served in a special shot glass with a thick bottom. This shot glass is called in Spanish "caballito" - "little horse".
Among young people, the "tequila boom" method is popular - a mixture of alcohol with Sprite - when the glass is covered with the palm and the bottom is hit against the bar counter until bubbles appear. Another option is possible, called in Mexico "submarino" - a shot of tequila in a mug of beer. You simply marvel at how many "relatives" the Russian "yorsh" has!
In bars and clubs today, the "lick-toss-bite" method with a pinch of salt and a slice of lemon is extremely popular. There is also a playful-erotic variety of this way of enjoying tequila, but I will not dwell on it, leaving listeners complete freedom to develop this topic on their own.
About the types of tequila
There are only four of them: Blanko, Joven, Reposado, and Anejo. This is officially approved by the Mexican government, which strictly controls all production of the drink. Tequila Blanko, or "silver", is transparent and colorless. It is bottled immediately after distillation, without any aging. Joven, more often called "gold", is Blanko tequila tinted with dyes and flavored with aromatic additives. Reposado and Anejo are real, oak-barrel-aged tequila, differing in aging periods. Reposado gains oak aromas and flavor from two months to a year, and Anejo from one to 10 years. Experts believe that tequila shows its best qualities at the age of 4-5 years.
By the way, the myth about a worm in a bottle, which is allegedly an integral feature of real Mexican tequila, does not correspond to reality. This is not at all an old tradition, but simply a marketing trick to increase sales abroad.
Ella VODOPYANOVA,
Deutsche Welle