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TYPES OF TEQUILA:

 

Blanco, plata, or gold” - names referring to unaged tequilas.

 

Anejo” - the tequila has been aged for at least one year. 

 

May Anejo” - the tequila has been aged for over than one year. 

 

Reposado” - aged for two months in American oak barrels that have been previously used for bourbon.   

 

Tequila 

40 % Alcohol By Volume

 

HISTORY:

Tequila can be traced back to the Aztecs.  They used to drink a milky alcoholic beverage called pulque.  Pulque is made from the agave plant.  When Spain conquered Mexico, they distilled this beverage giving birth to mezcal.  Mezcal was the precursor to tequila.  Tequila must be produced in the town of Tequila, Arenal, Amatitian, or the region of Los Altos de Jalisco.  Just these four regions produce all of the worlds tequila.     

Tequila is produced in the city of Tequila whereas if it was produced elsewhere, it's called mezcal.  Tequila comes from the mescal plant.  The beverage is distilled from the sap or juice of the plant.  This plant resembles a cactus and it is a type of agave plant.  The agave plant is a 20 to 30 feet tall flowering stalk and can weigh up to one hundred and fifty pounds.  The heart of the agave plant is split and steamed for up to twenty-four hours.  The sap become concentrated and the starch turns to sugar.  The juices are then combined into vats where the fermentation begins.  This will continue for two and a half days.  The spirit is then distilled at 28 proof.  The vapors from the stills will sit for fifteen days and then redistilled to 104 proof.  Tequila is usually unaged, and bottled at 80-86 proof.  Aged tequila gives off a yellow, mellowness to the final product. 

 

Tequila Production

Types of Tequila

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The Art of Alcohol

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