Tequila, Part 2

After the cores of the Blue Agave are collected, they are steam cooked in ovens for 36 hours. This process breaks down the starches into sugars. The plant then has a very (overly) sweet taste. Next the juices are fermented. This is an essential process as it converts the sugars into alcohol with the help of yeast. The

fermentation process takes 18 hours. The resulting process is a wine of Agave (pictured). The wine is distilled twice to produce the Tequila! Next is a trip to the cellar for the aging process (pictured). The type of tequila produced depends on how it is aged and for how long. White tequila, or Blanco, is aged for only 15 days in steel tanks. Reposado, the most common form of Tequila, is aged for up to a year in white oak barrels. The barrels are charred inside for flavor and better aging. Añejo is aged longer, more than a year but usually between one and three years. The result, a delicious and authentic Mexican alcohol.

Be wary in purchasing your tequila as most low end tequilas are not truly tequila. Tequila is only tequila if it is 100% de Agave. Lower end bottles usually are comprised of 51% de agave (the bare minimum to mark the bottle as tequila), and 49% grain alcohol or the like.

As for drinking tequila, by far the most popular way in the United States is margaritas, followed by shots or caballitos (little horses in Spanish) with lime and salt. However, margaritas are not traditionally Mexican. The Mexican prefer a drink they call Palomas. To make a Paloma fill a glass 3/4 full of ice then add,

-2 ounces of Tequila (100% de Agave!)

-Grapefruit soda (difficult in the US since the most popular "Fresca" is always sugar free) to taste

-Club Soda

-Juice of a Lime

-Salt

The portions of Grapefruit soda to club soda varies. I have had some with only a dash of club soda and some with only a dash of grapefruit soda. Its up to you. You can use any type of tequila, Blanco being the smoothest and Añejo being the most flavorful. But no matter what, for the love of Tequila, never use anything less than 100% de Agave.