TEQUILA AND THE BLUE AGAVE CLUB
THE TEQUILA STORY
Tequila the legend – Legend tells us that tequila arrived in a flash of divine inspiration. A group of tribesmen from the tequila tribe in Amatitlan, Jalisco Mexico witnessed a lone bolt of lightning strike an agave plant. The heat boiled the liquid inside and when the plant cooled down they tasted the nectar from the "pina" (the heart).
"They deemed it to be a miraculous gift from the gods."
Tequila and Mexico share an inextricable history. Tequila is Mexico's undisputed national drink. But it is also a cultural symbol whose significance extends beyond the status of alchoholic beverage. Variants of the modern day spirit have been produced in the arid highlands of central Mexico for at least 900 years, predating Hernando Cortez and the Spanish conquest by four centuries. The botanical source of the original drink was the maguey, a close relative of the cactus. Centered beneath the plant's ring of long, sharp leaves was a juicy pulp from which the Aztecs and related tribes extracted a type of honey water that, when allowed to ferment naturally, produced a sweet and intoxicating libation called pulque. Consumed primarily during religious ceremonies, pulque appears to hold the title to first fermented drink in North America. The Aztecs viewed the intoxicating effects of pulque as a gift bestowed by the gods, primarily to be enjoyed by royalty and aristocracy, except during certain annual rituals when the masses could equally partake in the privilege of drunkenness. In light of this tradition, the Spaniards renamed the maguey; they called it Agave, derived from the Greek word for noble.
From this legend comes the spirit that The Flying Burrito Brothers are so fond of, Tequila. But there is a bit more to know about Tequila than the legend offers. Tequila is technically a Mezcal but to distinguish it from other mescals it is a beverage of a particular place made with a particular type of Agave. This is similar to Cognac or Champagne. It therefore must be produced in Mexico, but more specifically; it can only be produced in one of five approved regions. They are the entire state of Jalisco and certain villages in the states of Nayarit, Tamaulipas, Mihoacan and Guanajuato. Currently most Tequila is produced in Jalisco.
Tequila comes from the ancient Nahuatl (Aztec) language and means "the rock that cuts". The village of Tequila is indeed set in the volcanic Sierra Mache mountains forty miles northwest of Guadalajara. It is a distilled spirit that comes from the Agave plant, there are approximately 360 different varieties of Agave plant, but Tequila can only be distilled from the Blue Agave.
Tequila gained national importance during the Mexican Revolution in the early part of the 20th century, when it became a symbol of national pride and the passion for French products was replaced by patriotic fervor for Mexican goods. Tequila quickly became associated with the hard riding and gun slinging heroes of this period.
Though most people consider Tequila just another means to get drunk, to Mexicans it is also a source of cultural pride and national heritage. With expanding global markets, the rest of the world is gaining an appreciation for this 900 year old beverage. It is no longer considered an unrefined drink; in fact its premium brands compete in taste and quality with any of the world's great spirits. SALUD!