Tequila

Tequila, the spirit of Mexico, is made nowhere else in the world, and its origins date to pre-Columbian times. Before the Spanish conquered Mexico, the indigenous people made a naturally fermented beverage called pulque from maguey plants. The Spanish transformed the fermented drink into a distilled one and created mescal (also spelled “mezcal”), the general category that includes tequila.

For years tequila was not widely known outside Mexico and adjacent areas of the United States. That situation changed after the Mexican government established the Norma Oficial Mexicana (called the Normas) in 1978 to regulate tequila quality and consistency. According to the Normas, tequila must be made from the blue agave plant, a variety of the maguey plant called Agave tequilana Weber (for the German botanist who first classified it). The plants must be grown on the volcanic soil of Jalisco province, which includes the town of Tequila, and designated nearby areas. Tequila must contain at least 51 percent blue agave juice. The other 49 percent can be cane or corn syrup or juices from other varieties of agave. Tequila made from 100 percent blue agave is so labeled.