Tequila: the Agave Blues
By Lara Vaienti
You won’t find a worm in a bottle of fine Mexican tequila. Dead, pale caterpillars (gusanos) sometimes float in some types of mexcal, a relative of tequila. But they are marketing ploys. The only thing tequila and mexcal have in common is that they are extracted from agaves.
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Detail of a blue agave canvas
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Agaves are succulent plants that have a large rosette of thick fleshy leaves generally ending in a sharp point. Each rosette grows slowly to flower only once. After the development of fruit, the original plant dies, but suckers are frequently produced from the base of the stem, which become new plants. Although Mexico hosts 136 species of agave, only one type lends itself to authentic tequila. It is the Blue Agave (azul) or Agave Tequilana Weber that drips into best quality tequila. All 100 percent bottled tequilas must come from Mexico, the finest from the Mexican state of Jalisco.
The liquor production starts with chopping away the leaves from the plant’s core or pina when ripe, usually 8 to 12 years after the agave azul is planted. Such ripe agave can weigh an average of 40 to 70 pounds and even up to 200 pounds; these succulent pinas are then sent to the distillery where they are cut in half and put to roast. Starches turn to sugar as the pinas are roasted in furnaces (hornos). Roughly, 15 pounds of agave-pina are needed to produce one liter of tequila.
The process from agave to tequila is as elaborate as its end result. Tequila is in fact a fine and complex drink and as such should be sipped slowly instead of wasted in shots. The tequila shot with salt on one hand and a bit of lime is the trend in the United States as in Europe, but it is and remains only a Hollywood creation. Few people in fact drink tequila that way in Mexico unless they are tourists.
“Commercialization of tequila has undergone a tremendous change in the last 35 years,” says Dr. Jorge Simental, owner of the Summit Station Lodge in Glacier, Montana. Simental, of Mexican origin, knows volumes about tequila. According to Simental, his father and grandfather have been making special tequila blends for the family for several years in Mexico. “Tequila was considered the ‘college drink’ in the ’70’s and ’80’s, when instead in Mexico, we have been drinking tequila like French cognac, one sip at a time,” declares Simental.
North of the border, according to the New York Times, the newest category of tequilas is as different from the ordinary types as brandy is different from cognac. Tequila that has spent time in French oak barrels may be poured from crystal decanters into snifters. Although two tequila types dominate the market—the popular margarita-friendly unaged blanco (white) or plata (silver) and the briefly aged reposado (rested two months to one year), more and more people prefer the anejos (aged one to three years) or maduro (vintage) tequilas that have been “seasoned” for some time. While silver and reposados may have robust vegetable, herbaceous characters, aged tequilas acquire a richer, smokier character during “maturation.”
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Top of the line tequila
photo by Joan Simental
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Aged tequilas emerge a deep golden color, with rich honeyed, sometimes smoky flavors that are more typical of brandy or scotch. “Age in tequila has to do with the release of oak flavors, herbs and sugars,” explains Simental. The anejo is aged for a minimum of one year in government-sealed barrels of 350 liters. They may be aged longer—as long as eight to ten years—although for some palates tequila becomes “too mellow” when that old.
“Here at Plonk we certainly serve more reposados, but I definitely prefer anejos overall,” says Jon Lamb, a bartender with a tequila predilection. “I like it better because it’s a lot smoother and the flavors are more complex.” Aged tequila is a little bit more expensive and that may explain why most people drink reposados, but it’s also a matter of palate, a matter of knowledge, and a regard for details. “People in their 20s rarely care about anejos or sipping tequila through a snifter,” adds Lamb. Plonk, in Bozeman, lists brands, such as Patron, Don Julio, Gran Centenario, Chinaco, and El Tesoro de Don Felipe.
Guinness World Records: The most expensive bottle of liquor sold to date was a limited-edition by the company Tequila Ley in a two-kilo display of platinum and gold for $225,000 in 2006.
Sure, aged tequilas cost more. But other than aged tequilas being luxury items, some people simply prefer reposados because of the essential fresh, bright floral character. “Extra aging produces flavors that are more roasted and nutty and don’t taste much like agave,” says Simental, who usually enjoys setting up high-end tequila tastings for his Summit Lodge’s guests.
“I personally prefer anejos and my absolute favorite is the Don Julio 1942 (Seleccion Suprema and aged 6-10 years in oak), but you can have great tequilas to sip among reposados, such as a Don Julio,” explains Simental. “In Mexico we are not very in tune with aging, only in the high-end tastings. It is a class thing, you know. In the last three years, there has been a decrease in the production of agaves in Jalisco because of other states that ferment tequila primarily for the American production companies now. I don’t buy such brands, even the aged Grand Centenario Leyenda. I mean, you wouldn’t buy sake made in Germany, would you?” Chacun a son gout (one person, one taste), as they say. What really counts in the end is once again, quality. Mixed brands, or tequilas that aren’t 100 percent agave, still circulate everywhere. If the bottle’s label says “100 percent agave,” this means your tequila is pure. If it does not say that, it legally can be mixed up to 49 percent with other ingredients (added spirits, sugar, caramel, and almond essence.)
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Montana Bar
photo by Michael Blevins
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Simental adds, “Distillation also matters for the tequila to be a really good tequila; the process adds complexity,” explains Simental. Once the pinas are roasted and their juices pressed out, fermentation begins in tanks and vats. After a couple of days these juices are distilled twice in copper stills or continuous distillation towers. After the second distillation, the fierce liquid produced (later blended before bottling) isn’t mexcal any longer, but a liquid with an alcohol content between 70 and 110 proof. All types of tequila start with this mean, colorless distilled spirit. “I’m convinced the next thing will be triple, fourth and fifth-distilled tequila; trust me.”
The tequila trend has blossomed into as many flavored margaritas, such as “mangorita” or “bananarita” (with chocolate, fruits and creams), as there are martinis. With the tequila boom of the last decade, the mushrooming of tequila bars is no surprise.
So forget caterpillars, don’t follow trends, and just sharpen your senses to appreciate the subtleties in tequila that tradition and labor can bring into your glass.
Juicy Margarita (makes 4 drinks)
Ingredients:
1 cup of tequila (preferably 100% agave)
1/2 cup of Cointreau
1 1/4 cups fresh lime juice
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup fresh orange juice
1/4 cup superfine sugar
4 teaspoons warmed honey
Directions: Combine all of the ingredients in a large pitcher and stir to dissolve the sugar. Refrigerate until chilled or serve immediately over cracked ice.
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