Tequila, the walk-of-shame drink of choice for many coeds across the globe.  Despite it’s relatively mixed public reception, Tequila has one of the richest histories of all the alcohols in the world.

One of the more interesting facts about Tequila, is that it can only come from one particular area of Mexico, near the village of Tequila in the state of Jalisco.  In the same fashion that Champagne and Bordeaux can only be called that if made in the regions of the same name in France.

If you were interested in getting into the Tequila business you better be ready to wait a while.  It takes around 20 years for an Agave plant to mature before it can be made into Tequila.

Tequila can only be harvested by hand.  It can only be harvested by hand because it takes a human’s experience and eye for quality to yield the best blue agave plants.  Harvesters of the Agave plant are called Jimadores.  Most Jimadores pass their trade from generation to generation, cultivating a knowledge that could never be taught to a fresh worker off the street.

There is a lot of science that follows the harvesting, but lets just say that its a complicated affair with many months of preparation before it reaches the bottle and enjoyed.

I recommend a simple Margarita recipe to enjoy with your favorite Tequila.  I prefer a Blanco, or very young Tequila, for this recipe. Combine Three parts Tequila, Don Julio is my choice, to One parts Orange Liquor, Grand Mariner if you please.  Pour into stainless mixer with Ice and squeeze one half Lime and one half Orange into the ‘tin.’  Shake vigorously, and I mean hard.  Shake it as hard as a pre-teen boy punishes himself in the shower.  Once the metal is so cold your hand is frozen to it, you may pour it over ice in a salt-rimmed glass.  The reason  you shake it so hard, is to fuse the sugars from the tequila, liquor, and juice together.  You aren’t adding a Sweet and Sour mixer to this so you need a lot of agitation to bring it all together.

Bonus fact – One of the biggest seller of Tequila, Patron, is based out of Las Vegas, Nevada, USA.  They grow it in Mexico, but it is a product that is marketed to be popular.  The same way Grey Goose is engineered to be mass consumed.  Both are superior products, they just lack the history of the older family producers.