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When Spanish Conquistadors
arrived in Mexico during the 16th
century, they tasted the native
Aztec's ancient drink made from
fermented sap of the blue agave
plant. But, the Conquistadors
thought it was too weak and
decided to distill the plant in the
hopes of concocting a better
beverage-tequila, which they later
exported to Spain.
In the late 18th century, King
Charles III banned the spirit, so he
could promote Spain's wines. Just
like bootleggers in the U.S.,
Mexican distillers took their
production underground. When
Ferdinand IV succeeded Charles,
the new king lifted the ban but
levied a tax on all tequila
produced.
By this time, the Cuervo family of
Mexico had already been cultivating the
agave plant on a small piece of land
for 30-some years. To stay on good terms with the
King, Jose Maria Cuervo applied
for a license to produce tequila,
which made his operation the first
official Mexican distillery. Cuervo,
now the largest manufacturer of
tequila, grows more than four
million agave plants on the
distillery's plantation and remains
one of the most popular brands.
Today, tequila comes in several
varieties and is combined with
many other ingredients to create a
variety of tantalizing concoctions.
| Plato/Blanco/Silver - Bottled within 60 days (no aging) |
| Dorado/Gold - Caramel coloring |
| Resposado/Rested - Aged two months to one year |
| Anejo/Aged - Aged between one and five years |
What exactly is tequila you ask? Tequila is made in the arid highlands of central Mexico,
from fermented and distilled sap of the agave (also called a maguey), an indigenous
plant (a succulent, not a cactus).
Here are our top tequila picks:
| · | El Toro Gold | · | Patrón Silver |
| · | Casa Noble Anejo | · | Casa Noble Gold |
| · | Herradura Seleccion Suprema | · | Herradura Anejo |
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