10 Fun Facts About Tequila

Tequila, whether inexpensive or premium tequila, will always hold a unique place in history because of their origins and associations with ancient historical Mexican drinks. As the national drink of Mexico, tequila of all kinds, basic and premium tequila, holds a special place in the hearts of not only Mexicans, but many others around the world. Here are 10 fun facts about tequila:

Tequila Was Invented Because of the Spanish

Ancient Mexicans used to have their own ancestor of tequila, a drink named pulque, which server as the precursor to tequila. In the 1500s, Spanish conquistadors arrived in Mexico to conquer the area. They had their own stock of alcohol they brough from their home lands and other areas they had conquered. When they ran out of their alcohol stock, they took the help of local people of Tequila, a town where they had set up their base, to create a local alcohol using distillation processes they taught to those locals. Thus, they very first batch of tequila was produced, a drink named after the town itself. It was originally made of agave; blue agave was made mandatory much later.

Tequila Helped Avert the Great Alcohol Crisis in the US

During the World War 2, almost every distillery in the United States was retrofitted by the military to produce items for the war, creating a massive alcohol crisis in the states. Because alcohol was seen as unnecessary by the military, the general public had no source of alcohol in times of need. Mexico, which is located just across the border, stepped in by shipping millions of gallons of Tequila to United States during that time. This benefitted both; Mexico made lots of money, and US had averted the alcohol crisis of World War 2. This continued even after 1945, for it took a few years for US to finally become self-sufficient in alcohol.

Tequila is Good for Health

No alcohol is good for health when taken in excess, and so is Tequila. But if tequila is consumed in small quantities, that too occasionally, then it brings in many health benefits that are unheard of in most other alcoholic drinks. The America Chemical Society has determined that consuming tequila helps increase the rate of calcium absorption drastically. It does not bring calcium into the body, but increases the rate at which body can absorb calcium from other sources such as milk, cheese etc. Apart from this, tequila also helps prevent type 2 diabetes. It does not solve the issue; it merely reduces the risk of this issue happening by about 40%-60%.

Tequila Can be Used to Cook Food

Cooking food with alcohol is not unheard of. We have win, rum and many more alcoholic beverages that can be used as a cooking ingredient. What many people don’t know that tequila too can be used as a prolific cooking ingredient, especially unaged and un-flavored tequila that are as clear as water. Using flavored tequilas is also an option for more sophisticated dishes where the chef has a thorough understanding of how to best make use of tequila as an ingredient for his/her dish.

Premium Tequilas are Nothing Like Cheap Tequila Shots

Most of us have heard of ‘tequila shots’ which as the stuff of legends. A short with a pinch of salt and lime seems to be the perfect way to kickstart a crazy party, and many people believe tequila is just that. However, tequila has an entirely different side if you are willing to have a peek into the world of premium aged tequilas, such as Añejo and extra Añejo tequilas. They are more in the realm of premium whiskeys and scotch; they have smooth taste for sipping, and have resourceful flavors that bring their flavor to full potential. They ae commonly consumed in glasses, preferably neat or with ice cube.

Look For 100% Agave Tequila

The Mexican government has strict standards for tequila production; among them is a clause that manufacturers must have agave content in majority as compared to any other contents. Legally, they are meant to have at least 51% blue agave content in their bottles, and they are free to fill the remaining 49% however they see fit. Cheap tequila brands usually fill them with various flavors and juices to create mixto tequilas. Experienced tequila drinkers will always advise you to buy tequila bottles labelled with 100% agave, because distillers who sell 51% agave and 49% something else are not required by law to disclose what they mixed in the remaining 49%, which can be a bit untrusting for new consumers who are not very experienced in differentiating tequila quality from looks. So the general advice is, stick to only 100% agave labelled tequilas if you want to experience high quality tequilas and stay away from inferior ones. Most premium tequilas are marked as 100% agave.