Feature
DiningOut Chicago
Spring/Summer 2005
Long considered a cheap shot that can lead to salacious behavior, tequila has earned a bad rap. Misconceptions about the spirit abound, all contributing to its unfounded reputation as a foul-tasting “cactus juice” only fit for college parties. In reality, tequila is a refined, complex spirit. And the true story of tequila is more interesting than any barroom myth.
Tequila is one of more than 30 drinks made from the fermented juice of agave plants, some of which have been around since at least 200 B.C. Carlos Alferez, a managing partner at Frontera Grill, says, “It’s made in a totally different way, with a different plant. There’s no other spirit like it.” And Geno Behena, the executive chef of Chilpancingo, calls it the “spirit of Mexico.”
In 1795, the King of Spain granted José Marí a Guadalupe Cuervo the first government license to make the drink, signifying the beginning of large-scale production and government involvement in the making of Mexico’s most prized spirit. This era also marked the emergence of 100 percent blue agave tequila, the pinnacle of agave cultivation. As production grew and various distilleries refined their methods, they discovered that the juice of the blue agave plant produced the best liquor. Soon, 100 percent blue agave tequila, a smooth drink best sipped slowly, became the standard for production.
Making tequila is a delicate art, and anybody making the drink must comply with a long set of regulations imposed by the Mexican government – and by nature. The blue agave plant takes eight to twelve years to mature, and in order to produce and liter of tequila, a distiller needs fifteen pounds of piña (the center of the blue agave plant) that are steamed in furnaces for 20-36 hours, pressed, collected, fermented and distilled twice. By law, tequila must posses no less than 38 percent alcohol by volume.
Three main types of tequila are derived from this process. If it’s bottled right away, it’s called blanco, plata or silver. A certain type of blanco, called “joven” (young), received and additional coloring agent, normally caramel, to produce a variety Americans know as golden tequila. Tequila aged in oak barrels for 45 days to 11 months is called reposado (“rested”) and takes on a darker hue. The last type, añejo (“old”), is aged for more than 12 months in barrels that once contained bourbon. With a rich and creamy flavor that rivals Scotch, some of these aged tequilas can fetch as much as $100 a shot at restaurants.
Differences between run-of-the-mill tequilas and top-of-the-line types are marked. “The refinement is different,” says Shelford Trotman, advanced sommelier and wine director at Galleria Liquors. “The more soft and elegant tequilas have a little smokiness to them with a long finish. They are subtle with hints of caramel and sherry.”
By 1873, some companies had begun exporting the spirit. Sauza (another familiar name) was the first company to sell the drink outside of Mexico. Although tequila was already a huge business, it really crossed borders in the ‘30s and ‘40s when Americans popularized the drink. Movies of that era, like Night of the Iguana, which included scenes of people downing the drink, played a large role in the margarita becoming a trendy cocktail. Actor John Wayne once wrote a letter to the then-owner of Sauza stating that tequila had become “as necessary in our household as air and water.”
On the other hand, this sudden spike in popularity can be blamed for an influx of inferior tequila. Mexican distilleries saw an opportunity to cash in on increased demand, but due to the agave plant’s long maturation process, they had to change their tactics. “Tequila was made in a careful, artisanal way until the Hollywood crowd made it popular,” say Alferez. “Then it became a mass-produced spirit.”
The solution (literally) was mixto – a tequila that contained 51 percent blue agave and 49 percent filler, normally some type of sugar cane – which flooded the market. However, the poor taste of this inferior drink inevitably led to the salt-and-lime routine. And its high sugar content explains why most people often associate tequila with terrible hangovers.
Luckily, a recent resurgence in the popularity of premium 100 percent blue agave varieties has given Americans a second chance to discover true tequila. In truth, it’s now a big money maker: According to the Distilled Spirit Council, super-premium tequila made up 28 percent of the tequila sold in the U.S. in 2002 and generated $763 million in revenue. This class continues to grow, experiencing a five percent sales increase last year alone.
“The American public is attracted to premium tequila. They’re tired of the same old thing and are looking for something different,” says Alferez. Now, many Mexican restaurants carry a variety of premium tequilas, lining their bar shelves with the many exquisite bottles that distilleries use to differentiate their brands. At some restaurants, the tequila selection rivals that of the wine list.
Others go even further to provide the true tequila experience. According to George Ortiz of Adobo Grill, each type of tequila demands a different type of glassware. He serves blanco in regular shot glasses, reposado in longer, fluted ones, and añejo in brandy-like snifters. Many restaurants also serve tequila with a traditional chaser called sangrita. Made from a mixture of chiles, pepper, fruit juices and tomato juice, it’s a flavorful palate cleanser.
While tequila has a wide range of flavors, pairing it with food is a difficult proposition. Hubie Greenwald of Mas says, “Tequila has too much heat to pair it with food.” Instead, the drink, both an apértif and digestive, is better suited to bookend a meal. Greenwald says light and crisp blancos are great starters, whetting the appetite, while rich anejos finish off a meal nicely.
Margarita Lore
While Mexicans have been drinking tequila with lime or other fruit juices for hundreds of years, the combination of tequila, lime juice, triple sec and orange liqueur serves in a salt-rimmed glass is a modern marvel. Yet the origins of the margarita cocktail are steeped in lore, with dozens of possible inventors. Here are a few widely accepted tales:
The Best Party Ever: A rich San Antonio socialite, Margaret Sames, was hosting a party in her Acapulco Cliffside villa. Fueled by the tequila cocktail she invented, the party lasted two weeks. One guest, sick of calling it “the cocktail,” named it after his host.
Spoiled Starlet: An actress named Marjorie King couldn’t handle any spirit except tequila. She didn’t want to look unladylike and drink it straight, so she made a bartender concoct a sweet tequila cocktail that would forever be known as the margarita.