Savoring Tequila and the Sophisticated Tastes of Mexico Nancy Lackey Shaffer - Highbrow Magazine
go to original June 21, 2013

Put away your shot glasses, drinkers - this tequila is for sipping. Yes, lime and salt are a part of the tequila experience, but when you’re drinking artisanal tequila, it’s best to let the product do all the work and savor the flavors. Juan Carlos Contreras discusses how to taste tequila. (BizJournals.com)

One whiff of tequila is often all it takes to conjure up memories of a sun-drenched spring break or a painfully regrettable hangover. But for those who look beyond margarita mixes, a bold, earthy and exciting culinary adventure awaits. Premium tequila makers are showing consumers - ever eager to explore new horizons with their palates and wallets - the way.

Made from the blue agave, tequila is the first distilled spirit indigenous to North America. The blue agave is native to Jalisco, a Mexican state halfway between the country’s northern and southern borders and nestled next to the Pacific Ocean. Overshadowed by Jalisco’s more famous cities, Guadalajara (the capital) and Puerto Vallarta, the small town of Tequila is the center of the Tequila Valley, where most of the spirit is produced. Rich, red volcanic soil nourishes the succulent agave plant, which takes years to mature.

Mexico carefully guards the name and legacy of its national spirit. Any liquor bearing the label “tequila” must be produced in Mexico, from blue agave (Agave tequilana azul) of the Weber Blue variety grown in Jalisco, or tequila of specially designated regions of Nayarit, Guanajuato, Michoacán and Tamaulipas. Distilleries are also carefully regulated, and assigned a NOM (Norma Oficial Mexicana) number.

Read the rest at Highbrow Magazine

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