Tequila the way it should be

The pure taste of alcohol, the jaw-clenching acidity of citric acid and a severe hangover: in the Netherlands at least, tequila’s image leaves much to be desired. Many people don’t know that tequila, like whisky or cognac, is an incredibly delicious drink. According to Jose Pablo, a Mexican who produces high-quality tequila on a small scale, this is mainly because Mexico exports low-quality tequilas. The best tequila is drunk by Mexicans themselves.

Tequila is made from the agave plant, which grows particularly well in Mexico. The country has around a thousand tequila producers. All the drink is made between Guadalajara and Puerto Vallarta, a strip known as Tequila Town. Just as Champagne can only be called Champagne if it comes from France, tequila may only bear its name if it comes from Mexico. But, Pablo explains, agave cultivation and tequila production are now also being experimented with in China.

Agaves grow for seven years before the piña, the core, is ready to be made into tequila. This piña is cooked and then its juice is pressed out. About seven kilos of agave are needed for one litre of tequila. The agave juices are fermented, turning them into a kind of agave beer. The final step in the process is distilling the drink, after which it is aged in barrels, ranging from a few months to several years.

If the label says one hundred percent agave, you can enjoy the tequila with peace of mind

Quality

The difference in quality between tequilas is determined by the percentage of agave in the drink. If the label says one hundred percent agave, you can enjoy the tequila with peace of mind. When the tequila has been diluted with alcohol, that’s a no-go. Adding alcohol changes the soft, even slightly sweet taste that is so characteristic of good tequila. What remains is a chemical-tasting drink with a strong smell of alcohol. This is the stuff we know so well in the Netherlands from major tequila brands such as Patron and Sauza. Jose Pablo has nothing good to say about these brands: “What they export is of poor quality and has nothing to do with tequila”.

Sipping is allowed

Don Julio, a premium brand from Jose Cuervo, is fairly widely available in the Netherlands and made entirely with agave. Perfect for washing away your painful tequila memories. You can drink it as a shot, always with lemon and salt, but find a shot too intense? Sipping it from a shot glass is fine too. Or choose la bandera, a drink named after the Mexican flag. This variant consists of drinking three shot glasses in succession. First a shot of tequila, then a shot of lemon juice and, finally, a shot of sangrita: tomato juice mixed with chillies, a little orange juice and onion.

Text: Nora van den Heuvel
Image: Shutterstock