Drinking tequila
In Mexico, tequila is often drunk straight. It is popular in some
regions to drink fine tequila with a side of sangrita—a sweet, sour
and spicy drink typically made from orange juice, grenadine (or
tomato juice) and hot chilies. Equal-sized shots of tequila and
sangrita are sipped alternately, without salt or lime.
Outside Mexico, a single shot of tequila is often served with salt
and a slice of lime. This is called "tequila cruda" and is sometimes
referred to as "training wheels," "lick-sip-suck," or
"lick-shoot-suck" (referring to the way in which the combination of
ingredients is imbibed). The drinker moistens the back of their hand
below the index finger (usually by licking) and pours on the salt.
Then the salt is licked off the hand, the tequila is then drunk and
the fruit slice is quickly bitten. It is common for groups of
drinkers to do this simultaneously. Drinking tequila in this way is
often erroneously called a Tequila Slammer (which is in fact a mix
of tequila and carbonated drink). Though the traditional Mexican
shot is straight tequila, lime is the fruit of choice when a chaser
must be used. It is believed that the salt lessens the "burn" of the
tequila and the sour fruit balances and enhances the flavor. In
Germany and some other countries, tequila oro (gold) is often
consumed with cinnamon before and slices of orange after, while
tequila blanco (silver) is consumed with salt and lime. Finally, as
with other popular liquors, there exist a number of shot-related
drinking games and "stunt" drinks such as body shots.
It should be noted that many of the higher-quality, 100% agave
tequilas do not impart significant alcohol burn, and drinking them
with salt and lime is likely to remove much of the flavor. These
tequilas are usually drunk from a snifter glass, instead of a shot
glass, and savoured, instead of quickly gulped.
Tequila glasses
A margarita glassWhen served neat (without any additional
ingredients), tequila is most often served in a narrow shot glass
called a caballito ("Little Horse" in Spanish), but can often be
found in anything from a snifter to a tumbler.
The Consejo Regulador del Tequila (Tequila Regulatory Council)
approved an "official tequila glass" in 2002 called the Ouverture
Tequila glass, made by Riedel.
The margarita glass, rimmed with salt, sugar, or plain, is a staple
for the entire tequila/fruit mixed drink genre, including the
margarita itself.
Other drinks
There is an almost endless variety of drinks that involve tequila,
relying only on the imagination of the preparer. As with most of the
hard liquors, there is a martini variant that involves tequila as
well as a large number of tequila drinks made by adding a fruit
juice such as the Tequila Sunrise and Matador. Sodas and other
carbonated drinks are a common mixer, as in the Tequila Slammer.
NOM.
This Official Mexican Norm refers to the Denomination of origin
"TEQUILA", whose ownership belong to the Mexican state according to
the Industrial Property Law. The issuance of this "NOM" is necessary
according to the second point of the "General Declaration of
Protection of the Denomination of Origin TEQUILA", published in the
Federation's official diary on October the 13th 1997 ("the
Declaration" for future reference) and with the XV section of the
40th article of the Federal Law about Metrology and Normalization.
Objective.-
This NOM establishes the characteristics and specifications which
the authorized users should meet to produce, bottle, and/or market
tequila, according to the process described later.
Field of effect.-
This NOM is applied to the alcoholic drink subject to the process
that is detailed later on, with agaves of the Blue Tequilana Weber
species, cultivated in the federal regions and municipalities
specified in the Declaration.
For the matter of this NOM, the following definitions are in
alphabetical order:
Abocado.-
Procedure to soften the flavor of tequila, by means of the addition
of one or more of the following ingredients:
· Caramel color
· Natural extract of oak and encina
· Glycerin
· Sugar syrup
The amount of these ingredients should not be more than 1% of the
total weight of tequila before being bottled, and the resulting
coloration of this process must be yellowish.
Agave.-
Plant that belongs to the amaryllis family, it has long fiber
lance-shaped leaves, which are bluish-green colored, and the
important part for the production of tequila is the heart (piña).
The only allowed type for the NOM is the Blue agave Tequilana Weber,
which has been cultivated in the zone mentioned in the Declaration.
Good production practices.-
Group of norms and standards related to one another, dedicated to
guaranteeing that the products have and maintain the required
specifications for their consumption.
Maturation of tequila.-
Slow transformation which allows the product to acquire the desired
organoleptic features, for chemical and physical processes that take
place during its storage in wooden containers of natural oak or
encina.
Unit Operations.-
Stages of the process of production of tequila, in which the raw
materials undergo chemical, biochemical and physical changes, until
creating a product determined in each one of them. The following
basic stages exist in this process: Jima, Hydrolysis, Extraction,
Fermentation, Distillation, Maturation, and Bottling.
Tequila.-
Alcoholic regional drink obtained by the distillation and
rectification of musts, prepared from the original extract. It's a
derivate from the mill of the matured agave heads, hydrolyzed or
cooked, then fermented with yeasts, cultivated or not. This drink
can be enriched with other sugars up to 49%, but cold mixes are not
allowed. Tequila is a liquor that, according to its type, has no
color or is yellowish when it's aged in oak or encina casks, or when
it's "abocado" without being mature.
When reference is made in this NOM to the term "Tequila," it's
understood that it applies to the two categories pointed out in the
chapter called "classification", unless express mention is made of
Tequila 100% agave or Tequila 100% pure agave."
White Tequila. .-
Product whose commercial alcoholic grade must be adjusted by
dilution with water.
Young or Gold Tequila.-
Product capable of being "abocado," whose commercial alcoholic grade
must be adjusted by dilution with water. The result of mixing white
tequila with aged tequila is considered to be young or gold tequila.
Rested Tequila.-
Product capable of being "abocado" that stays at least two months in
wooden casks of oak or encina whose commercial alcoholic grade must
be adjusted by dilution with water. In mixtures of different rested
tequilas, the age for the resulting tequila is the weighed average
of the ages and volumes of their components..
Aged Tequila.-
Product capable of being "abocado", subjected to a process of
maturation of at least one year in wooden casks of oak or encina
whose maximum capacity is 600 liters, and with a commercial
alcoholic grade that must be adjusted by dilution with water. In
mixtures of different aged tequilas, the age for the resulting
tequila is the weighed average of the ages and volumes of their
components.
Classification.
Categories.
According to the percentage of the sugars of agave that are used in
the production of tequila, this can be classified in one of the
following categories:
Tequila 100% of agave or Tequila pure 100% of agave.-
Product obtained by the distillation and rectification of musts,
prepared from the original extract, it's a derivate from the mill of
the matured agave heads, hydrolyzed or cooked, then fermented with
yeasts, cultivated or not. In order to be called Tequila 100% agave
or Tequila pure 100% agave, it must be bottled in the same facility
of the producer, and that facility must be located in the
Denomination of origin Zone.
Tequila.-
Alcoholic regional drink obtained by the distillation and
rectification of musts, prepared from the original extract, it's a
derivate form the mill of the matured agave heads, hydrolyzed or
cooked, then fermented with yeasts, cultivated or not. This drink
can be enriched with other sugars up to 49%, but cold mixes are not
allowed.
Types.-
According to the characteristics acquired in processing after the
distillation and rectification, the tequila is classified in four
types:
· White Tequila
· Young or Gold Tequila
· Rested Tequila
· Aged Tequila.
For the international market that classification can be overwritten
for its translation, or by the following:
· Silver (instead of White)
· Gold (instead of Young or Gold)
· Aged (instead Rested Tequila)
· Extra Aged (instead of Aged)
Specifications.-
Grade.-
38% Minimum, 55% maximum. For dilution, distilled or demineralized (deionized)
potable water should be used. The NOM has considered a modification
in the gradation, establishing 35% as the minimum gradation for
tequila.
Agave.-
Blue Tequilana Weber, mature, and it has to be cultivated in the
geographical region described in "the Declaration."
Use of sugars.-
Tequila is allowed to be enriched by other sugars in a proportion no
bigger than 49%.
Maturation.-
Rested: A minimum of two months in wooden casks made of oak or
encina.
Aged: A minimum of one year in wooden casks made of oak or encina,
whose capacity must not exceed 600 liters.
PROTECTED AREA OF THE DENOMINATION OF ORIGIN.-
The Declaration of the Denomination of Origin for tequila recognizes
exclusively the following areas:
Guanajuato.-
Six municipalities: Abasolo, Manuel doblado, Cuerámaro, Huanímaro,
Pénjamo, Purísima del Rincón.
Jalisco.-
The whole state, 124 municipalities.
Michoacán.-
Thirty municipalities: Briseñas de Matamoros, Cabinda, Chilchota,
Churintzio, Cotija, Ecuandureo, Jacona, Jiquilpan, Maravatío, Marcos
Castellanos, Nvo. Parangaricutiro, Numarán, Pajacuarán, Peribán, La
Piedad, Régules, Los Reyes, Sahuayo, Táncitaro, Tangamandapio,
Tangancícuaro, Tanhuato, Tinguindín, Tocumbo, Venustiano Carranza,
Villa Mar, Vista Hermosa, Yurécuaro, Zamora, Zináparo.
Nayarit.-
Eight municipalities: Ahuacatlán, Amatlán de Cañas, Ixtlán del Río,
Jala, Jalisco, San Pedro de Lagunillas, Santa María del Oro, Tepic.
Tamaulipas.-
Eleven municipalities: Aldana, Altamira, Old Lives them, Gómez
Farías, González, Llera, Mante, New Lives them, Ocampo, Rubberized
duffel bag, Xicotencatl.
TEQUILA REGULATORY COUNCIL.
In order to ensure that the commands given the NOM of the drink
tequila are completed in a literal way, the Regulatory Council of
Tequila was created, and its records and objectives are the
following:
RECORDS.-
In the last 30 years tequila has moved from being a regional drink
to a drink of national acceptance, being one of the drinks with
greater recognition and growth in the export markets (mainly to the
United States of America and Europe).
Due to the globalization of the world economy, it is in the interest
of the Mexican Government to transfer to the private sector
functions that it used to carry out in the normalization,
verification and certification of the quality of products and
services, such as tequila, taking for example the denominations of
European origin for: Sherry, Champagne, or Cognac.
The new federal Law of Metrology and Normalization, published in the
Official Diary of the Federation on July 1st, 1992, allows and
encourages that organizations in the private sector participate and
take responsibility for the works of certification of the execution
of the Official Mexican Norms and among them the tequila Norm.
The regulatory Council of the Tequila is:
· An organization of the private sector
· A non- lucrative entity
· Entity of National and International scope
· Organization with its own jurisdictional personality
OBJECTIVES.-
1. - TO ASSURE THROUGH THE VERIFICATION, THE EXECUTION OF THE
NOM-TEQUILA.
2. - TO GUARANTEE TO THE CONSUMER THAT THIS PRODUCT IS GENUINE.
3. - TO CERTIFY THE EXECUTION OF THE NOM-TEQUILA SAFEGUARDING THE
DENOMINATION OF ORIGIN, IN THE COUNTRY AND OVERSEAS.
CRT ACCREDITATION. -
The Regulatory Council of Tequila is an organization in charge of
verifying and certifying the execution of the Official Mexican Norm
NOM-006-SCFI-1994, Alcoholic Drinks-Tequila-specifications; for that
matter, it has the Accreditation of the Mexican Entity of
Accreditation UVNOM 002 with reference No. 99UV0016 as Unit of
Certification and with the No. 05 with record 312.16.98.055 as
Organization of Certification (accredited by SECOFI).
MEMBERS DIRECTIVE COUNCIL. -
· Producers of tequila
· Producers of agave
· Bottlers and distributors
· Mexican Government (SECOFI, D.G.N., SAGAR, SEDER, SALUD, IMPI,
PROFECO)
TEQUILA ZONES. -
The state of Jalisco is the most important region for producing
tequila.
96% of the total production takes place there, and considering that
the cultivation of the agave requires the combination of numerous
factors like:
- The altitude, preferably 1500 meters above sea level.
- The soil condition: favorably volcanic, loamy, permeable and
abundant in derivative elements of basalt and enriched in iron.
- Precipitation, near a meter annually.
- Constant temperature gives semi-dry climate that varies around 20º
- The contact with the sun is also important; cloudy skies between
65 and 100 days a year is favorable.
It's convenient to separate the production into zones, for the
purpose of evaluating tequilas, considering their very own
characteristics for each region. Therefore the next areas can be
described:
Zone of Los Altos.-
· Arandas
· Atotonilco
· Tepatitlán
· Tototlán
· Zapotlanejo
Zone of Tequila Valley.-
· Amatitán
· Arenal
· Magdalena
· Tequila
Zone of Guadalajara.-
· Ciudad de Guadalajara
· Zapopan
· Tlaquepaque
|
