Tequila

Tequila won’t fix your problems, but it’s worth a shot.

France has champagne and cognac, Scotland has scotch, the U.S. has bourbon, and Mexico has Tequila (and Mezcal!). Similar to cognac and brandy, the primary difference between Mezcal and Tequila is the location of origin, along with a few distillation techniques. Tequila can only be called such as long as it is produced in the state of Jalisco, Mexico; anything else is Mezcal. Due to the differences in distillation, Mezcal is typically more robust and smoky in flavor.

Tequila and Mezcal follow a similar set of categories for variation:

• Blanco: unaged spirit that is immediately bottled and sold. Also known as abacado.

• Resposado: aged two months to a year in oak barrels.

• Anjeo: aged one to three years in oak barrels. (Mezcal: aged at least 12 months.)

• Extra Anejo: aged a minimum of three years in oak barrels.

Fun Fact: The marketing technique of having “the worm” inside the bottle is limited to mezcal; tequila never has a worm.

Tequila Recipes