Bartending 101: What is tequila?

May 20, 6:04 PMBartender ExaminerKathleen Neves

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Awhile back, I had a customer come into the restaurant where I bartend at and ask me what kinds of Tequila I had. Our bar is small in size so we are limited in the variety of brands of spirits we can carry. I told him that I had one blanco, one reposado and one anejo. The Tequila in my well is considered a mixto. I didn’t even recommend that to him because he struck me as a very well-versed Tequila drinker. My Tequila Loving Customer was impressed that I knew the different types of Tequila and was able to describe the differences to him. So what exactly is Tequila?

Tequila comes from the town “Tequila” which is located in the state of Jalisco, Mexico. Tequila is made from the hearts of the blue agave plant. By law, 51% of the product must be made from the blue agave plant grown near the town of Tequila in order for the product to be called and labeled Tequila.

There are two types of Tequila: Gold (mixto) and 100% agave. If Tequila is called gold or mixto, that means that 51% of the product contains blue agave. The other 49% is made up of sugar. The only thing “gold “about this type of Tequila is the coloring and sugar that has been added to it. A perfect example of gold Tequila would be Jose Cuervo. Jose Cuervo is the reason why so many people out there give Tequila a bad rep. Sugar equals hangover.

The other type of Tequila is considered 100% agave. This type of Tequila comes in three forms: blanco, reposado and anejo. Generally, this type of Tequila is more expensive than mixto Tequila because it’s been aged.

Blanco (also known as Silver or Plata) means that the Tequila has been unaged. That is sort of true. Blanco Tequila is clear in color, but has been aged for less than two months. The reason why Blanco Tequila is clear is because it hasn’t been aged long enough for it to pick up the color from the wood casks in which it’s aged.

Reposado means that the Tequila has been rested. Reposado Tequila has been aged in a wood cask anywhere from two months to a year. The longer a spirit has been aged in a wood cask, the darker it becomes. Resposado Tequilas are considered the middle level of 100% agave Tequilas.

Anejo means that the Tequila has been aged and matured. Anejo Tequila is considered the Cognac of Tequilas. This type of Tequila is meant for sipping. The longer Tequila has been aged, the more smooth and complex the flavor will be. If you take an anejo Tequila as a shot, you miss out all of the flavors that have been developed by the aging process. Anejo Tequilas have been aged in a wood cask for more than a year. Because Anejos are aged the longest, they are generally the most expensive of the Tequilas.

Margaritas, Tequila Sunrises and Bloody Marias (a Bloody Mary with Tequila instead of Vodka) are popular drinks that call for Tequila in the recipe. Tequila is also served in a shot form. If a customer requires “training wheels” with their shot that just means that they want their shot served with salt and a lime.

For more information about Tequila, be sure to check out the Jalisco State website.

August is Tequila Month on Examiner.com. Be sure to check out all of the tequila coverage all month long on the Tequila Examiner Coverage page.

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