Tequila

How is Tequila made?

Tequila starts with the blue agave plant, which takes 6-10 years to mature before jimadores harvest the heavy piña hearts using traditional coas (sharp, circular blades). These piñas get roasted in ovens or autoclaves to convert starches into fermentable sugars, then crushed to extract the sweet agave juice called aguamiel. The juice ferments with natural or added yeasts for several days, then gets distilled twice in copper pot stills or column stills to create the clear spirit we know as blanco tequila.

How do you drink Tequila?

Tequila shines in every form – sipped neat to appreciate its agave complexity, enjoyed on the rocks with a splash of lime, or thrown back as the classic salt-and-lime shot that makes any Tuesday feel like a celebration. The spirit truly comes alive in cocktails, anchoring everything from the iconic Margarita and zesty Paloma to sophisticated sips like the Tommy's Margarita or a smoky Oaxacan Old Fashioned. Premium tequilas, especially aged añejos, deserve the neat treatment where you can savor their vanilla and oak notes, while silver tequilas practically beg to be mixed into refreshing drinks perfect for summer gatherings, beach parties, or any time you want to add a little sunshine to your glass.

How do I choose a good Tequila?

Start by checking the label for "100% de Agave" – this guarantees you're getting pure agave spirits rather than mixto tequila that's diluted with other sugars. For sipping neat or on the rocks, reach for an añejo or extra añejo with their rich, oak-aged complexity, while blanco tequila shines in margaritas and other citrus-forward cocktails where you want that bright, vegetal agave character to come through. Consider your budget too – a solid blanco from a reputable distillery will serve you better in mixed drinks than an expensive aged bottle that gets masked by lime juice and triple sec.

Nutritional Information

Typical Calorie Range per Ounce: 64-69 calories

Typical Carbohydrate Range per Ounce: 0 grams

Typical Sugar Range per Ounce: 0 grams

Typically Gluten Free: Yes

Since tequila is distilled from blue agave rather than grains containing gluten, it's naturally gluten-free. The distillation process also removes any trace proteins that might cause issues. That said, flavored tequilas or mixtos (which contain other spirits) could potentially introduce gluten-containing ingredients, so always check the specific product label and manufacturer information to confirm gluten-free status if you have celiac disease or gluten sensitivity.

Scrolled this far? Your reward? Tequila Trivia!

1. The Aztecs believed tequila's main ingredient was a gift from the gods. The agave plant wasn't just another crop to ancient Mesoamericans - they worshipped it. According to Aztec mythology, the goddess Mayahuel had 400 breasts that flowed with pulque (fermented agave juice), and her body became the first agave plant after she was killed by demons. When Spanish conquistadors arrived and distilled agave into what we now call tequila, they were literally turning a sacred plant into liquid fire.
2. A single agave plant takes longer to mature than most marriages last. That blue agave in your premium bottle? It spent 8-12 years growing before harvest - longer than the average American marriage. The jimadores (agave harvesters) can tell when a plant is ready just by looking at it, a skill passed down through generations. Some plants get so massive they weigh over 200 pounds, and each one produces only about 15 pounds of fermentable sugars.
3. Tequila production creates its own weather system. The massive fermentation tanks at distilleries release so much CO2 that they literally change the local microclimate. Birds flying over active fermentation facilities have been known to get tipsy from the alcohol vapors, and some distilleries have to install special ventilation systems to prevent workers from getting accidentally intoxicated just from breathing the air.
4. The worm in tequila bottles is actually illegal in real tequila. That famous gusano (worm) you see in some bottles? It's not allowed in authentic tequila and never has been. It's a marketing gimmick that started with mezcal in the 1940s and somehow got associated with tequila in popular culture. Real tequila is so regulated that adding anything - even a worm - would immediately disqualify it from being called tequila under Mexican law.
5. Tequila is the only spirit that's legally tied to a specific geological formation. True tequila can only be made in five Mexican states, but here's the kicker - the restrictions go deeper than geography. The soil must be volcanic, rich in minerals from ancient eruptions. This volcanic terroir is so crucial that tequila producers actually taste the earth before planting agave. The red clay soil around Jalisco gives different flavor profiles than the higher altitude volcanic soils of other regions, making each tequila a liquid expression of its specific patch of Mexican geology.