Tequila: sniffing out the best in Mexico

Here's the first thing you need to know about tequila. If you feel a headache coming on after your first gulp, you're drinking the dregs from the bottom of the barrel. Slammers and shots flowing liberally at rowdy bars can hardly even be called tequila, unless you're savvy enough to order from a bottle behind the bar.

The second lesson is equally extreme. In fancy cocktail lounges, a snifter of aged tequila can cost upwards of $50 a glass. Those in the know alternate sips of tequila and sangrita (a spicy mix of tomato and citrus juices and ground chilies).

There's so much to learn about tequila that true aficionados study until they're as educated as sommeliers. The average drinker doesn't need quite as much information. But the more you know, the more you appreciate the complexities of what's said to be the oldest alcoholic beverage in North America.

If you still think tequila is rotgut best mixed in a sweet juicy sunrise or slushy margarita, begin your appreciation course with the following factoids and ways to learn more.

• True, authentic tequila comes from the blue agave plant, grown in plantations in the Mexican State of Jalisco and four other states in the Sierra Madre. Even rows of the spiky plant (which is not a cactus) cover hillsides extending toward the horizon in a gray-blue haze.

  It takes 8 to 10 years for each plant to mature and produce a hefty inner core, called a piña. Skilled jimadores (not to be confused with the tequila El Jimador) decide when a plant is aged perfectly to produce a ripe piña, which they then dissect from inside the plant. The aged piña is pressure-cooked and the liquids it produces are fermented in vats.

• Tequila ranges in color from clear to golden brown. Each stage produces a smoother liquid tinted while aging in wooden barrels. Clear, called Blanco, is bottled straight from the distillery without aging. Its taste differs depending upon its blue agave plant of origin and the talents of the jimador and distillery. Blanco, also called Silver, is considered the purest form of tequila. Gold, or Oro, is typically Blanco dyed and flavored.

  Reposado tequila is aged in wooden casks, usually made of oak, for several months. Añejo is aged for more than a year in smaller barrels; Extra Añejo is the crème de la crème, aged in barrels for more than three years. Most barrels are oak, and some tequilas are aged in barrels that previously held wine, scotch or whiskey.

• Mexico's oldest tequila distilleries are still in operation in the town of Tequila, 30 miles northwest of Guadalajara. Lovingly restored and gentrified, the town is one of Mexico's pueblos magicos (magic villages) and part of a larger UNESCO World Heritage site. Century-old homes painted in earth tones have been transformed into art galleries, upscale souvenir shops and traditional heladerías (ice cream shops) near the main plaza and church.
• José Cuervo, the oldest active distillery in North America, offers tours at its La Rojeña distillery and hacienda in Tequila. Beyond familiar tequilas, tastings include samples of Agavero, a smooth tequila liquer. In 1995, José Cuervo celebrated its 200th anniversary by presenting the first annual edition of Reserva de la Familia, sealed with wax and encased in a box designed by a Mexican artist. Each year's box and bottle costs upwards of $100.
• In some cases, the bottle is worth more than the beverage inside. Certain bottles are collectibles and cost several hundred dollars. For example, Los Azulejos, an ultra premium, blue agave reposado tequila, is as coveted for its hand-painted Talavera carafes as its taste. One 750-milliliter bottle costs $150 or more.
• Every tourism destination in Mexico has at least one classy shop or hotel offering of premium tequilas. A tip: Once you've sampled several tequilas and chosen your favorite, head to the local supermarket and compare prices.
• For the full-on experience, ride the Tequila Express from Guadalajara to the San Jose del Refugio hacienda, where workers show how tequila is made before visitors sample several varieties and soak up the liquor with a Mexican buffet. Tequila is served on the train as well (both ways) as mariachis play familiar favorites. As the passengers become fully intoxicated, they sing along with gusto, belting out "Guadalajara" as they tackle the steps back to Tierra Firma.

Given its popularity, Tequila is bound to inspire multiple websites dedicated to its properties and sale. For further info check out the following: tequila.net and tequilasource.com.

Maribeth Mellin is the co-author of the Unofficial Guide to Mexico's Best Beach Resorts and author of the Mexico: The Real Deal column at www.sdnn.com