International Tequila Celebration: all you should know about this famous drink

If there’s one boozy drink that has transcend all borders and is known (and consumed) even beyond their country of origin, is tequila, the quintessential Mexican drink that is celebrated every July and it even has one of those International Tequila Day set in everyone’s calendar.

The fact is that on July 24 International Tequila Day is celebrated yearly and there is a lot to say about it. It is interesting to know what the origin and reason for the celebration is, how it can be commemorated and what are some of the ideas to enjoy it better. Hello margaritas!

But to tell the truth, first of all we have to tell you what tequila is, how it is made and what are the main varieties that are currently produced.

Tequila is a distilled drink that is extracted from blue agave plants and that originally began to be made in the city of Jalisco, in Mexico. It is even the most representative drink of that Latino country and, from there, it is exported internationally to different parts of the planet.

Tequila day: production and aging of the drink

Regarding its manufacture, the drink is extracted from these agave plants, which work as raw material for the final product. To make the description from the beginning, it is necessary to know that the blue agave that is used, is of the species called “Tequilana Weber.”

What is used from that plant is the heart or pineapple, not the leaves, that is why they are pruned. The first pruning is after three years and you have to wait between eight and 10 years for the pineapple to be sufficiently mature. During this time, the suckers are also separated to replant them.

The pineapples should then be separated by size, their sugar content checked and the hearts cut into smaller pieces to speed up the process. The next step is to introduce this preparation in special ovens in which cooking is done that lasts approximately 35 hours.

An interesting fact, too, is that to make a liter of tequila you need seven kilos of agave.

Continuing with the process of making the drink that we celebrate this month with the international tequila day, when it comes out of the oven, it goes to the mill to squeeze the juice, or honey, which will be called must or agave wine, depending on the alcoholic strength. The honey extracted from the cooked agave is deposited in huge tanks, up to 50 thousand liters, for fermentation.

Finally, comes the aging part. As in the case of winemaking, American and French oak barrels are also used for tequila aging. They provide a different aroma depending on the degree of toasting of the wood.

Types and varieties of tequila

There are two main categories into which the types of tequila are divided; one that is made from a mixture of sugars, of which 50% must come from agave, and the other is made exclusively from sugar from agave.

In addition, depending on the time and mode of maturation, we can distinguish the following varieties of tequila: young, white or silver, gold, reposado, añejo and extra añejo.

The celebration of International Tequila Day

The date to celebrate our drink in the international Tequila Day was chosen because on July 24, 2006, UNESCO declared the agave landscape and the old tequila industrial facilities as World Heritage, internationally. Also, in Mexico, there is a specific day to celebrate it and it is the third Saturday of March, when the National Tequila Day is commemorated.

To celebrate International Tequila Day 2022 there are many options. One is to get together with your friends and enjoy a glass of this very special drink, don’t forget the salt and lemon. You can go out to drink it in a bar and ask them to prepare a special cocktail for you to enjoy. Or also, if you want to learn more about this distillate, you can look for an activity since workshops, classes and tastings are held for these dates. Always promoting responsible consumption.

The 3 cocktails you can prepare to celebrate the Tequila 

“Mangoneada”

Ingredients:

1 ½ oz. white tequila

1 oz. mango puree or juice

1 oz. green lemon juice

½ oz. agave honey

Preparation: In a cocktail shaker combine all the ingredients with ice and shake well. Serve in a champagne or martini glass over more ice. Frost the rim of the glass with chili.

“Tequila Sunrise”

Ingredients:

60 ml of rested tequila

22ml creme de cassis

30 ml of green lemon juice

60 ml of mineral water

400g of ice

Lemon slice and colorful flowers, to decorate.

Preparation: pour the mineral water into a glass first and then the rest of the ingredients, in this way the densities will make them integrate better. Stir lightly to homogenize. Decorate with the slice of green lemon and the flowers.

“Piña colada with tequila”

Ingredients:

2 ounces of white tequila

3 ounces cream of coconut

5 pieces of natural ripe pineapple

Crushed ice

Preparation: serve the pineapple pieces in the blender, add the cream and the tequila, grind until you get a homogeneous mixture. Serve in a glass or tall glass, add a little crushed ice to obtain a creamier smoothie mix, decorate with a piece of pineapple and enjoy.

“Charro negro”

Ingredients:

2 ounces of tequila

1 can of cola

1/2 lemon

Ice

Preparation: Serve the lemon juice in a long glass, taking care not to leave the bones, add the tequila, stir to integrate, add ice to taste and carefully serve the cola, add a slice of lemon to decorate and that’s it, you can take it with joy.