Tequila much more than worm in a bottle
Print Edition
Many nightlife lovers agree a party never starts until the tequila shots start flowing.
Even so, tequila is fairly new to Shanghai’s party animals, well real tequila that is.
Up until June 2013, when Mexico started exporting authentic tequila, the so-called tequila in town was a blend of other spirits.
“When locals, especially young people, try premium tequila they may become addicted to it because of the special kind of sugar. It’s got a refreshing taste and feel,” says Charles Wu, CEO of Casa Tequila Management Company, during a tequila tasting event at Mandarin Oriental Shanghai that included Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto.
Charles Guo, an educator at Pernod Ricard, a France-base alcohol producer, says tequila isn’t as popular in China compared to whisky and brandy because few locals know much about it.
An industry source who declined to be named says it’s mostly due to a lack of marketing and not the quality.
Mexican law stipulates that tequila refers exclusively to the spirit made from blue agave plants native to Jalisco and processed in one of the five states authorized by the Mexican government.
Agave plants usually mature in eight years and the heart, called a pina due to its resemblance to a pineapple, is harvested and cooked over steam to convert its starches into sugar.
Although Mexicans have a long history of fermenting agave plants, it wasn’t until the Spanish conquistadores brought distilling technology to Mexico in the 15th century that tequila became more widespread. The name tequila comes from its birthplace, a small town in Mexico named Tequila.
Most of the tequila in the Chinese market is colorless and unaged. This is referred to as blanco tequila. These tequilas generally have a strong, aggressive taste and isn’t as smooth as aged tequilas. But if a blanco is well made it can have raw agave, floral and citrus notes.
Premium tequilas are smoother and more complex due to barrel aging.
The entry level of aged tequila is classified as reposado. It can be aged anywhere from two to 12 months. This gives the liquid a pale golden color and a mellow character.
The highest level is called anejo, which should be aged in oak for a minimum of one year.
It results in a much smoother and richer tequila. Oak from the barrels adds complexity, usually featuring notes of vanilla and sweet spices, sometimes overpowering tequila’s original character.
Extra anejo indicates a top quality tequila that has been aged in oak for at least three years. With a deep golden to amber color, the drink exhibits rich notes usually of agave, caramel and vanilla. There may a citrus flavor to start with a peppery to herbal finish depending on the producer’s style.
As for the worms in the bottles of many tequilas, well they shouldn’t be there according to purists.
A Mexican businessman came up with the idea as a marketing gimmick in 1950. It worked. Some say the worms have aphrodisiac qualities. There’s only one way to find out.
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