Jose Cuervo
You know I couldn't let the letter "J" go by and not talk about my fav ancestor. O.K. , so maybe he's not exactly my ancestor but I get teary-eyed when I think about him. For those of you underage I'm going to assume (wink wink) you don't know this is the man who invented Tequila. My absolute favorite drink. Rum is my second favorite and Captain Morgan and I go way back.
Disclaimer for any future agents patrolling these bloggy waters: I love Tequila! Oh um I mentioned that already didn't I? With all due respect though I couldn't tell you the last time I had a Tequila based beverage in my possession.
But when I do....
Anyway I though I'd pass along some interesting facts (to me anyway) about Jose and his concoctions.
Fact #1
Was there really a person named Jose Cuervo? Yes. Jose Antonio de Cuervo was the first Tequila producer, obtaining the land from the King of Spain in 1758, before Mexico became an independent republic. In 1795, Jose María Guadalupe de Cuervo made the very first Vino Mezcal de Tequila de Jose Cuervo when he received the first official permit from the King of Spain to produce Tequila commercially.
Fact #1
Was there really a person named Jose Cuervo? Yes. Jose Antonio de Cuervo was the first Tequila producer, obtaining the land from the King of Spain in 1758, before Mexico became an independent republic. In 1795, Jose María Guadalupe de Cuervo made the very first Vino Mezcal de Tequila de Jose Cuervo when he received the first official permit from the King of Spain to produce Tequila commercially.
Fact #2
Who was the first producer of Tequila in the world? Jose Cuervo, of course, since 1795.
Who was the first producer of Tequila in the world? Jose Cuervo, of course, since 1795.
Fact #3
Where is Jose Cuervo Tequila really made? All Jose Cuervo Tequila is made in the central Mexican town of Tequila in the state of Jalisco. According to the DOT (Declaration for the Protection of the Denomination of Origin—this is the Mexican law that oversees the protection of Tequila), only alcoholic beverages made with Blue Agave or agave azul (Agave Tequilana Weber blue variety) grown in the states of Jalisco,Michoacan, Nayarit, Guanajuato and Tamaulipas can be labeled as Tequila. No agave grown outside this region, including other countries, can be used for any product labeled as “Tequila.”
Where is Jose Cuervo Tequila really made? All Jose Cuervo Tequila is made in the central Mexican town of Tequila in the state of Jalisco. According to the DOT (Declaration for the Protection of the Denomination of Origin—this is the Mexican law that oversees the protection of Tequila), only alcoholic beverages made with Blue Agave or agave azul (Agave Tequilana Weber blue variety) grown in the states of Jalisco,Michoacan, Nayarit, Guanajuato and Tamaulipas can be labeled as Tequila. No agave grown outside this region, including other countries, can be used for any product labeled as “Tequila.”
Fact #4
What is Tequila made from? Real Tequila is made from a plant called Blue Agave. Only the Agave Azul Tequilana Weber variety (Blue Agave) can be used for Tequila. Classified by German botanist F. Weber in 1905, the Blue Agave is commonly mistaken for a cactus, but it is really a relative of the lily (amaryllis) family. Blue Agave is sometimes known as maguey, mexic, pita and teometl.
What is Tequila made from? Real Tequila is made from a plant called Blue Agave. Only the Agave Azul Tequilana Weber variety (Blue Agave) can be used for Tequila. Classified by German botanist F. Weber in 1905, the Blue Agave is commonly mistaken for a cactus, but it is really a relative of the lily (amaryllis) family. Blue Agave is sometimes known as maguey, mexic, pita and teometl.
Fact #5
How long does it take for an agave plant to reach maturity? Blue agave can take anywhere from 6 to 12 years to mature. This is when the Agave reach their peak in sugars and will yield the most Tequila. The plant is used entirely once and then more agave must be planted to continue the production process.
Fact #6
Why is there a worm in my Tequila bottle? THERE ISN’T. What you have is not a bottle of Tequila. The worm is found only in certain bottles of mezcal. The worm is nothing but a marketing gimmick!
How long does it take for an agave plant to reach maturity? Blue agave can take anywhere from 6 to 12 years to mature. This is when the Agave reach their peak in sugars and will yield the most Tequila. The plant is used entirely once and then more agave must be planted to continue the production process.
Fact #6
Why is there a worm in my Tequila bottle? THERE ISN’T. What you have is not a bottle of Tequila. The worm is found only in certain bottles of mezcal. The worm is nothing but a marketing gimmick!
Now where did I put that bottle. Happy Writing!
Lucky MF'er taking out the heart of the Agave plant to make into Tequila.
Who knew? Thanks for the history lesson...truly interesting.
ReplyDeleteVery interesting I had no idea.
ReplyDeletecheers,
mood
Moody Writing
NO worm in tequila? Huh. Shows what I know. Great post. Someday I look forward to tasting my first tequila...
ReplyDeleteThanks for the info...the only thing I knew about tequila before reading your post is that it does not like me, which is an entirely different story, most of which I can't remember. :)
ReplyDeletedemitrialunetta.blogspot.com
Wow another tequila fan. I did not know there was town called that. Good to know :)
ReplyDeleteI'm always tempted to buy some tequila when I'm at the store--it's been so long since I've had any. I definitely had some wild tequila days in my past. Don't know if I could quite keep up with that anymore, but a nice Margarita now and then wouldn't be too bad.
ReplyDeleteLee
Tossing It Out
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