Tequila Drinks and Mexican Drinks: Drinking to Sunrise Means Mucho Margarita Mix

Spirits: Tequila

To many, tequila and its various tequila drinks are synonymous with Mexican drinks, such as the tequila sunrise, the blunt but effective snake eye, and as a complement to margarita mix. To truly understand tequila drinks and the subtleties involved in drinking tequila, however, one must head south of the border of traditional anecdote, into a mindset generally reserved for contemplating other liquors.

Much as cognac is protected and regulated by the French government, the production of tequila is managed by the rulers of Mexico. Traditionally, spirits advertised as tequila could originate only in the state of Jalisco. But because of tequila's popularity, the Mexican government expanded the tequila region to include the states of Michoacán, Tamaulipas, Nayarít, and Guanajuato.

Of those found often drinking tequila, many believe that mezcal and tequila are synonymous, which is incorrect. Tequila is the best of mezcals, just as cognac is the best of brandies. Mezcal can be produced anywhere, from any variety of the agave plant grown in Mexico or in the southwestern United States.

Those claiming expertise in drinking tequila and concocting Mexican drinks should take note: Tequila, unlike mezcal, must contain at least 51 percent spirits distilled from the pulp of the blue agave plant, grown in one of the five states of the Tequila region. Only 1 percent of all tequilas are 100 percent blue agave, and those brands proudly state this single ingredient on their labels.