There’s so much more to tequila than margaritas and downing too many shots. After visiting the tequila room at Mas Malo in Downtown Los Angeles, we learned about the misunderstood spirit — and are setting you straight too! [info]
5. Texas and California have the most tequila drinkers.
According to Scarborough 2010 research on tequila consumption, Austin ranks first followed by San Antonio, San Diego and Los Angeles for the highest proportion of tequila consumers in the U.S.
4. Tequila comes from the lily family.
Tequila is made from the agave plant which resembles a cactus. However, it is actually a member of the lily family.
3. Agave plants take an average of seven years to grow.
The agave plants really take their time! In comparison, some grapes grown to produce wine are harvested annually.
2. Tequila is not meant to be chilled.
Mas Malo’s Jonathan Kakacek tells us that temperature definitely effects taste. The flavors in the tequila will be masked if it is chilled, but they will be present at room temperature. When you sip the room temperature tequila, you can savor its unique properties.
1. That’s not a worm!
The worm is actually a caterpillar and the caterpillar is in regions where they grow agave and it eats agave. Jonathan explains, “The reason you have things inside a lot of your bottles is because when it was Spanish colonial land, they couldn’t sell tequila. Spain wanted you to have brandy Spanish wine, so the homeland could make it back there. They didn’t want the colonies to make any money. They were illegally making mezcal and tequila.” He continued, “I can’t put a label or a name on it, so I put pine nuts because my city is known for pine nuts, I put scorpions because everyone knows scorpions come from my region. It was a regional calling card.”