(If you need a lemon or salt to consume your tequila, please go somewhere else)
Tequila is a distilled beverage made from the blue agave plant, primarily in the area surrounding the city of Tequila 65 km (40 mi) northwest of Guadalajara, and in the Jaliscan Highlands (Los Altos de Jalisco) of the central western Mexican state of Jalisco. Like mezcal, tequila is also made from the agave plant and originates from the same regions of Mexico. The distinction is that tequila is made only from blue agave and they are prepared in different ways.
The red volcanic soils in the region of Tequila is well suited to growing the blue agave, and more than 300 million of the plants are harvested there each year.
Agave grows differently depending on the region.
Blue agaves grown in the highlands Los Altos region are larger and sweeter in aroma and taste.
Agaves harvested in the lowlands have a more herbaceous fragrance and flavor.
Mexican laws state that tequila can only be produced in the state of Jalisco and limited municipalities in the states of Guanajuato, Michoacán, Nayarit, and Tamaulipas.
