Tequila (blue agave spirit)
Tequila (destilado de agave azul)
- Date
- c. 1600 · confidence low
- Place
- Tequila, Jalisco, Mexico
- Credited to
- New Spanish distillers (Pedro Sanchez de Tagle)
- Field
- Life & health
⚠️ Disputed: the sources disagree.
What it is
A spirit obtained by cooking and fermenting the hearts of blue agave and distilling in a still. The first large-scale distillery was set up around 1600 at Tequila, where the region's mezcal gave the drink its name.
The origin of agave distillation is debated: Spanish stills, Filipino influence (Manila bamboo still) or pre-Columbian distillation (proposed from Colima finds, not generally accepted).
What it led to
- the tequila and mezcal industry in Mexico
- Tequila appellation of origin (1974)
- cocktails such as the margarita