Tequila is a spirit made primarily from the blue agave plant, which is native to Mexico. It originated in the town of Tequila in Jalisco, Mexico in the 16th century. There are two main categories of tequila - mixtos which can contain up to 49% sugars other than agave, and 100% agave tequilas which only use agave sugar. Tequila is usually bottled as blanco, reposado, añejo, or extra añejo depending on the aging process.

1. Tequila

2. Tequila is a spirit made primarily in the area surrounding Tequila, a town in the highlands of the western Mexican state of Jalisco, 65 km northwest of Guadalajara. It is made from the blue agave (Agave tequilana azul), which is native to Mexico.

3. History A distillery oven loaded with agave "piñas" or "pineapples", the first step in the production of tequila. A distillery oven loaded with agave "piñas" or "pineapples", the first step in the production of tequila.

4. Tequila was first produced in the 16th century near the location of the city of Tequila, which was not officially established until 1656. The Aztec people had previously made a fermented beverage from the agave plant, which they called octli (later, and more popularly called pulque), long before the Spanish arrived in 1521. When the Spanish conquistadors ran out of their own brandy, they began to distill this agave drink to produce North America's first indigenous distilled spirit.

5. There very much work on it but, the more essencial is the next!!! Types of tequila There are two basic categories of tequila: mixtos and 100% Agave. Mixtos use up to 49% of other sugars in the fermentation process, with Agave taking up the remainder. Agave sugar is fructose-based, and is easier for the human body to break down. Mixtos use both glucose and fructose sugars. There is a very distinctive taste difference between the different types of tequila.[citation needed] The most notable is a "bite" for which tequila is often remembered. This "bite" is a characteristic of lower quality mixto tequilas, which use additives — commonly grain alcohols — that are less expensive than 100% agave.

6. Tequila is usually bottled in one of five categories: * blanco ("white") or plata ("silver") – white spirit, un-aged and bottled or stored immediately after distillation, or aged less than two months in oak barrels; * oro ("gold") – un-aged "blanco" tequila, blended with rested or aged tequilas, and often with caramel coloring, sugar-based syrup, glycerin, and/or oak extract added so as to resemble aged tequila; * reposado ("rested") – aged a minimum of two months, but less than a year in oak barrels; * añejo ("aged" or "vintage") – aged a minimum of one year, but less than 3 years in oak barrels; * extra añejo ("extra aged" or "ultra aged") – aged a minimum of three years in oak barrels. This category was established in March 2006.

7. How To Properly Drink Tequila Tequila is a complex spirit with many different flavors and sensations that one can not fully realize by simply shooting it down. 100% agave tequila must first be opened up like any bottled spirit by pouring and fluid ounce into a snifter glass and swirled. Being that the brain is divided into hemispheres and one side being dominant, the left and the right nostril pick up different scents independently of each other. Once the tequila is opened up, one should stand up and raise the glass to their dominant side nostril only and then lean into that side for their body. Smelling with the dominant side immediately registers the harshness of the alcohol and is considered to be a more "analytical" smell of the spirit. The same should then be performed on the non-dominant side. This will produce a more "sensual" smell of the tequila that embodies the spirit's richness and aging (for reposados and anejos). The final step is to then stand up bringing the snifter up to your nose, inhale with both nostrils and take a sip while holding your breath. The tequila should move over the tongue for at least eight seconds and then swallowed. Lastly one should exhale and breathe off all of the tastes of the tequila.

8. Tequila shots. Outside Mexico, a single shot of tequila is often served with salt and a slice of lime. This is called "tequila cruda" and is sometimes referred to as "training wheels," "lick-sip-suck," or "lick-shoot-suck" (referring to the way in which the combination of ingredients is imbibed).

9. The drinker moistens the back of their hand below the index finger (usuall y by licking) and pours on the salt. Then the salt is licked off the hand, tequila is drunk and the fruit slice is quickly bitten. It is common for groups of drinkers to do this simultaneously.

10. It is common for groups of drinkers to do this simultaneously. Drinking tequila in this way is often erroneously called a Tequila Slammer, however this is a mixed tequila and carbonated drink. Though the traditional Mexican shot is straight tequila, lime is the fruit of choice when a chaser must be used. The salt lessens the "burn" of the tequila and the sour fruit balances and enhances the flavor. This is rarely done with aged tequilas due to their smoother character.

11. In Germany and some other countries, tequila oro (gold) is often consumed with cinnamon before and slices of orange after, while tequila blanco (silver) is still consumed with salt and lime.

12. Finally, as with other popular liquors, there are a number of shot-related drinking games and "stunt" drinks such as body shots and the tequila stuntman. When served neat (without any additional ingredients), tequila is most often served in a narrow shot glass called a caballito ("Little Horse" in Spanish), but can often be found in anything from a snifter to a tumbler.