Tequila: The origins, the industry, and your responsibility.

Growing up I would frequently visit Mexico with my father. He wanted me to know his family and see the life he left behind when he came to the United States. My father would take me to his hometown of Arandas, Jalisco where blue agave plants poked out of every field.

The state of Jalisco is where Tequila was first created and thousands of blue agave plants thrive. Blue agave can be seen growing in fields all over the state. On my trips down to Arandas, we’d see men working in agave fields, Jimadores as they're called, harvesting the mature plants and loading them onto trucks where they would be taken to nearby distilleries. 

Jimador harvesting a blue agave plant.

The blue agave plant symbolizes prosperity to the people of Jalisco and Tequila is the nectar of all the hard work that goes into caring for the plant and distilling it. Tequila symbolizes pride to many Mexicans and has a rich history. 

Named after the city where Tequila was first distilled, Tequila can be found worldwide but can only be created and labeled as Tequila if it was distilled in one of five authorized regions in Mexico. This monopolization allows Mexico to control the quality and contributes greatly to their overall economy. Recently becoming America’s most consumed spirit, Mexico has seen a boom in the industry. This boom however has come with some unfavorable side effects. Before we explore the dark side of the contemporary Tequila industry, we must first understand its origins.

Blue agave plants prefer warm climates and the iron-rich red soil of Jalisco provides the perfect cocktail of nutrients for the plants to flourish. Before Tequila was distilled from agave, the Aztecs would ferment blue agave into a milky white drink called Pulque. This beverage was used in many ceremonial events for its slightly intoxicating effects. Pulque remained as the sole blue agave drink until the Spanish showed up and ran out of their imported whiskey and brandy. With a thirst for more intoxication, they set their sights on blue agave as they had seen the Aztecs use it for similar reasons. The Spaniards did unprecedented harm to communities all across Latin America but in terms of Tequila, they brought with them two crucial aspects, knowledge of distilling and oak barrels. 

Making Tequila is a long and involved process. First, you must wait seven to ten years for the agave to mature. Jimadores then harvest the mammoth succulent by cutting off the large fleshy leaves exposing the center called the piña. The piña is then taken to the distillery where it will be placed in an oven to bake. The baking transforms the carbohydrates and starch naturally found in agave into sugar ready to be fermented. Once baked the cooked piñas are shredded or mashed and left to soak in water to help further the extraction of sugar. The water added in is considered the second most important ingredient in the Tequila-making process. Not all water tastes the same and the different notes in the water contribute to the overall flavor of the Tequila. After the shredded agave fibers are removed, the dark caramel-colored water is pumped into fermentation tanks where yeast is added and left to turn the sugars into alcohol. After a few days, the fermented juice is distilled twice and you finally get the end product, Blanco Tequila. 

Some of this Blanco Tequila is immediately bottled and sold but some is aged in oak barrels for two months to a year for Reposado Tequila and over a year for Añejo Tequila. The oak barrels add a distinctive caramel color to the Tequila and plenty of new flavors and aromas.

Generations have continued this Tequila-making art since the early 1500s. While it was the Spanish that largely contributed to the creation of Tequila, it was the early local Mexican distillers who mastered the art and perfected the recipes.

Today, due to monopolization, everything from planting the agave to selling the filled bottles is done by Mexicans. Mexicans however do not own many of the brands we know. Patron for example is owned by Bacardi based out of Bermuda and Don Julio is owned by mega drink corporation, Diageo based out of London. When Tequila brands are bought out by huge corporations, it helps them reach a wider audience which lends to favoritization in the already highly competitive market. Unfortunately, that means that much of the profit made does not go back to the locals cultivating the land or distilling, instead it lines the pockets of the foreign investors.

This issue of foreign control has been exacerbated by the popularization of celebrity Tequila brands. The Tequila industry is valued at over $4 billion. Unsurprisingly, this has brought in many new players wanting to get their piece of the pie. Celebrity Tequila brands like Kendall Jenner’s 818 Tequila and Dwayne Johnson’s Teramana have exploded the demand for Tequila.

This rapid demand has put a huge strain on more than just the people of Mexico. This demand means that more blue agave needs to be planted than ever. Blue agave plants can be up to ten feet wide which means that large open fields are needed for these plants leading to a huge increase in deforestation affecting native plants and animals. The cost of agave has also skyrocketed driving out smaller local distilleries that cannot compete with the mega-corporations supporting celebrity Tequila. This is also affecting us consumers when we buy a bottle. As the need for agave grows, distilleries are harvesting the agave before the sugars in the piña fully mature. To counter this, many brands are adding additives to compensate for the lacking qualities of the agave. The board that regulates Tequila in Mexico allows distilleries to add up to 1% of additives to Tequila while still claiming to be 100% agave. All of these factors, and the obvious cultural appropriation, have made celebrity Tequila the greatest threat to the industry.

So, how can we as consumers continue to drown our sorrows with margaritas without killing the industry? It’s not by dismantling the monopoly but by playing the game specifically in a way that will lead to your dollars landing in the right person's pocket. Simply put, buy brands owned and operated by the people of Mexico. This requires a small level of research but thankfully the regulating Tequila board makes this easier by assigning a specific number to each Tequila producer that must appear on every bottle sold. This number is called the Norma Oficial Mexicana, or NOM. Turn over any bottle and you’ll find this four-digit number. If you look this number up on a website like tequilamatchmaker.com you’ll be able to determine a plethora of information such as every other Tequila brand made at the same distillery, where it's distilled, and whether it's certified additive-free. You’ll soon realize that while there are thousands of Tequila brands, only a couple hundred distilleries are making them. The distillery can then be looked up to determine if it's Mexican-owned. The cream of the crop is an additive-free Mexican-owned Tequila.

With all of this in mind, I do have a few recommendations that showcase the level of quality you get from an additive-free Mexican-owned Tequila brand. First up is a Lalo named  after Eduardo “Lalo” Gonzalez. This name is significant because Eduardo Gonzalez is the grandchild of the famous Don Julio. Tequila making has been in this family for generations and the amazing quality of this Tequila is the proof. Second up is Siete Leguas, a personal favorite of my fathers. This brand is of course family-owned and makes Tequila the traditional way. Also, fun fact, this is the distillery where Patron was first made back in 1989. Patron might have lost its way through their globalization but Siete Leguas remains true to their origin and craft. Last but not least, women-owned and operated La Gritona. This small-batch distillation allows for an emphasis on quality and sustainability. It easily checks off every box.

Similar to many spirits around the world, Tequila is a cultural icon that holds pride and centuries of history. To the people of Mexico, Tequila is not just an intoxicating liquid. Tequila is one of many feats that have put Mexico on the global map. It is what boosts their economy, and it's what many of their ancestors dedicated their lives to. It is an art that must be protected and respected. The appeal to tap into this market by celebrities and foreign liquor corporations is very tempting but it comes at too grave of a cost. Deforesting Mexico’s lush ecosystem and stripping away profits from the locals is not in alignment with the harmonious past the Tequila industry once had. With a little conscious research, we can all continue to enjoy our favorite Tequila cocktail without disrespecting the hundreds of years of craftsmanship that went into making the spirit.

On my visits to Mexico, I would walk down row after row of blue agave and let them prick my fingers. I’d watch the Jimadores working away in the field. In town, I’d see the huge trucks deliver the piñas to the local distillery. In the corner store, I’d see the finished product on the shelf. I didn’t yet understand the history or significance of this spirit but I knew even then that Tequila was as much a member of the community as the people walking the streets.

Citations:

Babur-Winter, Oset. “Want to Buy Better Tequila? Look for This Code on the Back of the Bottle.” Food & Wine, Food & Wine, 18 July 2023, www.foodandwine.com/tequila-nom-7561871. 

Benetti, Asonta. “Making Tequila Is a True Labor of Love.” Food & Wine, Food & Wine, 24 Aug. 2022, www.foodandwine.com/cocktails-spirits/tequila/how-is-tequila-made. 

Fernandes, Lui. “The Unfortunate Truth about Celebrity Tequilas...” YouTube, 31 Aug. 2022, youtu.be/NVJW6x0I-j0?si=g0HWvd7VOvPNhTkC. 

Fernandes, Lui. “How Real Tequila Is Actually Made.” YouTube, YouTube, 18 Apr. 2024, www.youtube.com/watch?v=OfK9ZLXm7FE&t=538s. 

Staab, Hannah. “The Biggest Tequila Brands and the Companies That Own Them [Infographic].” VinePair, 9 Jan. 2024, vinepair.com/articles/tequila-brand-ownership-inforgraphic/.