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Traveling in Mexico can be quite a diverse adventure, from border towns to beach resorts, ancient ruins to modern discos. Exploring the state of Jalisco is a classic Mexican cultural experience, and that includes tequila, from the plant to the shot glass with lime and salt.
The countryside is dominated by rugged, rolling hills covered with the huge blue-grey maguey agaves, making the hills literally glow with the color of the abundant plant. This is the best type of agave for making tequila, and this is the region where it grows. As you enter the town it becomes evident that tequila is an important part of the economy. Dozens of small kiosks are set up with tables laden with an assortment of tequilas made by small distilleries. The bottles come in a variety of shapes and sizes, some covered with leather and presented in wooden boxes.
Jose Cuervo and Sauza are the 2 major tequila producers here, and both offer tours through their distilleries. The tours both begin with guides perfectly fluent in English and very well versed in the history of this liquor as well as its deep roots in the Mexican culture. It was the indigenous group of Nahuatl people who discovered that a maguey plant which had been struck by lightening had a center of sticky liquid which had fermented. When ingested, it produced a pleasant sensation. Thus, the beginning of tequila and its strong position of pride and tradition. The Sauza distillery is proud to share a huge mural on one wall depicting the humble beginnings all the way up to the modern place of tequila in Mexican culture.
Both tours begin with the unloading of the agave hearts which have been stripped of their leaves. They look like huge pineapples, averaging 24-30" in diameter and weighing up to 100 lbs. They are first roasted in huge ovens for 2-3 days, until they turn a caramel color and taste like a very sweet yam but with a firmer texture. Next, this mass is crushed and the juice allowed to ferment in huge vats. The tour follows all of the distillation process and ends in the bottling room where the familiar labels are added and they are boxed up for export. This small region leads the nation in tequila production, more than 15 million gallons yearly. Exports go mainly to the United States, England and Germany.
It is in the tasting room where you can really appreciate the differences between the liquors. Anejo or reposado is the aged liquor and is gold in color. Tequila joven is young and clear. The proper way to drink it is to lick some grains of salt from the top of your fist, suck on a a lime, take a drink of tequila, then follow that with a drink of sangrita, which is a mixture of the juices of oranges and hot peppers.
The historic Sauza family home is on the distillery grounds and is available to tour. It is a beautiful old and gracious home, now abandoned. You can enjoy a stroll among the deserted gardens and chapel, great rooms, stone carvings and reflecting pools. At one time it was home to a gracious lifestyle, founded on the traditions of that great Mexican drink, tequila.
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