| THIS IS OUR MEXICAN Liquor and Wine Section. |
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| An interesting note on MEZCAL and the relation with TEQUILA. Del Maguey, Single Village Mezcal � Oaxaca, Mexico What's all the fuss about Tequila? In actual fact, all tequilas are mezcal. As a producer of a special mezcal, the town of Tequila had acquired a certain fame by the early nineteenth century. Since 1950, tequila has become a drink of distinction, bringing world-renown to a small Mexican town. The first mention of Tequila as a beverage is in the town's tax record of 1873. There is an entry showing that three barrels of vino de mezcal de la region de tequila "mezcal wine from the region of tequila" were sent to Santa Fe, New Mexico via El Paso, Texas. The plant that produces the basic liquid, agave tequilana, is known popularly as the maguey azul or blue maguey. This agave tequilana is about one-half the size of the pulque-producing magueys. The blue maguey grows well in two zones near the city of Guadalajara, Jalisco, centered around the towns of Tequila and Tepatitlan. The highland region of "Los Altos" and Arrandas are respected for quality maguey. Tequila is 40 miles west of Guadalajara and Tepatitlan an equal distance east. Under cultivation, an acre of land will nourish about 1,200 plants. In 1971, there were 62,000 acres under cultivation, planted to some 75 million magueys. The blue maguey matures in six to eight years, somewhat more rapidly than the pulque producing maguey. To process the tequila maguey, the pulpy spikes are hacked off, leaving the heart, called pina (pineapple) because of its appearance. These hearts weighing from 80 to 175 pounds, are chopped into several pieces and put to roast. Modern distilleries use huge stainless steel steam ovens. The cooked pina is then mechanically shredded and the juice pressed out. To this juice, corn and cane sugars and chemical yeasts are added. The Mexican Federal Government allows up to 49% other sugars and chemical yeasts to be added to this juice and still be called tequila. After the mixture has been allowed to ferment for a few days in huge stainless steel vats, it is distilled in stainless steel stills using steam or natural gas heat. The first distillation produces an ordinary alcohol of low gradation; the finished product is achieved by a second distillation and the addition of water to bring the proof down to 80 (for the American pallate). Part of the tequila, colorless at this point, is then aged in wooden casks or tanks for time periods varying from two months to a maximum of seven years. This process turns it a golden color and it is marketed as different grades of tequila reposado or anejo at prices ranging upward according to the months or years of aging. In 1970, there were 50 tequila factories in the state of Jalisco, many of them minor operations. Presently there are 76 distillerys producing 442 different labels. Three companies account for more than 75 percent of the total production. 17,000 families in the region depended economically on the production of tequila in all its phases from field to bottle. So important and complicated has the industry become, that a degree in tequila engineering is offered at a local university. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- SUPER PREMIUM TEQUILAS 100% agave tequila is just that; no additional sugars added. Check the label if it says 100% agave - it is a good starting place. There are still a few producers using hornos (stone or brick ovens) and tahonas (grinding wheels), instead of mechanical crushers. Fermentation is still done in wooden tanks by some distillers. Aging tequila is broken down as follows: Blanco (white, silver, etc) can be stored up to two months before bottling. Gold tequila is white tequila with coloring and /or flavoring. Reposado (rested) tequila is two months to one year in large vats or oak barrels. Anejo tequila is aged one year or more in barrels of 350 liters each or smaller. Anejo tequila does not take long aging real well. About four or five years is it for tequila. Del Maguey recommends the following super premiums: Chinaco El Tesoro Herradura Porfidio Enjoy the pureness of Del Maguey mezcals. We extend our appreciation to Del Mezcal for this information and we pass it to our visitors to enjoy. |
Micheladas are very Refreshing !! Beer Guy Trends elude the Beer Guy. Seldom an impulse buyer, he approaches the "next big thing" as if it were a marketing ploy. Take micheladas, for instance. This beer cocktail blends your favorite South of the Border lager with lime, salt, pepper and varying combinations of Worcestershire, Tabasco or other flavorings. Sounds spicy, light and refreshing, right? Just the sort of drink you'd expect to emerge from some beach resort on the Mexican coast? Well, it is, but it's not as exotic as you might think. For starters, there's nothing new about serving Mexican beer with lime, as the people at Tecate and Corona will tell you. At a recent sampling of micheladas at Matt's No Place in Lakewood, chef and owner Matt Martinez and head bartender Kirk Rogers served up a half-dozen or so micheladas for members of the Texas Taste staff. Each was different and lightly refreshing, and some were distinctive, but the beer and the lime or lemon on the rim of the glass dominated the taste. Here's a rundown of our sampler: The standard michelada has a rim coated with lime or lemon and coarse salt, and beer is poured over crushed ice. Add a squeeze of lime and a few shakes of Tabasco (a few shakes of Worcestershire, optional). Golden and light, the drink is sweet and refreshing. . Matt's Michelada: What makes Matt's version delightfully different is his Hot & Sour Rim, which is a blend of 1 small package of presweetened orange Kool-Aid, coarse salt and a 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper. This makes enough to rim several glasses. The bite of the pepper provides an invigorating heat to the taste, and the sensation of the cayenne comes late to the tongue, making it more pronounced and enjoyable. Try it on any of the variations. Variation: Substitute a German wheat beer for the Mexican lager. It gives the drink a tastier effervescence and a bit more body. . Red Michelada: A sangrita mixture of 2 parts orange juice, 2 parts tomato juice or bloody Mary mix, and 1 part pico de gallo is pur�ed in a blender, then poured over the crushed ice. Add the beer; celery stick optional. The combination of the red bottom and golden top gives the drink a "sunrise" look and a taste somewhat akin to a Bloody Mary. Variation: A dark Mexican lager (Bohemia, Negro Modelo) takes the place of the golden lager (Corona, Sol, Dos Equis, Tecate or Carta Blanca) and is accented with dashes of Worcestershire for a Brown Michelada. The aroma, color and taste are reminiscent of grilled steak. . Orange Michelada: Pour 2 ounces of orange juice over crushed ice, add beer and garnish with orange slice. The orange juice provides a sweeter overall taste. . Hawaiian Michelada: Pour 2 ounces of pineapple juice over crushed ice, add beer and garnish with pineapple. Mr. Martinez prefers his micheladas in a pint glass and flavors and garnishes them with either fruit, sprigs of cilantro or slender red chilis. He suggests experimenting with the taste by adding different fruit juices (pineapple, orange, lemon, lime) to the mix. Another preferred addition of Mr. Martinez's is orange bitters, which gives the drink a pleasing balance of bitter and sweet. He also prefers lemon to the more traditional lime when it comes to rimming the glass. "Lemons give it more of a tartness than a sweetness," he says. "You don't want them to be too sweet." At the Greenville Avenue eatery Nuevo Leon, manager Fernando Garcia says, many customers prefer a splash of the Mexican hot sauce, Valentina, in their micheladas. "They also like us to spice up the rim with cayenne." Micheladas are easy to make, and experimenting with different flavors and spices adds to their appeal. But if you want to keep the process extremely simple, Habagallo Foods of Mission, Texas, offers a premixed michelada mix. By http://www.habagallo.com |
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