subject: Tequila (pellets or Oktli) [print this page] Tequila (pellets or Oktli)Tequila (pellets or Oktli).
Samu tequila in its current form the Indians, of course, not invented, but the history of the creation of this drink dates back to the VIII century, when the Toltec tribe learned to make from the agave pulque - fermented juice, stringy and slightly frothy drink of milk-colored fortress from 4 to 6 degrees . According to legend, the Indians discovered pulque not themselves, but by divine providence. Lightning struck the agave and split it into two halves and poured the nectar from the core. The Mexican Indians and did not even know that this plant is hiding the "gift of the gods."
Having also started to apply the nectar, as they have posited: wandering juice and turned into a frothy drink. Pulque played so important role in Indian life, even God, the feathered serpent Quetzalcoatl, Tetskatlipoka drink this drink. A mother pulque, agave, the Aztecs identified with the goddess Mayyauel, who had 400 breasts.
For a long time pulque was practically the only Mexican alcoholic beverage, so long as the Spanish conquistadors did not bring in the New World European technology sublimation of alcohol. New mescal - a product of sublimation of sweet agave juice - was produced in 1521, and the father of tequila story called Don Pedro Sanchez de Tagle, Marquis of Altamira, who in 1600 founded the first factory on tequila hacienda Cuisillos. The popularity of tequila has grown very rapidly, and already in 1608, local rulers imposed a special tax on trade in the beverage.
In the XVIII century, tequila has become an important export product, whose production is controlled by the Spanish king. The first manufacturer to receive in 1795 an official license to produce tequila, was Jose Maria Cuervo. Mark "Jose Cuervo" is alive and still and is considered the oldest.
Golden time for tequila was the beginning of XIX century. Having won the recognition of Americans, tequila producers have begun to establish export to Europe. Shortly before this happened division mescal and tequila: just like real champagne, produced only in the province of Champagne, to be called tequila was reserved for mescal, which is produced by special technology in the state of Jalisco, near the town of Tequila.
Start a new, XX century, has again been a tumultuous - in 1910 in Mexico broke a 10-year-old revolution, which is taken up the role of tequila in the Mexican symbol of liberation. Followed was the Great Depression left alive are very few producers of tequila and a World War II, when the supply of alcohol from Europe to America almost stopped again regained its former popularity of tequila.
World famous tequila brought the Olympic Games in Mexico City in 1968, and in 1974, Mexican producers have the exclusive right to use the name "tequila" in the world.
Since then, the popularity of tequila - especially the best ones - the world is growing day by day, and the Mexican government strictly monitors the quality of this symbol of the country. Themselves as Mexicans mostly prefer the cheaper mescal, and in the mountainous areas of central Mexico, and is still very popular pulque. After the war came Margarita cocktail and the first government standards for tequila.
