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ОглавлениеSouth of the Border: Tequila
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A Brief History of Tequila
The history of tequila is a short one. In the 1300s, the Aztecs used the agave plant to make an alcoholic beverage called pulque. In 1531, Spanish settlers—with knowledge of distillation—distilled the pulque. They called it mexcalli (mezcal).
Farmers loading harvested blue agave for tequila production; 2013 Tequila; Jalisco, Mexico. © T Photography / Shutterstock
In 1758, Spain’s King Ferdinand VI issued a land grant to Don Jose Antonio de Cuervo to cultivate the blue agave plant in the town of Tequila, Jalisco, Mexico. In 1795, Spain’s King Carlos IV granted a permit to produce tequila commercially to his son Jose Guadalupe de Cuervo. (Spanish King Carlos III prohibited alcohol, so it took thirty-seven years to start commercial production). Tequila was known as “mezcal de Tequila” until 1893 and was sold by the barrel. Cuervo’s first bottled tequila was sold in 1906. The Cuervo family in modern times is wicked wealthy.
Today there are over 2,000 brands of tequila. Celebrities who have their own tequila brands include George Clooney, Justin Timberlake, Sean Combs, Mario Lopez, Carlos Santana, and Sammy Hagar.
