Celebrate National Tequila Day on July 24 with some lime and salt. Make some Margarita, Paloma, or Mamasita to toast the occasion! Tequila has been produced for millennia and was formerly known as mezcal wine. Mezcal is not Tequila, but Tequila is mezcal. That's because Tequila is made by distilling a particular kind of agave plant. The law also safeguards its manufacturing.
History of Tequila Day
Pulque, a milky, foamy agave beverage that was popular among native Mexican tribes during the Mesoamerican period around 1000 B.C., is considered to be the ancestor of tequila. The modern tequila we know and love, however, would not be created until the 16th century A.D., in and around a region that would not be given the name Tequila until 1666.
In Jalisco, the Mexican state where the present city of Tequila is located, Spanish nobility Don Pedro Sánchez de Tagle opened the first tequila production in the world 66 years earlier. It most certainly wouldn't have prevented Don Jose Antonio de Cuervo from establishing the first Vino Mezcal de Tequila de Jose Cuervo in Tequila more than a century later, in 1795, and giving rise to the world's most popular tequila brand to this day.
Tequila's beginnings are reasonably well known, but sadly, the beginnings of National Tequila Day are a little less clear. There isn't much information available on the origins of the holiday, what it was, or why it occurs on the dates that it does. It's possible that the creators consumed too much of their own supply to remember. Nevertheless, popular belief dictates that National Tequila Day in the United States happens on July 24th, while the Mexican Senate just decided that their own takes place on the third Saturday of every March.
Celebrate Tequila Day With a Cocktail
If you don’t have any idea what to make with Tequila, try making “Spicy Paloma”. Your entire being will be warmed by a Spicy Paloma cocktail. You won't be able to tell if the heat you feel is coming from the tequila Blanco or the capsaicin thanks to a hearty kick in the face from a brown sugar jalapeno simple syrup. This cocktail will always be your go-to beverage during the summer.
You'll need Tequila Blanco, grapefruit soda, grapefruit juice, lime juice, brown sugar, water, and jalapenos to make a Spicy Paloma. You need kosher salt for the rim of your cocktail glass.
Even though this is a Spicy Paloma recipe, you can omit the jalapeno if you're not a fan of heat. Similarly, you can make this a mocktail by leaving out the tequila and replacing it with additional grapefruit soda.
You can find the ingredients and the best tequilas to make this cocktail on our menu. Here are some of the bottles you can order in Los Angeles.
Cazadores Tequila Reposado is made with 100% Blue Agave and rests in small American white oak casks for at least 2 months. It features notes of dill and black pepper, It is nimble and off-dry. The finish is clean and light. A classic tequila on its own and with cocktails.
Presented in its instantly recognizable decanter, this is a super-premium Anejo tequila from Clase Azul. It is supposed to represent the outcome of two worlds colliding, exactly like the spirit itself, and was created using conventional Mexican unfired clay processes before being embellished with hand-painted motifs and European glazing procedures.
This Anejo is aged for 24 months at this distinguished distillery to give it its amber hue and smoothness. Enjoy the seductive flavors of toffee, salted caramel, chocolate, vanilla, and peppercorns, which are followed by a warm, lingering finish. Enjoy dark chocolate and a variety of nuts in a snifter.
Siempre Reposado is a 100% agave sipping tequila that is made and bottled in Mexico's most prestigious tequila distillery. It is aged for up to six months in American oak barrels. apple, biscuit, caramel, honey, smoke, and wood flavors are detectable.
As a result of the distillery's unrivaled dedication to heating its agave within 24 hours of harvest to keep its fresh and subtle character, Partida Blanco has crisp, rich natural flavors and a clean, smooth taste. On the nose, citrus blends with herbal and earthy undertones. Bright flavors of tropical fruits and vanilla are prominent on the palate, along with traces of cooked agave, white pepper spiciness, and juicy grapefruit. Excellent unaged tequila expression that is great for sipping, food matching, and making stunning, crisp margaritas and Palomas.
