Protected designation of origin for a spirit which, along with pulque, is considered the national drink in Mexico. It originates from the area around the city of Tequila in the state of Jalisco and is a form of the agave spirit Mezcal (Aztec "The House of the Moon"). The basic product is the "heart" of the blue agave (Agave tequilana Weber), which thrives particularly well in the origin-protected area in the regions of Jalisco, Guanajuato, Michoacan, Nayarit and Tamaulipas. A sweet, honey-like juice is extracted from the "piña", the pineapple-like core, and tequila is distilled from it.
Depending on the type of ageing or the length of time it is aged in oak barrels, it has a clear to dark colour (silver/blanco = unaged, gold/oro = blend blanco with aged tequila, aged/reposado = 2 months, extra aged/añejo = up to 1 year, ultra-aged/extra-añejo = up to 3 years). The alcoholic fermented drink pulque with only a low alcohol content is considered the precursor. With tequila, this is usually between 38 and 40% vol. but can also be more. Tequila is also a popular ingredient in cocktails, for example Black Death (with blood orange juice), Margarita (with lime juice, orange liqueur) and Sunrise (with orange juice, lemon juice, grenadine).
After the Second World War (1939-1945), the drink became immensely popular in the USA and later worldwide. The US rock band "The Champs" reached No. 1 in the Billboard charts on 28 March 1958 with the instrumental hit "Tequila" and thus landed a million-seller worldwide. You often hear that tequila should be enjoyed with salt and lemon/lime in that order: On the back of your hand, moisten the area between your thumb and index finger with the slice of lemon, then sprinkle some salt on it, lick the salt off your hand, then tip the tequila and then suck on the slice of lemon. The salt and the acid harmonise with each other and produce a special taste experience, the so-called "tequila effect". However, this custom is unknown in Mexico and even in Europe you should only enjoy the "Blanco" this way. Popular in Mexico is a "bandera" (flag, because it corresponds to the colours of the Mexican flag) consisting of three glasses with lime juice (green), tequila (white) and sangrita (red), which you drink in that order.
Picture left: By Ralf Roletschek - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, Link
Picture right: By Stan Shebs, CC BY-SA 3.0, Link
