As a Mexican restaurant and bar, we’re big on tequila! This wonderous liquor can be enjoyed straight or mixed into a variety of mouth-watering margaritas. Today’s post is dedicated to all those devoted tequila lovers out there. So, without further ado, here are five things you never knew about tequila.

It’s plant based

Tequila is traditionally made from the heart of the blue agave plant. Standards dictate that to be classified as tequila, the drink must contain at least 51% blue agave. The rest can be filled out with a spirt derived from can sugar, making a mixture known as a ‘mixto’ tequila. High quality tequilas, however, will contain 100% blue agave.

It’s strictly regulated

Tequila is a matter of national pride! So much so that the production of tequila is regulated by the Consejo Regulador del Tequila. These strict standards of production dictate that tequila must be made from blue agave, distilled at least twice and bottled in Mexico.

All tequila is mezcal, but not all mezcal is tequila

Many drinks that people call tequila are mezcal, a cheaper alternative. As mentioned above, tequila can only be made from the blue agave, but mezcal can be made from over 30 varieties of agave. Most mezcals are made from agave espading and cost a lot less than certified tequila.

It gets better with age

Yup, just like a good scotch, tequila gets better with age! Most of the tequila we drink at Mexican restuarants is ‘joven’ is just 0 to 2 months old. ‘Reposado’ is 2 months to 1 year and ‘añejo’ is 1 to 3 years, but for the true tequila connoisseurs, there is such a thing as ‘extra añejo’, aged for 3 years or more.

It’s slow roasted

The heart of the blue agave (piñas) are harvested and then cut into small pieces for even roasting. Each batch is slow steamed in a small brick oven for around 76 hours. Once the flavourful sugars are activated, the agave is crushed via an ancient tahona mill process or with a modern roller mill.
Looking for some delicious tequila near Surfers Paradise? Head on over to Cantina at Capri. Our modern Mexican restaurant and bar serves a range of delicious tequila and tequila-based margaritas!