Today is Cinco de Mayo, the 5th of May, a holiday that commemorates the 1862 battle of Puebla, when Mexico defeated the invading French army. Today, Cinco de Mayo celebrations are more popular in the United States than in Mexico, with Americans gathering to indulge in tacos, burritos, quesadillas and, of course, Mexico’s favorite spirit—tequila—served neat, over ice, mixed in cocktails, or simply downed as shots.

This beloved beverage gets its name from the small Mexican town of Tequila, located in the state of Jalisco where most tequila is produced. The town’s outskirts are dotted with fields of blue agave, a native plant of central Mexico and tequila’s main ingredient. Tequila must include a minimum of 51 percent blue agave, though the best examples are made from 100 percent.

Agave leaves are fleshy, thick and sharp, and just like cacti, and they reserve water on the inside to survive. Within the core of the blue agave plant is a bulb called the piña. This bulb is baked and juiced, and the juice is fermented with yeast to make tequila. Agave plants are so versatile that humans have used them in many other ways, like candy, honey and sugar. The fibers can also be used to make paper!

**Blue Weber Agave plants.** *Photo: David Garcia Sandoval*

Tequila is divided into five types: blanco, gold (joven), reposado, añejo and extra añejo. Each version offers an array of aromas and flavors, depending on the amount of time (if any) that it ages in wood casks.

Trying to decide which type of tequila you want to imbibe this Cinco de Mayo? Take a look at the following brief descriptions to figure it out.

¡Feliz Cinco de Mayo a Todos! ¡Salud!

Tequila Blanco

Blanco tequila, also called silver or white, is clear and typically un-aged, where the true flavors and the intensity of the agave are present, as well as the natural sweetness.

It can be bottled directly after distillation, or stored in stainless steel tanks to settle for up to four weeks. Blanco tequila are either 100 percent agave or can be mixed with a neutral spirit made from cane sugar juice. There are some blancos that are aged for up to two months to provide a smoother spirit, but most blancos are budget-friendly mixing tequilas.

Gold Tequila

Gold tequila, also known as joven (young in Spanish), is typically a mix, with colorants and flavorings added prior to bottling. These young, adulterated tequilas are less expensive and used in many bars and restaurants for mixed drinks.

There are exceptions however, as gold/joven tequila can also be the result of blending a silver tequila with a reposado or añejo, while keeping the 100% agave classification.

Tequila Reposado

**Clase Azul Reposado.** *Photo: Lisa Denning*

In Spanish, reposado means ‘rested.’ This type of tequila is aged in wood barrels or storage tanks between two and twelve months. The spirit takes on a golden hue and the taste is a good balance between the agave and wood flavors. Many different types of wood barrels are used for aging with the most common being American or French oak. Some tequilas are left to rest in used bourbon, whisky, cognac or wine barrels, and they inherit unique flavors from the previous spirit.

Tequila Añejo

After aging for at least one year, tequila can then be classified as an añejo. This aging process darkens the tequila to an amber color and the flavor becomes smoother, richer and more complex. These are meant for sipping, not to be mixed into a slushy!

Tequila Extra Añejo

A tequila aged more than three years is an “extra añejo.” These tequilas are considered to be of the highest quality and are extremely smooth with complex flavors that can include vanilla, butterscotch, hazelnut and hints of oak. With this extended amount of aging, the tequila becomes on a par with high quality aged rum and Scotch. Extra añejo tequilas are sometimes referred to as ultra-aged and are meant to be slowly sipped and savored, not downed in a quick shot.

**Tequila can be enjoyed with food, like this ceviche salad ofcubed white fish, avocado, radishes and mango.** *Photo: Lisa Denning*

Here’s a handy guide to the 5 classifications provided by ravereviews.org, along with a recipe for my Mean Margaritas.

Here’s a fun fact for those of you who have made it all the way down to the end here.
Mexicans worship the agave plant and consider it the representation of Mayahuel, the goddess of fertility. Mayahuel was known as “the woman of the 400 breasts,” probably a reference to the many sprouts and leaves and the milky juice produced by the plant that is transformed into pulque, the liquor. One version of this legend has it that she fed her 400 children the pulque, although I doubt any woman would want to have 400 drunken children running around!