Hollywood, MD – We are 205 days into 2018 and perhaps today is the day you’ve finally had enough. You’ve had enough of the taxman, enough of the losing by your favorite team, enough family aggravation, relationship angst, school, work and heavy traffic. Lord knows we’ve had enough rain. The solution might be a solution called tequila. Yes, it’s a highly potent alcoholic beverage and like the song says it might make your clothes fall off. Like any alcoholic beverage, it should be consumed responsibly and only if you are of the legal drinking age. July 24 is National Tequila Day, which was first observed during the late 1990s.

As powerful as tequila is, its origin seems very benign. According to a history of the drink compiled by National Day Center, tequila is made from the blue agave plant. It is named after a small town near Guadalajara. The blue agave grows large and produces the nectar that, when distilled, yields tequila. Mexican law protects the manufacture of tequila. “The law limits the production to regions in the states of Guanajuato, Michoacán, Nayarit and Tamaulipas,” National Day Center states. “The same ingredients distilled anywhere else cannot be labeled tequila.”

The Aztecs were the first to create fermented beverages from the agave plant. They were savoring the taste well before the Spaniards arrived in the early 1500s. The king of Spain granted Jose’ Antonio Cuervo the first license for the manufacture of tequila.
Mixology experts concede that while many prefer their tequila in a cocktail—like a Margarita or tequila sunrise—the liquor can also be just as satisfying when sipped like whiskey.

According to the official Mexican standard for tequila, its alcohol content ranges from 35 to 55 percent. The Guinness Book of World Records reported the most expensive bottle of tequila was worth $225,000 in 2006. It had aged for six years and was bought by a private collector from Tequila Ley .925.

What about the worm in the bottle? You ask. According to the web site Vinepair, the story about a worm in the bottom of a bottle of tequila is a myth. First of all, it’s actually moth larvae, not a worm. Secondly, the larvae is in a bottle of mazcal, a tequila cousin.

Enjoy the sweet nectar of the agave, or, if you don’t drink, enjoy watching others consume tequila on National Tequila Day.

Contact Marty Madden at marty.madden@thebaynet.com