Lick Bite.

Fields of aqua marine quills jut from the earth like swords, fire red teeth protruding from each spine. Agave spikes are sharp enough

to slice through flesh. The juice it exudes is equally effective in reducing the pain and healing the wound, Likewise, the distilled spirit of the azure agave is as capable of inflicting pain as it is of inflicting pleasure.

Tequila: one of those spirits too potent to drink unaccompanied and too evocative not to drink at all. It has been blended with everything from tart lime juice to sugary strawberry concentrate, and even clam juice and horseradish just to get it down our gullets. But, truth be told, the firewater we blend for impromptu concoctions, can hardly be considered tequila. It is more than likely a watered-down version of the original--containing as much as 40% sugar water. The best tequila remains in Mexico.

In the 1930s Mexican culture became chic in Hollywood. Tequila was used in films to symbolize the vigor and volatile nature associated with Mexico. Tequila sales gradually increased in the United States until the "great tequila phenomena": margaritas. Rumored, by many, to have been the recipe of an American socialite vacationing in Acapulco in 1948, the cocktail quickly became the beverage of choice for the "in crowd." Over the next few decades, margaritas were regarded as a hip must-have for any successful party. In the 1970s and 1980s the popularity of tequila as a drink of carefree lifestyle soared, thanks to celebrities like Jimmy Buffet and Sammy Hagar. However, in the late 1980s alcohol consumption had become a connoisseur's sport. Today, tequila is being regarded in the way it was intended, a highly specialized agua vida and national pride of Mexico.

Despite its popularity, there are many misconceptions about the contents, quality, flavor, and consumption of tequila. Tequila is a distil late made from the swollen stem of the blue agave plant. Agave tequilana weber azul, a member of the lily family; it is one among hundreds of agave varieties. The prickly plants, commonly mistaken for cactus, mature at a leisurely pace, requiring six to eight years before they are ready for harvest. During maturation, the agave is pruned before it has a chance to flower, causing the central stem to swell into a keg-sized bulb. The maguey, as it is referred to, when in the ground, ranges from 150-400 pounds. The fierce agave spines make for treacherous farming conditions; the maguey must be collected by hand. Once harvested, the pinas, as they are now called due to their pineapple-like appearance, are unloaded at the distillery and split. Slow roasting the pinas in brick ovens can last as long as forty-eight hours. Equal care is also taken during the cooling process, allowing some thirty-six hours. This lengthy, slow cooking-cooling process ensures the full development of natural sugars. Traditionally, a heavy stone wheel called a tahona was used to press the cooled, roasted pinas. Some distilleries still honor this tradition while others use mechanical juicers. The extracted juice is filtered and transferred to tanks where it ferments with water and natural or commercial yeast for about seven days. Some companies, like the Tapatio Distillery allow the juice to remain in contact with the bagsse or plant fibers through the fermentation process and during the first distillation in order to extract maximum flavor. This process is extremely time consuming and expensive as it requires hours of intense manual labor. Once fermented, the juice or mosto is transferred to a tank where it is heated to 200 degrees, causing the alcohol to separate from any sediment, in the form of steam. The steam is siphoned through a narrow serpentine pipe into a holding tank. As the steam cools, it condenses and becomes liquid known as ordinario. During the second fermentation, the steam to-condensation cycle is repeated and a clear distillate is achieved.

By law "tequila," must be made from blue agave juice. Spirits derived from other varieties of the agave plant are called mezcal--the one with the worm, tequila never has a worm (Emmons 17). Though tequila and mezcal are both distilled twice, mezcal is fermented underground where it takes on a smoky quality; tequila is fermented in vats above ground and maintains its crisp agave flavor. Of the two, tequila is the more revered. In 1873, distiller Don Cenobio Sauza, proclaimed that agave tequilana Weber, variedad azul or blue agave, produced a superior product. Others soon followed and tequila emerged as a beverage of distinction. So sure were distillers of this, that they pursued legal protection of the term "tequila." Tequilas are classified as one of two spirits made from 100% blue agave or mixto. The best tequila is made of 100% blue agave juice, and it is stated proudly on the bottle. Mixto tequila is a combination of agave juice and cane sugar or corn syrup. The ratio may be as low as 60% agave juice to 40% sugar. Though mixtos are permitted to bear the term "tequila" the "100% agave juice" claim is not permissible. Mixto tequilas, though inferior, became popular during the 1930s, when demand was great but the harvest was not. Mixto tequilas make up a majority of the products sold in the U.S. market. In addition to strict regulations on ingredients, the distillation process is also carefully controlled. Tequila may be produced in one of five Mexican provinces: Jalisco, Guanajuato, Michoacan, Nayarit, and Tamaulipas. Jalisco, along the southwest coast of Mexico, is perhaps best known for its resort destinations of Guadalajara and Puerto Vallarta. The region is also home to the small village of Tequila, birthplace of Mexico's great elixir. Though the secrets of distilling tequila have been strictly guarded in the past, tequila experts are slowly opening the door to outsiders.

An American in Pinas

Park Kerr, part owner of the El Paso Chile Company, a ninth generation Texan, and "white trash" by his own admission, is as vivacious as the spirit he so loves. "It was love at first sip," Kerr declares. Equipped with tongue biting one-liners, he is contagiously energetic. "Margarita isn't a cocktail!" Kerr insists. "It's a lifestyle!" Silver Tequila National is Kerr's brainchild and personal best. With the help of Miguel Fernandez, son of a Mexican bottle manufacturer, Kerr finessed a deal to manufacturer tequila in Mexico with Destileria San Isidreo. Not an easy feat. He refers to his tequila odyssey as his trail of tears, "It was difficult to get into the distilleries. The doors and attitudes are very closed to outsiders. I basically lied and manipulated my way in," Kerr admits. "I learned from dirt to bottle; mouth shut, ears open." Kerr found that when he probed distillers about their tequila making techniques, they would stumble and mumble over their words. But when he probed about their father or grandfather's techniques, the distillers seemed to beam with pride, going on and on about the family tradition. "Tequila is about culinary restoration," Kerr clarifies. His mission was not only to make tequila, but to produce an 'agave eau de vie.' In so doing he insists on very specific procedures at the distillery. He uses only blue agave plants from the Los Altos region; a small micro climate that he believes produces the sweet, smooth yet mild flavor. "I wanted to keep the bright, crisp citrus flavors and green aromas of the blue agave," Kerr explains. He also insists on specific methods of production: lessons he learned during his two years as an apprentice in Mexico. "We pick the pinas during the cool hours of the day, roast them for forty-eight hours in brick ovens, and use a yeast strain cultivated specifically for our tequila," Kerr continues. Though he had one foot in the door and a right-hand man trusted in distillery circles, Kerr confesses it was difficult from a business point of view. "Culturally it's a challenge." Kerr is quick to add that not many distillers wanted to open their doors to an American, let alone one with grand ideas about how to do things. "I went to a lot of distillers who weren't interested in my proposal, before I found one small distiller who needed the money badly enough and agreed to distill my tequila on my terms." The American market is a powerful tool. Perhaps it will take American distillers to reintroduce tequila and give connoisseurs a new approach: sniff-sip-swallow.

Tequila Temperaments

When choosing a 100% agave or mixto tequila, keep in mind that each tequila may be prepared in one of four styles before reaching the tasting table:

Blanco or plata is considered white or silver in color. The tequila is allowed to rest for up to 60 days before bottling.

Jove, also called gold or young tequila, rests for less than 60 days before bottling but is blended with burnt sugar or caramel to take on the color and flavor characteristics of aging. Occasionally the tequila spends several days in oak barrels in which case it is called abocado (mild).

Reposado has a natural gold color and is allowed to rest for at least two to twelve months in wooden barrels.

Anjo or aged tequila is stored in relatively small, (160 gallon) wooden barrels for at least one year.

Citrus and Salt

Citrus and salt are not the sole companions of agave beverages. In Oaxaca, mezcal is sold with a powder of ground worms, salt, and chilies. Regionally, a sangrita chaser of bitter orange juice, salt, chilies, and pomegranate syrup or tomato juice is served with tequila. Universally, a cold beer is the most common accompaniment, served from time to time as a 'submarine' cocktail, in which a shot glass of tequila is inverted into a pint of beer.

Straight-Up

After several disputes--in court--a margarita is legally defined as a beverage, which contains tequila, and any variation of lime or lemon juice, orange juice or orange flavored liqueur such as Cointreau, Triple Sec, or Curacao, and ice. Whether enjoyed chilled or straight from the bottle, a premium tequila is meant to be savored. Margaritas at the Frontera Grill and Topolobampo in Chicago are served in their authentic style, on the rocks or straight up.

Bob Emmons book, The Book of Tequila; A Complete Guide (Open Court 1997) provides an incredibly detailed journey among the valleys, villages, and voices of tequila.

"TOPOLO MARGARITA"

Compliments of Rick Bayless

1 teaspoon lime test

1/2 cup fresh lime juice

1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon granulated sugar

5 ounces water

3/4 cup Saufa Conmemorativo tequila

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons water

2 tablespoons plus two teaspoons Gran Torres[R] orange liqueur

Lime wedges

In a plastic pitcher, whisk together the lime test, lime juice, sugar, and water and set a side in the refrigerator for two hours.

To serve, in a cocktail shaker, combine the chilled lime juice, tequila, orange liqueur, and ice and shake well to combine. Strain the margarita mix into four prepared martini glasses and glasses and garnish with a lime.