Tequila

Tequila is a distilled spirit made from the blue agave plant, produced primarily in and around the city of Tequila in the Mexican state of Jalisco, an area whose volcanic soil is considered especially suited to growing the plant. Mexican law protects tequila as a designation of origin, restricting production to Jalisco and limited areas of a few neighboring states. Tequila is classified by aging into styles including blanco, or silver, which is unaged or barely rested, reposado, aged a few months in wood, and anejo, aged a year or more, each producing a progressively smoother, more oak-influenced spirit. It is central to Mexican drinking culture and to cocktails such as the margarita.