Tequila, a strong distilled alcoholic beverage, is made in an area near Tequila, a town in the western Mexican state of Jalisco, It is made from the agave plant, a succulent native to Mexico.

Tequila is only one type of mezcal. Mezcal is the name of any distilled alcohol made using the agave plant. What differentiates tequila from other mezcals is the region where it is made, and the fact that tequila is made from Agave tequilana Weber. Tequila is required to be at least 51% agave; the remainder is usually maize or sugarcane. Premium tequilas, however, consist of 100% blue agave. If it is not made from 100% agave, tequila is called mixto. Tequila made only from agave is only made in Mexico, and is marked Hecho en México, which means ‘made in Mexico'. Tequila was originally produced in the 16th century near the location of the city of Tequila which was officially established around the year 1656. A drink named octli was produced by the Aztec people, which was adopted by the Spanish conquistadors when they ran out of their own brandy. About eighty years later, around 1600, Don Pedro Sánchez de Tagle, the Marquis of Altamira, began mass-production of tequila.

The tequila which is available today was first mass-produced in the early 1800's in Guadalajara, Mexico. 1800 Tequila (tm) is marketed today in commemoration of the year in which the first successfully aged Tequila was produced.

Drinks Which Use Tequila As An Ingredients

Margarita: The most common of tequila-based cocktails, the margarita may have been created at bars of Tijuana or Ciudad Juárez. While margaritas are more commonly served "on the rocks," frozen or blended variations are also popular. Most margaritas are lime flavored, but strawberry or other flavors are not uncommon. The word margarita is Spanish for "daisy."

• Tequila Martini
• Tequila Sunrise
• And many other incarnations!