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Everything you need to know about savoring tequila
Made from blue agave, a plant found in Mexico, tequila is typically served with a squeeze of lime and salt. Find out how to enjoy the popular drink.
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Tequila is often enjoyed with salt and lime. (Shutterstock/File)
T
equila is one of the world's most popular alcoholic beverages. Made from blue agave, a plant found in Mexico, it is typically served with a squeeze of lime and salt.
To learn how to best enjoy tequila, take a look at the list below.
Serve it cold
Depending on your taste and brand preference, tequila is served at either room temperature or low temperature in a chilled glass. In March 28, during the launch of its latest campaign, “Why Wait”, in Jakarta, one of the oldest tequila brands from Mexico, Jose Cuervo, allowed people to sample a chilled shot of its 100 percent blue agave Tradicional with orange, cinnamon and sugar in a cold room, resulting in a sweet, crisp taste and a sharp flavor at the end.
“It’s about enjoyment, so you can taste more of the complexity of the tequila and get more of the crisp taste of the agave,” said Henry Guyer, a tequila aficionado, who was present during the event.
Nevertheless, sometimes it is better to enjoy a cold shot of tequila after working outside on a hot summer day.
Tequila and margarita
One of the ways to enjoy tequila is by mixing it with other drinks, forming a margarita. However, sometimes people get caught up in the idea that margaritas should be complicated, both in how it is made and in its flavor. For Guyer, all it takes to make a good margarita is a measurement cup.
Read also: Margarita festival in Jakarta and Bali
“It should be ice cold. Now the trend is to have it blended. But, really, ice cold is enough,” said Guyer. “For a really good margarita, I say skip the triple sec and just have pure, freshly squeezed lime juice with simple syrup. And if you want to go fancy then you put a bit of Cointreau in it to get a little bit of orange flavor.”
Enjoy it like the Mexicans
Mexicans have their own way of savoring tequila. According to foxnews.com, aside from having the 100 percent agave tequila, Mexicans do not necessarily need lime or salt like most people do, especially if the tequila itself is already good enough, although a salt-dipped lime wedge can be used in between sips.
Sangrita can accompany your tequila. Highly different from Sangria, Sangrita, which translates to "little blood", is a sweet, spicy drink that is made from a combination of tomato juice, salt, chili powder and other ingredients, according to The Washington Post.
“In Mexico, a lot of people have Sangrita that is enjoyed on the side of their tequila,” said Guyer. “So you take sip of tequila and then take a sip of the Sangrita.” (wng)
