Tequila Sunrise Trivia Quiz

Answer: Agave

The cactus-like agave plant has been used for centuries to make fermented beverages by the indigenous populations of South America. Many people mistakenly think that tequila is made from a cactus, but the agave is not a cactus but rather a succulent that is grows from South America north to the southwestern areas of the U.S.

It usually takes about eight years before an agave plant is mature enough to be harvested for the production of tequila.

Answer: The City of Tequila, Mexico

Tequila gets its name from the city of Tequila, Mexico. It was here that Spanish conquistadors ran out of brandy. With the help of locals, who had been fermenting agave juice for centuries, they discovered that agave could be fermented into an even stronger liquor than the one they were used to. Around 1600, the first tequila factory came into being and tequila entered the history books as one of North America's first indigenous distilled spirits.

The word 'tequila' is believed to be an ancient Nahuatl term meaning 'the place of harvesting plants'.

Answer: There should be nothing in the bottom of the bottle

A commonly believed myth is that real tequila has a worm in the bottom of the bottle. Actually, it is mescal, another alcoholic beverage made from the agave, that contains a moth larva. This was an advertising gimmick for mescal that started in the 1940's and has become an urban myth.

In reality, the discovery of a moth larva in tequila would indicate infestation and a product that is of lower quality. Tequila companies have spent millions trying to eliminate this misconception and represent tequila as a high-quality liquor. Mescal and tequila are both made from agave, but tequila uses only blue agave and mescal uses many different varieties of agave. Different ingredients and different processing makes for a different liquor.

Answer: Blight killed many agave plants

In the 1990s, a fungus known as fusarium destroyed over 1/3 of the agave crops. It takes at least eight years for the plants to mature, and a couple more years for the fermentation, distillation, and aging process. By the first decade of the 21st century, the prices of tequila skyrocketed as mature agave became harder to get.

The agave fields did recover from this fungus, but as with all agricultural endeavors, this is bound to happen again.

Answer: Jose Cuervo

According to Tequila Cuervo La Rojena, one of the largest producers of tequila in the world, Jose Cuervo was the first producer of tequila. He began his business in 1795 when he started selling to Europe and the U.S. King Carlos IV of Spain granted the first commercial license to the Cuervo family, granting them permission to legally make tequila.

This company has grown to be the largest tequila producer in the world at the turn of the 21st century.

Answer: Oak

Not all tequila is aged, but when it is, oak barrels are used. Depending on the flavor desired, the kegs may be new or they may have previously been used for the production of other types of liquor. The choice of barrel, the length of the aging process, or even whether to age the tequila makes a difference in both taste and color. Tequila us usually never aged for more than three years and usually substantially less. Which tequila is best, as with most potent potables, is a matter of taste. Tequila is usually distilled to about 80 proof but there are brands that are as strong as 110 proof.

In recent years, flavored tequilas have come on the market to mixed reviews.

Answer: Synthetic diamonds

Believe it or not, a method has been discovered that will turn tequila into tiny synthetic diamonds. These are not big enough to use in jewelry, but have numerous applications in the industrial world. They can be used for edging bladed instruments and making computer chips.

The process involves heating tequila to over 1,400 degrees F (800 degrees C) which causes the tequila to vaporize into carbon, hydrogen, and a smattering of other 'byproducts'. The carbon molecules are settled on steel trays forming a pure, very thin layer of diamond.

Answer: True

Per Mexican law tequila can only be produced in the Mexican state of Jalisco and in small areas of the states of Nayarit, Tamaulipas, Guanajuato, Michoacan. The United States agreed in 2003 to abide by this and ceased production of tequila within their boundaries. Most of Europe has agreed to the stipulation that any bottle labeled 'tequila' must be produced in the country of Mexico.

While this is not an international law, by far, the vast majority of liquors that carry the term 'tequila' on the bottle are made in Mexico. Ongoing litigation is expected for many years to come.

Answer: The bottle was made of platinum

In 2006, a tequila connoisseur paid this price for a bottle of Pasion Azteca, Platinum Tequila in a platinum bottle. It was certified by the Guinness World Records as being the most expensive bottle of tequila ever sold. The tequila industry has spent millions of dollars in an attempt to raise the reputation of tequila to that which is held by other types of liquor that may be more familiar to their American and European market.

Answer: True

Mesoamerican cultures were fermenting beverages from agave plants long before the European conquest of North and South America. The Aztecs used the maguey agave to make pulque, a thick, milky alcoholic beverage. Different cultures used different types of agave, grown in different geographic locations, using different recipes to make a variety of alcoholic beverages.

There are over 200 species of agave, but it is only the blue agave that is used to make tequila. And is was the combined efforts of the Spanish and the Native American cultures that brought about the liquor known today as tequila.