Not Every Brand of Tequila Has its Own Distillery

There are over 900 tequila brands currently out on the market, yet there are only 100+ tequila distilleries. This means that many brands of tequila actually end up coming from the same distillery.

Did you know that every one hundred percent agave tequila must have a NOM number on the bottle? What is a NOM and how do you know the product in the bottle is indeed tequila? How do you know where the tequila inside the bottle comes from? Read More...

Tequila Regulatory Council

According to Mexican laws and regulations, tequila is a distilled spirit that may only be produced in Mexico.

The Tequila Regulatory Council (AKA: Consejo Regulador del Tequila) was created in 1993. It is a nonprofit organization that consists of the Mexican government, bottling plants, distributors, tequila producers and blue agave growers. The purpose of the CRT is to ensure the integrity and authenticity of tequila to customers.

The CRT works closely with the Mexican government to make sure that when a customer purchases tequila, that they are indeed receiving the real thing.

Read More...

Why Some Bottles of Tequila Have Worms Inside

I remember when my parents took a trip to Mexico together, while I was in high school. One of the souvenirs they brought back for me was a small bottle of tequila with a worm inside of it. I was intrigued. There was a worm inside a small bottle of tequila, but why? My mom believed that if you ate the worm, it would make you hallucinate. Sadly, I never did get a chance to see if the worm caused hallucinations. I was only in high school when I received the gift. By the time I was of a legal age to drink, my small souvenir bottle of tequila with a worm in it had long been lost. So what is the deal with tequila that has a worm inside the bottle? Read More...

Patrón Part 4: Product Portfolio

When customers think of Patrón, they seem to be the most familiar with Patrón Silver and don’t realize that other types of tequila exist within the product line. Silver tequila isn’t aged. It is generally bottled right after the distillation process. This type of tequila is clear and for the most part, doesn’t have pronounced taste. This is why using blanco tequila is idea for mixed drinks such as Margaritas and Tequila Sunrises. It’s also why Patron Silver is so popular in the company’s product line.


In Patrón’s product portfolio, there are seven different tequila products, including Patrón Silver. Each of these products has their own unique color, aroma, taste and finish. Read More...

*This article includes a slideshow with pictures provided courtesy of The Patrón Spirits Company

Patrón Part 3: Bottles and Logo

The Bottle

Every Patrón bottle is unique and handmade. There are no two bottles alike. The bottles themselves are created from recycled glass. It is reported that about twenty percent of the bottles that are made are pulled off the production line due to imperfections. Patrón’s famous “Simply Perfect” tagline doesn’t just represent the quality of their tequila product and the ingredients they use to create the product, but also the container in which their product is shipped and sold in....

The Logo

Recently, I had the privileged of seeing and listening to, in person, Patrón's master distiller, Francisco Alcaraz discuss the Patrón product portfolio, the company's history and the process for how Patrón is made. This four-part series reflects the abundance of information I learned at that event.

One of the questions that were asked of Alcaraz was about the significance of Patrón’s bumblebee logo and how it came to be...Read More

Patrón Part 2: Making Patrón

How does the number one ultra premium tequila brand in the world make its popular product? In six steps:

Agave
Baking
Crushing
Fermentation
Distillation
Aging

Read More...

Patrón Part 1: History

I am starting a four part series on my Examiner.com page called "Sixty Hands Equal One Bottle of Patrón." The first part is all about Patrón's history.

I understand that there are many other premium tequila brands out there besides Patrón. So why am I writing a four-part series on the brand? The reason is because Patrón is the number one selling premium tequila brand in the world. When most of my customers call for a tequila, they call for Patrón. Part of my job as a bartender is to inform my customers about all the brands I stock behind my bar. I can do my best to point my customers into the direction of a premium tequila (besides Patrón) that tastes good and might be in a lower price range, but in the end, I just have to give the customer exactly what they want.

Recently, I had the privileged of seeing and listening to, in person, Patrón's master distiller, Francisco Alcaraz discuss the Patrón product portfolio, the company's history and the process for how Patrón is made. This series will reflect the abundance of information I learned at that event.

Did you know that in order to make one bottle of Patrón, it takes 60 hands to do so?

Sixty hands equal one bottle of Patron Pt. I: History

Tequila How Tos and Fun Facts

In the spirit of celebrating Tequila Month all August, on Examiner.com, I present to you my most recent "Best Of" article featuring Tequila How Tos and Fun Facts:

When most people think of tequila, they remember that fun and crazy night, followed by praying to the Porcelain God the next morning. From that point on, these people vowed to never give tequila a second chance. For the entire month of August, Examiner.com is celebrating the spirit from Mexico by featuring many different articles about tequila. These articles include topics such as favorite drink recipes (like the uber popular margarita and all of it’s glorious variations), favorite food and marinate recipes (perfect for that BBQ to celebrate the remaining days of summer), where to find amazing tequila drinks and information on various tequila brands.

I have contributed a few tequila articles of my own this month, but wanted to pay homage to some of my favorite tequila articles that have been written by other Examiners on Examiner.com. Some of us have a favorite tequila recipe or a favorite place to get tequila drinks in our hometown, but what if you aren’t very familiar with tequila itself? What if you are one of those people who have suffered a bad experience with tequila and have decided to never try the spirit again? This collection of “best of” articles featuring tequila how tos and fun facts is just for you. Who knows, maybe after reading these informational articles, you might be tempted to give tequila another chance. READ MORE...

Tequila Ocho

Being a bar manager, I am now privy to trying all kinds of new and exciting products out on the market. Vendors and liquor reps always make the time to stop by bars and restaurants in hopes of getting the decision makers who decide on what gets stocked on the shelves, to try their new products.

A couple of weeks ago, I had the fortunate opportunity of trying a new tequila on the market called Tequila Ocho. Besides the fact that I had found the product itself extremely delicious and worthy of stocking on my shelves at Coda here in San Francisco, I also felt that this was a special type of tequila. Currently, there is nothing else out there on the market quite like Tequila Ocho. Read More...

The Tequila Loving Customer

I had a customer come into the bar tonight who announced as soon as he sat down that he had had a rough day. Oh oh. This is a big red flag for all the bartenders out there. Anytime a customer announces that they have had a bad day, it means you have to step up your game or things can get ugly quick. I started things off on the right foot by introducing myself and offering him a drink right away. He told me that he was a tequila lover and asked me what kind of tequila I had. Unfortunately the bar I was working at tonight only had three kinds/brands of tequila. Not an ample selection for a self-proclaimed tequila lover such as this gentleman.

After I broke the news to him, he needed a moment to rethink about what kind of drink he wanted since it wasn't going to be tequila. Just as I walked away to help another customer, I overheard the tequila lover ask the other bartender (who is also my manager) what different types of tequila there were. She started to stumble as she thought about the answer. Before she could even mutter any sort of answer, I turned around and said "Blanco, Reposado and Anjeo". Then I flashed her a big smile. I had her back and she knew it. This seemed to be just what Mr. Tequila Lover wanted to hear because he then looked at me with a big smile on his face and asked me what the differences between the three types of tequila were.

Duh. Blanco is considered "unaged" and is generally aged for less than 2 months which is why it is clear. A Reposado is aged anywhere from 6 months to a year, giving it a golden color. And the Anjeo is the cognac of all tequilas. It's the "sipping" tequila because it's been aged for over a year, sometimes more which gives it the flavor and dark color.

The tequila lover told me that he was impressed and later reflected it in his generous tip. My bar manager looked at me and Mr. Tequila Lover, smiled and said, "That's why I hired her".

Knowledge is always power kids.