Every year, on July 24, National Tequila Day is celebrated and it means twenty-four consecutive hours of honoring good times had with your favorite liquor over salt and lime. Don’t swig that beautiful blue agave elixir behind the wheel, try to enjoy those good times responsibly.
History
Tequila’s predecessor, a frothy, milky, agave drink known as pulque, originated during Mesoamerican times circa 1000 B.C. when indigenous Mexican tribes would typically harvest and ferment it. The contemporary tequila that we know and love was first produced in the 16th Century A.D. It was produced in the territory of land that officially became known as Tequila only in 1666.
66 years, Spanish aristocrat Don Pedro Sánchez de Tagle opened the world’s first tequila factory in Jalisco, the Mexican state where the modern city of Tequila is located. Over a century later in 1795, Don Jose Antonio de Cuervo founded the first Vino Mezcal de Tequila de Jose Cuervo in Tequila, therefore creating the world’s most successful tequila brand to this day.
The history of National Tequila Day’s origins is a little cloudy. Not much can be found on who and what initiated the holiday, and why it takes place on the dates it does. However we know that National Tequila Day takes place on July 24 in the U.S. In 2018, the Mexican Senate ruled that their own holiday would occur every March’s third Saturday.
Timeline of National Tequila Day
1000 BC (Drink of the Gods) – Indigenous peoples drank alcohol made of blue agave that they called pulque.
1500s (All Tequilas are Mezcal…) – The Spanish invaded Mexico and begin cooking the agave in distilling pots, calling it “mezcal wine.”
1795 (Father of Tequila) – The first Vino Mezcal de Tequila de Jose Cuervo was made in Tequila, Jalisco, Mexico by Don Jose Antonio de Cuervo, That’s how the modern tequila industry started.
2006 (Tequila Trade Agreement) – The United States moved to block a proposal that Tequila should be bottled “at the source” in Mexico, stating that it put thousands of jobs at risk — so the Tequila Trade Agreement was created, stating that the United States might continue to import tequila in bulk to bottle it in their own facilities.
The Tradition of National Tequila Day
You choose the moment with tequila. Whether you just want to relax at home after a long day at work or you are a social drinker who wants to share it with friends, National Tequila Day is all about enjoying tequila.
Several categories of Tequila exist — Blanco, Reposado, Joven, and Añejo, which are tasted and experimented with by newbies and connoisseurs alike. In opposition to popular belief, wine is not the only drink that can go in with food, tequila can as well. To complement it with a meal, you just have to find the right one
On this day, special deals and promotions on tequila are available at various pubs and bars, so be certain to take advantage of them.
FAQs about National Tequila Day
Is National Tequila Day an expensive holiday?
That doesn’t mean that there aren’t more affordable quality bottles on the market, despite the fact that there are plenty of pricey spirits running anywhere from a few hundred [or few thousand] a bottle. Look up the best tequilas under $20 and see for yourself if you are firmly intent on boozing on a budget.
Read about various National Days here
Is National Tequila Day an actual holiday?
In a federally-recognized sense, it is not currently a holiday in the United States. It doesn’t mean that you can’t personally recognize it, though you probably won’t get off of work from it.
Is Tequila diet friendly?
Yes, Pure spirits can be diet-friendly as they can be carb-free, gluten-free, keto, and kosher.
Activities on National Tequila Day
Drink up
Bring some company with you and consider hitting up a new area bar or liquor store you haven’t checked out before. There is no better way to celebrate National Tequila Day than to enjoy the very drink that gave the holiday its name.
Drink inventively
Even if you are a casual drinker, you are probably already familiar with the outstanding Tequila Sunrise, the classic combo of juice and/or soda, and the ubiquitous margarita. But do you know how to mix up a tequila shandy beer cocktail, a color-changing margarita, or a Serrano-Spiced Paloma? Taste something different this year and choose a more creative cocktail, whether it is one of the countless recipes you could discover through a quick Google scroll or it’s one of the above-mentioned cocktails.
Drink responsibly
We are all for holiday hedonism and enjoying some good times in the company of loved ones and friends, but please do so responsibly. We can’t emphasize this enough. If you have had a few rounds too many don’t be afraid to hail a specified driver, Lyft, Uber, or cab to assist you to get home safely.
5 Interesting Facts about Tequila
1) It takes time
In order to ferment it into tequila, the agave plant needs 8-12 years of growth before farmers can harvest it.
2) Tequila: not always an agave
Most tequilas are derived from agave plants, while Sotol tequilas are actually derived from an alike Mexican plant with a nuttier and milder taste known as “Desert Spoon”.
3) Popular Mexican export, popular American import
There is no doubt that the U.S. is the biggest recipient of Mexican tequila exports, e.g. in 2019, the U.S. imported 204 million liters. That is over forty times more imports than even a country such as Germany.
4) Tequila farmers must study the blade
A Coa de jima is a special machete tool that farmers use to harvest an Agave. Farmers tasked with harvesting agave are known as Jimadors.
5) It’s the stuff of urban legends
The “additive effects” of “tequila worm” that is actually found at the bottom of Mezcal bottles, a similar spirit, is largely presumed to be a marketing ploy myth.
What is today’s date in numbers?
Why Do We Love National Tequila Day?
It is a day of love for a labor of love
As mentioned before, the blue agave plant takes almost a decade or more to grow before it can be harvested by hand to make tequila. It can only be grown in 5 regions of Mexico. As you enjoy the rich tastes of tequila, also appreciate the rich history and agricultural work that went into making that tequila.
It is so common, yet so special
There is no shortage of tequila recipes and cocktails that you can throw together. It can be so easily distilled and blended into a wide assortment of craft mixes, but tequila’s earthy taste is distinctive to tequila spirits. It is no wonder why there’s an entire day dedicated to its wonderful flavor?
