July 24: National Tequila Day

Today is National Tequila Day.  Tequila is not the actual drink, but rather a denomination of origin.  So when you say, "What tequila do you have?" you're actually asking "What agave-distilled spirit from the Mexican region of Jalisco or from certain nearby regions?"  Tequila is a mezcal or agave-distilled spirit. 

My experience with tequila is limited to tequila shots, a cake recipe that uses tequila, and a fish recipe that uses tequila.  And there is a lot to know about tequila, so I'm just going to point you to two really good sites about tequila, both of which do a great job at explaining the different types and the tequila-making process.  If you're interested in learning more about tequila, check out Tequila Source and Tequila.net.

So while I'm confused why the US has a National Tequila Day when tequila is from Mexico, I'm just going to shake my head and accept it as another national food observance that makes no sense.  But I did find it interesting to learn that there is a drink called Temequila, which is an agave-distilled spirit made in Temecula, CA.