One tequila, two tequila, three tequila, floor! It’s National Tequila Day so we’re celebrating with a shot of 10 top facts

Tequila, it makes us happy! It’s National Tequila Day so we’ve had a shot at putting together the best tequila facts we could find.

Cheers!

1. For tequila to be considered authentic, it must be made in Mexico.

2. Tequila can only be produced in 5 regions of Mexico – Michoacán, Nayarit, Tamaulipas, Jalisco and Guanajuato.

3. To be classified as tequila, it must be derived from at least 51% of blue agave.

4. Only the agave heart is used to make tequila. The hearts of the plant (also known as the piñas), are cut out, cooked, ground down, and fermented to make tequila.

5. The blue agave plants can grow to 7 feet high and take 6-12 years to reach maturity for harvesting.

6. The predecessor to tequila, pulque, was drunk as early as 150 B.C, by the inhabitants of ancient Teotihuacan.

7. During the 1918 influenza pandemic,  tequila, salt and lime were prescribed by Mexican doctors to treat flu symptoms.

8. A study has shown that tequila could actually lower bad cholesterol and raise good cholesterol.

9. Having a shot of tequila after a meal may actually help to stimulate digestion. 

10. More than 80% of tequila exports go to the USA, which makes it the largest consumer market.

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