Tequila Myths Debunked

The things everyone tells you about Tequila which are untrue. This is Tequila Myths debunked.

#1 Tequila can be made anywhere in Mexico

Although it's true that to be named Tequila it has to be made in Mexico, it goes a little deeper than that.

To be called Tequila, not only does it have to be made with only 1 species of agave - the Blue-weber agave, it also has to be made in 1 of 5 states;  Guanajuato, Jalisco, Michoacan, Nayarit, or Tamaulipas. Most of which is made in Jalisco.

#2 Authentic Tequila has a worm in the bottle

pictured: Tequila worm. Image source: what is a tequila worm?

Untrue, not only is this not about authenticity, its not about Tequila at all.

No Tequila has a worm in the bottle, whilst we’re on the subject, its not even a worm, its a larvae. 

The confusion is with Mezcal, some mezcal has the the larvae in, not Tequila, you can read all about it on this article What is a tequila worm.

#3 Tequila should not be shot with salt and lime

pictured: Tequila shot with lime and salt. image source.

Lets put this one to bed once and for all. This “Tequila slammer” culture has gotten out of control. The reason for the lime and salt is suppose to soften the flavour.

Salt is meant to lessen the burn of tequila, so by licking salt first you in essence ‘prepare the palette’ then you have the shot, then you bite into a lime to basically wash away that flavour. A lot of people believe this is firstly some scientific phenomenon and secondly, the traditional way of shooting tequila.

However, this couldn’t be anymore further than traditional. The whole salt and lime tequila shooting ‘tradition’ is an American thing most likely invented in some frat house somewhere. In Mexico, the birthplace of tequila, tequila is drunk out of small glasses or clay cups and sipped slowly. Not gulped down, not shot but sipped. 

Sometimes along side a sangita which is a non-alcoholic accompaniment that highlights tequila's crisp acidity and cleanses the palate made with tomato and orange juice.

pictured: Sangrita served with Tequila. image source.

Furthermore, how many times have you tried this salt and lime trick and still end up pulling a nasty face? It doesn’t soften the flavour of tequila, instead buries the flavour with intense salt and lime.

If I wanted a shot to taste like salt and lime, I'd shoot salt and lime. Why even drink tequila if your aim is to get rid of the flavour? You should just drink a more neutral spirit instead, like vodka.

As for the softening, if you really want to enjoy tequila but would like to soften the flavour, chase it with a shot of pineapple juice or something that actually tastes nice.

If you can’t tell, this is the one tequila myth that grinds my gears more than any other. At the end of the day, I don’t care how people drink. You can drink whatever you like however you like. That’s not what bothers me, what bothers me is when someone asks for a shot of tequila and I hear “where’s the salt and lime? Do you not know how to serve tequila? Tequila should always come with salt and lime?”

Good tequila won't need any covering up, good tequila will taste nice and be easily drinkable straight. If you have a tequila that tastes so horrible that you need to cover your tongue in salt and bite into a lime every time you drink it then that is a tequila you should be staying away from. Most probably a mixto tequila. Check out my full guide to tequila to learn more about good tequila, bad tequila, how it's made and the brands I recommend.

#4 Agave is not a cactus

pictured: espadin agave. image source: full agave guide.

Agave may look very cactus like, with its big green spiky leaves. However, the resemblance is where it ends.

Agave is actually part of the Asparagaceae family, which means its closer related to the humble asparagus than a cactus.

Check out my guide on agave here for more on this.

#5 Margaritas are not named after a woman

pictured: margarita on the rocks. image source: margarita cocktail recipe and history.

There are quite a few stories of the origins of the margarita cocktail being named after a lady. 

But this is untrue, ‘Margarita’ translates to daisy, which was a 19 century style of sour cocktail made with brandy - The Brandy Daisy. Somewhere along the line a variation was made with Tequila, becoming the Tequila Daisy which was then simply named Margarita. This is something covered in my Margarita recipe and history article here.

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Hi, I’m Cameron, guv’nor of Smartblend and author of this article. If you liked this then you’re in luck, I have a bunch of agave spirit content here. just check out the above or click here for more. Oh, and don’t forget to sign up below to receive the Smartblend monthly newsletter!