Fun Facts About Tequila

• Tequila has health benefits: According to studies, there is a component in tequila that helps break down dietary fat, which can lower the levels of bad cholesterol. Taking a shot at dinner can help aid your body’s digestion!

• Synthetic diamonds can be made from Tequila: Physicists from the National Autonomous University of Mexico figured out a way to make faux diamonds using tequila. The crystals can’t be made into jewelry because they are too small, but they can be used in other industrial ways, such as an alternative to silicon in computer chips.

• Tequila is plant-based: It’s made from the blue agave, or agave tequilana Weber. The core of the plant contains aguamiel or “honey water,” which is used for syrup and tequila production.

• Only the agave heart is used to make tequila: Tequila is produced by removing the heart of the agave plant, which can weigh anywhere from 80-200 pounds when harvested. This heart is stripped of its leaves and then cooked to remove the sap, which is fermented and distilled.

• A bottle of tequila can last unopened for years: Although, once you open a bottle, you have about 1-2 months before oxidization and evaporation lower the quality of the tequila and destroys the agave profile.

• Tequila must be produced in Mexico: Any type of “tequila” made outside these regions is simply called an agave spirit.

• Bing Crosby is the one to thank for your tequila: Back in the early 1950’s, Bing Crosby became so infatuated with the Herradura brand of tequila that he teamed up with fellow actor Phil Harris to import the brand into the U.S. Their efforts made Herradura the first ever 100% blue Agave Liquor available in the U.S.

• People will pay big money for good tequila: In the Guinness Book of World Records, the most expensive tequila ever sold went to a private collector for $225,000. The bottle was made out of white gold and platinum, and contained six year-aged tequila worth $2,500.

• Real tequila doesn’t have a worm in it: The worm at the bottom of tequila is thought to be more popular than the actual tequila, but the worm, or gusano, actually originated with tequila’s “lower-quality” cousin, Mezcal, largely as a marketing ploy. The gusano is the larvae of a type of moth that lives on the agave plant.