Tequila 101
By Josef Kandoll W

Tequila in just a few words: distilled beverage prepared from the sap of the blue agave. Produced in Jalisco and environs, tequila is one of Puerto Vallarta's local products that made it big. While a number of "tequila tours" are offered, not all of them take you to an actual distillery. (Tours will also take you to Tequila, the town near Guadalajara from where tequila gets its name.)

You'll learn about the legend of Mayáhuel, about how lightning from the skies struck a field of agave and how the resulting honey liquid was considered a gift. From where? From the gods.

But when it comes down to it, you want to learn how to taste tequila. Do you sip it? Do you quaff it? Or do you just hold your breath and toss it back?

Here's what experts say. First, tequila, like all fine alcoholic beverages, should be sipped slowly to enjoy the flavor, fuller at room temperature. While a caballito, or tall shot glass, was traditionally used, Reidel Glass Company of Austria introduced a 4 oz. tequila glass with a slender stem, encouraging taking proper time to appreciate your good tequila. Aged, or añejo, should be sipped from a snifter—but frequently blanco or reposado are still served in a shot glass with salt and lime. However, a shot of tequila should be poured at the table just like a good glass of wine.

If it all seems a little too confusing, remember that life is just a matter of taste.

Bring home Tequila Centinela Reposado, (not easily found outside Mexico), for a great souvenir you'll savor at home!