Cuervo may appear to be a 20th-century college staple, but it actually began with a royal land grant. King Ferdinand VI of Spain granted José Antonio de Cuervo y Valdés “a writ of land ownership” in 1758, allowing him to grow agave for tequila manufacture. By 1781, the Cuervo family was producing 800,000 liters per year, a pittance in comparison to the 35 million liters it sold in 2020.
The Brand Claims a Big ‘First.’.
King Carlos IV handed Jose Mara Guadalupe Cuervo y Montana the first (as in first-ever) permission in 1795, after first seeking to restrict foreign distilleries “in the rich, volcanic soils of what is now known as Jalisco, Mexico, to produce and market tequila” The family quickly established the “Taberna de Cuervo” and started legally distilling agave and commercially selling tequila.
The Brand Was Started By The Cuervos, But It’s Owned By The Beckmann’s.
Cuervo began as a tiny, family-owned business, like many other notable alcohol firms. Cuervo, on the other hand, is now primarily controlled by the billionaire Beckmann family of Mexico City. The Beckmanns are technically seventh generation direct-line descendants of the original Cuervos, notwithstanding the name change.
Cuervo Was The First To-Go Glass.
Although it may appear to be late, Jose Cuervo was the first tequila firm to put their tequila in glass bottles in the late 1800s, when all the other distillers were still using barrels. Demand was so strong that parceling out the excellent stuff was the only way to keep it flowing. Glass made tequila easier to carry and export, much to the joy of tequila fans north of the border. Cuervo earned first place in the second Exposición de Las Clases Productoras exhibition in Guadalajara the same year.
We’ve Been Drinking Cuervo Since The 19th Century. (Not Continuously.)
Cuervo arrived in the United States thanks to the expansion of the railroad. Tequila initially arrived in California in 1852, just in time to help gold rushers drown their sorrows after their dazzling pebbles turned out to be fool’s gold.
Some Cuervo Is Mixto.
“Mixto” refers to a tequila with just 51 percent agave (particularly Blue Weber) and the balance sugarcane juice as the source of alcohol. Jose Cuervo Especial Silver and Gold, the brand’s lower-end goods, are mixto, with labels indicating “Agave is used in this recipe.” This tequila is peppery and of poor quality, but for a few bucks extra, you can get into pure agave territory.
Plenty Of Cuervo Is Pure Agave.
Cuervo’s Tradicional Silver is made entirely of agave and costs roughly $20. The Reposado is a touch sweeter and has less pepper, and it normally costs around $30. The Reserva de La Familia Reposada, which costs roughly $80 and has an oaky depth and balanced flavor profile, is on the higher end.
Cuervo Knows How To Get Fancy.
When only the best would suffice, there’s the $140 Reserva de la Familia Aejo Max, which showcases the art of tequila production. At the brand’s renowned La Rojea distillery, only the most flavorful pulps from 10-year-old agave vines are slow-cooked. After aging in toasted American and French oak barrels, master distiller Alex Coronado combines the three-year-old super-premium tequila then signs and dates the wax-sealed, handmade bottles.
A Cocktail Waitress Wrote A Pretty Good Sing-Along Song About Cuervo.
Cindy Jordan, as she was originally known, “Miss Jose Cuervo” was written in 1977 while working as a waitress in southern California, but it was made popular in 1983 by country artist Shelly West. In terms of the words, “Jose Cuervo, you are one of my closest friends. I prefer to drink you with a pinch of salt and a squeeze of lime.” Many people can identify with this.
Speaking of Music, Cuervo Was Part Of The ‘Cocaine And Tequila Sunrise Tour.’
The Rolling Stones are said to have had their first Tequila Sunrises at The Trident in San Francisco, a pub made famous by the Eagles’ song. It’s uncertain whether it was made with Cuervo, but the drink of choice on board the Lapping Tongue (the tour plane’s nickname, for obvious reasons) was almost certainly Cuervo.
Cuervo Loves Beach Volleyball.
In 1978, Cuervo was the first company to sponsor a beach volleyball competition. Because it was illegal for liquor businesses to advertise on television at the time, imaginative marketers began sponsoring televised athletic events to get their brands’ logos visible around the world.
Cuervo’s Recycling Agave Stalks Into Surfboards.
Cuervo is a significant figure in the professional surfing community. Surfboards built of agave wood made an impact at the Cuervo Surf Classic in 2020, as a harbinger of what’s to come in terms of sustainability.
Billions Were Made With Cuervo’s IPO.
Chairman Juan Francisco Beckmann Vidal guided Cuervo and its parent company Becle through its initial public offering (IPO) in 2017, netting the Beckmann family $5.3 billion.
Cuervo Sells More Than Just Tequila.
Jose Cuervo, never one to miss out on a trend, created a sensation with its Playamar Hard Seltzers. These 4.5 percent ABV cocktails, made with Cuervo tequila, are very sessionable. In 2020, Cuervo had trouble keeping up with demand for Margarita mixes, as quarantined Margarita fans rushed up cases of Cuervo’s 1.75-liter ready-to-drink bottled Margs and four-packs of canned margaritas.
You Can Take A Luxury Train Ride To The Distillery.
The Beckmann family intends to transform Tequila into a tequila tourism destination, similar to Napa Valley for tequila enthusiasts, complete with luxurious hotels and high-end restaurants. The tequila is, of course, the primary attraction. The Jose Cuervo Express runs from Guadalajara to the Mundo Cuervo facilities for those who choose to travel in elegance. “A line of cocktails crafted specifically for this event, made with the greatest spirits, including Tequila Maestro Dobel, Centenario, 1800, and Reserva de la Familia,” according to the Elite Wagon’s open bar.
Is Cuervo Gold 100 agave?
This mass-market mixto tequila, often known as Cuervo Gold, is often the first tequila many people try and is the world’s best-selling tequila. This mixto tequila is a mix of blanco and reposado tequilas, and it isn’t entirely made of agave.
What tequila is 100 agave?
Casamigos is a Hollywood favorite because to its co-founder George Clooney, but it has a lot of substance to go along with its style. Casamigos is a 100% agave tequila manufactured in the Jalisco highlands. It’s one of the smoothest and most natural-tasting tequilas on our list. Clooney and Rande Gerber, the company’s co-founder, said they aimed to create, “The best-tasting, smoothest tequila that didn’t require the addition of salt or lime.”
Nothing beats a good cocktail, whether you’re at an A-list after-party or just relaxing at home “For a refreshing, celeb-approved drink, try “casamigos and soda.” Each batch is distilled in stainless steel barrels for at least two months, yielding a pleasant blend of sweet agave, mild citrus, and a hint of vanilla.
Is Jose Cuervo Gold real tequila?
Cuervo Gold is a golden-style joven tequila created by combining reposado (aged) and younger tequilas. Cuervo Gold’s own narrative involves playing a pivotal role in the creation of the Margarita, and it is still the ideal tequila for that popular beverage.
Is Cuervo good tequila?
If you’re even remotely interested in tequila, you’ve probably heard of Jose Cuervo. According to The Spirits Business, the 250-year-old brand is by far the best-selling tequila in the world. As befits its stature, the brand also offers a diverse range of products, so if you’re looking for a nice Jose Cuervo, you’ll have plenty of possibilities. Apart from the more expensive tequilas, VinePair recommends the silver Jose Cuervo Tradicional Plata as a good budget mixing tequila. So, why is this well-known brand ranked so low on this list? Jose Cuervo Especial deserves credit for that.
Is 100% agave the same as 100% blue agave?
Not all mezcal is tequila, and not all tequila is mezcal. Tequila can only be manufactured from agave tequilana (blue agave), but mezcal can be made from over 30 different agave species (AKA maguey). (Agave espading is used to make the majority of mezcals.)
Agave is not a cactus.
Agave is a succulent, not a cactus. Tequila and cacti have nothing to do with each other. Unless you’re sitting next to one, sipping a joven, of course. The agave plant is a succulent that grows in the desert.
Blue agave typically takes eight years to mature.
Agave is difficult to grow, to say the least. The correct desert conditions are required, and even then, most blue agave takes eight years to mature. And that’s only to get you to the harvesting stage. Add some more time to your tequila if you want it to age.
The blue agave plant only has one life to give.
The fact that blue agave is a one-time use plant doesn’t help efficiency. When the agave plants are ready to be harvested, their pias or hearts are ripped out. They’re called that because they end up looking like pineapples. These are the portions of the plant that will be cooked, crushed, and fermented to make tequila.
Tequila is legally required to be only 51% blue agave.
Tequila is created from blue agave, but it does not have to be made entirely from this plant. Many tequilas claim to be made entirely of blue agave, while the legal requirement is 51 percent. The balance of the bottle can be filled with a neutral spirit prepared from cane sugar juice, resulting in a “mixto” tequila. These are, unsurprisingly, believed to be of poorer grade.
Your tequila bottle should not have a worm in it.
There will be no worms in the tequila, FYI. The link between tequila and worms is (possibly) due to the fact that maguey plants are frequently chewed on by “gusano de maguey,” small larvae that, if not interrupted, would develop into a mariposa, a butterfly-like creature. It’s mezcal, not tequila, when they’re inserted into liquor bottles as larvae. So, if there’s a worm in your tequila, don’t drink it. Who knows what else is wrong in the bottle if the maker got that wrong.
Young tequila is really young.
We consume a lot of tequila that is still young. And by aging standards, that’s still rather young: blanco/joven is 0 to 2 months old, reposado is 2 months to 1 year old, and aejo is 1 to 3 years old. There is, however, such a thing called “extra aejo,” which takes tequila maturation to a new level (3 years or more).
You can buy tequila that has been aged for over a decade.
Although three years may seem like a long time to age tequila, one of the oldest “extra aejos” now for sale is 11 years old and costs upwards of $1000. It’s composed entirely of organic blue agave and aged in French oak barrels. A fantastic (really fantastic) present for the tequila connoisseur in your life?
The name tequila carries legal weight around the globe.
Tequila is protected as a Mexican designation of origin in dozens of nations, similar to European Union products with protected names (e.g. Champagne and Prosciutto di Parma). That protection is built into NAFTA in the United States and Canada. So please don’t try to brew tequila in your bathtub.
The Tahona process is as crafty as it gets.
Tequila may be as artisanal as the most artisanal crafty little spirit. Even if it’s made by a major manufacturer. Tequila is manufactured by heating and crushing the gigantic pias, as you may know. The Tahona processbasically dragging a giant volcanic wheel over the cooked agave heartsis one method those pias can (and have) been crushed. Donkeys are still used in some places, according to tradition. We’re not sure anything is more artisan than using a donkey.
Is there a difference between 100% agave and 100% blue agave?
There is a lot of misunderstanding and misunderstanding regarding the differences between a (mixed) tequila and a 100% agave tequila. Which is the most effective? What are the distinctions between them? We’ll go through the differences between the two types of tequila in this article. How can you tell if you’re drinking tequila or 100% agave tequila?
A mixed tequila should be referred to simply as tequila. This is an agreement reached between the Tequila Regulatory Council and the tequila industry. This naming requirement is established in the official legislation, and while many people refer to tequila as “mixed tequila,” the actual term is “tequila.” How can you identify the difference between a tequila and a tequila made entirely of agave? It’s written on the package. It’s a (mixed) tequila if it doesn’t declare it’s 100 percent agave tequila.
The source of the sugars produced throughout the fermentation process is the difference between them. All of the sugars fermented in a 100 percent Agave tequila come from the Tequilana Weber agave, blue variety, as the name implies. On the other hand, sugars fermented for tequila must contain at least 51 percent agave, but the rest must originate from a different source, according to the law.
It is only natural to find that the sensory notes of a 100% tequila are closer and more similar to the smell and taste of the agave itself, and that those notes are a little more attenuated in a tequila yet, but a good master distiller should know how to control all of the tequila processes so that the agave characteristics are noticeable in either of the two types of tequilas. Whether they are white, young, rested, or ultra-aged tequilas, they can both be high-quality products. As a result, a tequila that is not 100 percent tequila is not always of poorer quality, and provided the quality of the production procedures is correctly maintained, a tequila might very well have a fully qualified sensory profile.
Come experience for yourself how we create the cleanest tequila on the market at Casa Sauza!
Why is 100 agave tequila better?
Tequila is created from the Blue Weber agave, but only 51% of the total alcohol in a bottle must originate from that species to be considered tequila. The rest can be made up of a blend of different agaves or, more commonly, other spirits entirely, such as grain alcohol. “Of course, tequilas created with 100 percent pure agave will taste better,” Cuellar adds, adding those mixed-alcohol tequilas could be to blame if you’ve grown to connect tequila with a headache in a bottle. Tequilas that are 100 percent agave are plainly labeled, and if you see the term oro anywhere, stay away. That means the tequila has been colored with caramel to make it look like it’s been aged in a barrel.
Is Jose Cuervo Especial blue agave a good tequila?
Cuervo, Jose Especial It’s the only mixto on the list, which means it’s not entirely made of agave. It’s a good worker tequila because of its low price and overall smoothness. Sweet, sweet, sweet, sweet, sweet, sweet, sweet, sweet, sweet, sweet, sweet, sweet Taste: Sweet with citrus and pepper flavors.