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.
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 Silver tequila agave?
Silver tequila is typically produced in stainless steel vessels and might be 100 percent agave or a blend. Because it isn’t aged like the higher-end tequilas that are meant to be drank straight, some individuals find silver tequila to be harsh.
Why isn’t Jose Cuervo a real tequila?
A bottle of tequila in the United States must legally contain at least 51% agave-based liquor. What exactly does that imply? Tequila producers can technically combine the pure, blue agave spirit with anything less expensive, such as cane sugar fermented into a lesser, non-tequila alcohol (via The Daily Meal). To put it another way, when you drink cheap tequila, you’re actually drinking tequila combined with another liquor, such as grain alcohol. Is this why tequila causes such a bad hangover? We can’t prove it, but we encourage you to think about it.
Mixto tequila is the sickening, shady stuff, and Jose Cuervo Especial is a proven mixto tequila (via Tequila Matchmaker). If you’re seeking for authentic tequila, one that you can sip rather than gulp, go for a 100% agave spirit. If the bottle doesn’t have the “100% agave” label, you’re most likely dealing with a mixto (via Thrillist).
Is 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 Jose Cuervo good tequila?
Cuervo, Jose Especial 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.
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.
What is the difference between Jose Cuervo gold and silver tequila?
Mexico produces the highest-quality tequila in the world. There are nearly five sorts of tequila: Silver, Gold, Resposado, Anejo, and Extra Anejo, with Silver and Gold being the most popular.
The fundamental difference between Gold and Silver tequila is the way they are made: Gold tequila is aged in barrels, whilst Silver tequila is bottled right after distillation. At comparison to gold tequila, silver tequila is more popular and available in clubs. When compared to Silver tequila, Gold tequila has a lesser agave concentration. When Silver tequila is combined with high-quality aged tequila, the outcome is 100 percent pure agave, Gold tequila.
Silver tequila is clear and transparent like water, but gold tequila is brown. Gold Tequila has additives and coloring, whereas Silver Tequila is accessible in its purest form. Silver tequila has a strong natural taste, while gold tequila has a pleasant taste. Due to its pleasant flavor, gold tequila is typically served as shots, while silver tequila is typically consumed as drinks. Gold tequila is far more expensive than silver tequila. When creating margaritas, gold tequilas are often preferred over silver tequilas.