Many cocktail connoisseurs love the invigorating Tequila Sunrise. This drink is usually served in a tall glass with a volume of 150-400 milliliters with large pieces of ice. Such a cocktail has a rather high alcohol content; its strength is 11.4%.
This unusual drink began to gain popularity back in the 70s of the last century. The development of the history of the Tequila Sunrise cocktail was promoted by the American famous band Rolling Stones, which often chose this amazing mixture during their tours around the world.
Tequila Sunrise consists of tequila, orange juice and grenadine (pomegranate syrup). Tequila is a traditional strong Mexican drink that is made from agave and has been in great demand since the 16th century. Grenadine is called thick pomegranate syrup, which gives the cocktails a bright color and is used as a sweetener.
Tequila Sunrise cocktail can be prepared by mixing all of the above components. Grenadine is the last to be added to the drink. The ratio of tequila, pomegranate juice and grenadine is usually 3: 6: 1. 5-6 ice cubes are added to each portion of the cocktail. A few drops of grenadine make the Tequila Sunrise drink look like a sunrise. It is this unusual color scheme that the cocktail owes its name.
Inventive bartenders came up with an alternative version of the Tequila Sunrise drink - the Tequila Sunset cocktail, which means sunset. The main components of this masterpiece remain the same - tequila and orange juice. However, instead of grenadine, the bartender uses blueberry brandy.
To prepare Tequila Sunset, place a layer of ice on the bottom of the glass. Then tequila and orange juice are poured there, the last thing added is a bit of blueberry brandy. It should gently drain to the very bottom of the glass, thereby depicting the sunset. A tequila sunset cocktail is served in a tall glass with a cherry or a slice of orange.
Of course, the main secret of these two cocktails in a combination of tequila with orange juice. We all know the origin of orange juice, but what do we know about tequila?
Many believe that tequila is made from cactus. This is one of the most common misconceptions. An invigorating alcoholic beverage is made from agave, which belongs to the family of liliaceae. All over the world there are more than 300 species of plants, however, only one species - blue agave - is suitable for tequila.
Tequila production is a very complex laborious process. Agave plantations can exist only in Mexico, and they need to be looked after for at least 8 years to make such a drink. Therefore, tequila can only be produced in Mexico; it is not prepared in any other place on the globe.
Each tequila is made according to an individual recipe. Different versions of this drink differ in percentage of agave alcohol (from 50% to 100%), in age and taste.
In tequila, there is a different content of fusel oils, but a light herbal shade successfully masks them. Tequila "hits the head" much faster than vodka, so it is almost not drunk separately. However, this drink is ideal for creating a wide variety of strong cocktails, combining well with ordinary juice.
They say that tequila is never a hangover. This can be explained by the fact that a person needs a very small amount of such an alcoholic drink. However, if you manage to drink a lot of tequila at once, a hangover will be guaranteed.
The most popular are silver and gold tequila.
Silver - pure invigorating tequila without impurities, which could not stand a second. It is immediately bottled, yielding in the fortress to more expensive types of this drink.
Golden tequila is also not aged, but caramel is added to it, which makes this drink easier to drink and seems more interesting to the taste.
But today in the shops you can see the most valuable types of tequila with a maximum alcohol content of agave and with a sufficiently long exposure. You will need to get used to such drinks, but spoiled Mexicans choose only expensive elite tequila, leaving gold and silver to inexperienced Europeans.