Pop culture has done a disservice to tequila, from the idea that one lines up shots with lime wedges and salt to the myth of worms in the bottle (that was mezcal, not tequila, and a marketing gag at best). But tequila-making is an art, and its production has strict guidelines both in ingredients and its geographical origins: It is only distilled from blue agave in the Mexican state of Jalisco and designated areas of Guanajuato, Michoacán, Nayarit, and Tamaulipas. In fact, the Agave Landscape and Ancient Industrial Facilities of Tequila, in Jalisco, is a designated UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Great tequila is fine in a margarita or paloma, but the finest ones are of such quality and flavor that they deserve to be sipped and savored as one would with Scotch or Cognac.
