By Laurence Kretchmer (article appeared in Ny Daily news online)

Tequila is raging - especially in restaurants where it is being matched, like wines, with various foods. The growth of the premium tequila market has brought about a new age in its production and consumption, fueled in no small part by the Margarita - one of the most popular cocktails in the country since the 1970s.

Much of tequila's considerable mystique lies in its rich history with the Aztecs. This Mexican Indian civilization used the plant known to it as metl to make a fermented but nondistilled beverage called pulque, revered for its curative qualities as well as its hallucinogenic and relaxing effects. The Spaniards taught distillation to the Mexicans, who soon acquired a taste for the beverage they began making all over Mexico. Today, by law, tequila can be produced only in seven designated areas, but it is made mainly in or near the town of Tequila in the state of Jalisco, and only one of the many varieties of agave - the agave tequilana Weber, or blue agave - may be used.

Along with increased tequila awareness, the myths about the worm in the bottle are disappearing. There never was and never will be a worm in a good bottle of tequila. The mistaken notion that tequila is made from cactus juice is also fading.

Another myth is that drinking tequila results in a more severe hangover than does imbibing any other spirit. In fact, just like most spirits consumed today, almost all tequila is bottled at 80 proof.

Tequila must be made from at least 51% blue-agave juice; the other 49% may come from sugar added during fermentation. Premium tequilas use only 100% blue-agave juices.

While blended tequilas are suitable for use in cocktails, premium tequilas, which have a superior bouquet, body and finish, are best for sipping straight. The character of a particular tequila is determined by its aging. The range of products is vast and tastes differ, but there are four major types of tequila.

still. Unaged or aged for less than 60 days, blancos are unaltered by any contact with wood and have the purest expression of the blue-agave flavor - a floral, herbal, somewhat peppery quality, balanced by the plant's natural sweetness. Blancos generally have more "bite" than wood-aged varieties.

from 60 days to almost one year, but typically between two and nine months. The contact with wood creates a light straw or medium gold color, and during the short aging process, the tequila begins to mellow. Reposados taste slightly mellower than blancos, but the agave flavor is still very pronounced.

typically for 18 months to two years. This results in a darker color than a reposado, with a smoother, more complex nose and flavor. A fine anejo combines the agave sweetness with overtones of vanilla and the spiciness of the oak. Anejos should be savored and sipped, but not mixed.

represents about half of all tequila exported to the U.S. A blended spirit, almost always made with 51% agave juice, it contains artificial colors and flavors mixed in after distillation. Gold tequilas cost less than their authentic counterparts and are only for use in mixed drinks where their flavors will be obscured.

See recipes: Mesa Grill's Classic Margarita Tequila Lemonade

Kretchmer is author of the Mesa Grill Guide to Tequila (Black Dog & Leventhal).

Mm-formatted by Petra <phildeb@gmx. Net>