(CNN) – It’s National Tequila Day in the United States – Sunday, July 24. After the year we’ve been in so far, you can’t blame anyone for wanting to take a shot or two (responsibly, of course).
In honor of the holiday, here are six surprising facts you probably didn’t know about tequila.
It’s from a plant (which means it’s healthy, right?)
Fear not, gluten-free folks! Tequila is just right for you to drink. Tequila is made by fermenting the juice from the blue agave plant, which has a pulp called piña because it looks a bit like a pineapple.
Once the bena is harvested, it is brought to the distillery to be roasted to release its juices, which are then fermented, distilled and aged before being packaged.
Tequila is a type of mezcal, but not all mezcal is tequila
Tequila makes margaritas fun. As for the exact combination of ingredients, your imagination is the limit.
Tequila must be made in a certain area of Mexico
Tequila was born in, you guessed it, tequila
If not for women, tequila might not even exist
Historically, it was the women of tequila (as in the city) who grew blue agave plants, called hijuelos (little babies). Today women can still be seen working in the fields from February to July, when the plants sprout.
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