The True Mystique of Tequila

By Rich Manning

There’s a reason why tequila has earned the dubious nickname of “ta-kill-ya.”  The truth is no liquor is more responsible for a higher concentration of weird, wild, and dangerous stories than the one drawn from Mexico’s agave plants.  Everyone has at least one person in their life that hasn’t touched a drop of the stuff because of “that one night back in college…”.  Most of us probably have two or three folks in their circle that fit this profile.  And while this may be viewed as a bad thing, it really shouldn’t.  In a way, it only adds to the mystique of the alcoholic beverage. 

And make no mistake:  There is plenty of mystique to go around when it comes to tequila.  After all, we are talking about the drink whose bottles come readily equipped with the legend of the worm.  Sadly, this is just a legend – although creepy crawlies have been found in the bottom of Mexican liquors, they are always located in mescals from the Oaxaca region of the country, and not tequilas.   So if you do find such a critter squirming around the base of the bottle, it is because a friend of yours put it in there when you weren’t looking. 

But even though the whole worm business is bunk, it nonetheless serves as only a minor detraction to tequila’s overall mythos.  Consider that no drink is tied stronger to the fine art of knocking back a shot.  Even if you get a bottle of the choice, artisan, high-end stuff, there will always be the need to resist the temptation of just grabbing a shot glass from the inside of your liquor cabinet and partake in a couple of slams.  And honestly, there is no shame if you do this; if anything, such an action will flood your brain with goodtime memories of your crew back in college when you would plow through bottles of Cuervo as some sort of music blares over the small, cheap stereo you managed to fit in your dorm room. 

Speaking of music, lest we forget that tequila is so cool, it had a hit instrumental song named after it back in the ‘50s.  What’s more, that very same song was blessed with a whole new depth and dimension the moment one Mr. Pee-Wee Herman jumped upon a Texas bar in the midst of his big adventure and started doing that weird dance of his.  The instant ensuing connection that between drink, song, and entertainer is so strong, if the first two elements are enjoyed together to this day, some sort of attempt at recreating said entertainer’s dance will occur.  This corollary is practically fact; as such, it should just be embraced and not refuted.

Finally, and perhaps most importantly, the biggest element of tequila’s mystique has nothing to do with the beverage itself.  As mentioned earlier, it has everything to do with the stories that everyone has about the potent potable, whether they lived through it themselves or they witnessed someone else’s inspired goofiness.  While these tales of drinking woe may be strategically buried away from older family members or business colleagues, they still exist within our minds, our hearts, and our souls, possessing the power to make us smile at whatever level of tomfoolery we experienced or witnessed; even if you haven’t touched the stuff because you had one of those “that one time in college…” moments.

 It is because of these pieces of lore that tequila contains, and will always contain a certain level of liveliness that no other libation can match.  Not bad for a beverage nicknamed “ta-kill-ya.”