Is tequila made from cactus

A. Tequila is a distillate of the blue agave , one of over 200 strains of this family of desert lilies which grow across Mexico. There's a popular myth that tequila comes from cacti , but the agave has strong historical and mythical powers which have made the drink so legendary.

Q. When was it first made

A. According to mythology, the agave plant is the incarnation of the goddess Mayahuel; the honey-like sap is her blood. The secret of fermenting pulque, its fermented equivalent, was given to man by the trickster figure (and first drunk) Tlacuache. Distillation didn't reach Mexico until the Spanish Conquistadors arrived, and intoxication was of fundamental importance to religious ritual and culture.

Q. What is Mezcal

A. Tequila is a regional speciality of Mezcal, spirits made from agave. Technically speaking, tequila is a mezcal from a designated area. Wherever agave grows, mezcal will not be far behind, although most is from Oaxaca, it's produced across the central plains to the Chihuahuan desert, the Pacific coast and Chiapas. Each remote village will have its palenquero, or distiller. It remains the drink of rural communities. Sometimes it's sweetened, flavoured with herbs or bark; sometimes fermented in leather.

Some manufacturers pop a gusano worm into the bottled product. In legend, because these moth larvae live in the agave, they have ingested some of its power. Therefore the person who eats the gusano also acquires some ot the spirit of the plant. The most common story says that eating the worm makes you hallucinate. Experts say this is because people confuse mezcal with the unrelated psychedelic drug mescalin.

Q. What's the best way to drink tequila

A. At one time slamming was regarded as the real way to drink tequila, before then it was the salt and lime ritual. That was a lazy way of drinking a Margarita. It was created for Margarita Sames, an American socialite of the 1940s, who used to serve it at parties in Acapulco. The first Margarita was a mix of tequila, Cointreau and lime juice.

Take:

2oz tequila

1oz Cointreau

2oz fresh lime juice

Shake and strain into a salt-rimmed glass. It can also be served on the rocks.

The Mexicans prefer to drink it with Sangrita, a tomato-based fruit juice with a chilli sidekick. You take a sip of Sangrita, then a sip of tequila. It can be bought ready-made, or you can make your own.

Blend together 2lb tomatoes, the juice of three oranges and a couple of limes, some onion and fresh chillies. If you need to sweeten it, add a dash of sherry.

For more ways to serve up delicious tequila drinks, check out Tequila Made Me Do It: 60 Tantalising Tequila and Mezcal Cocktails.

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By Katharine MacColl