Tequila Grows Up

When people talk about tequila, some hearken back to a few bad nights when they were younger.

But tequila's image is maturing: It's become a much more sophisticated spirit.

Betty Cortina, editorial director of Latina magazine (www.latina.com), stopped by The Early Show Tuesday with a tequila lesson.

Mexico's national beverage is now one of the top-three best-selling liquors in the world. Sales of high-end brands have increased by 51 percent in the past two years. Margaritas, made with tequila, are the most-ordered cocktails in America. And there are more than 600 brands of tequila.

Tequila has changed from the frat-boy, lick-shoot-suck, get-wasted drink of choice to a drink with high-end brands going for as much as $50 a shot and more than $100 a bottle, similar to how premium cognacs and whiskies are sold and positioned.

There are four types of tequila: Blanco or Silver (not aged, most traditional, clear and transparent; best used in cocktails); Reposado or Rested (aged from three months to a year; best for sipping); Añejo or Aged (aged from one to three years; best for sipping); and Oro or Gold (un-aged blanco with flavoring and color added; for sipping or cocktails).

True tequila is produced only in Mexico, and exclusively from the blue agave, which grows only in five Mexican states: Guanajuato, Jalisco, Michoacan, Nayarit and Tamaulipas. Tequila takes it name from the town of Tequila, in the state of Jalisco, where production originated and continues to this day. Like Champagne to France, real Tequila can only come from Mexico. In fact, it's distilled and fermented under strict government regulations, and is one of the most regulated spirits in the world. Mexican law states that tequila must be made with at least 51 percent blue agave. The higher the percentage, the better the tequila. The remainder of the drink is most commonly sugar cane.

Contrary to the myth that only true tequila has a worm at the bottom of the bottle, NO tequila ever contains a worm. It would violate the strict Mexican regulations to do so. (On occasion, there is a worm in Mezcal bottles, a completely different spirit. And it's usually only in the lower-end bottles.)

Latina magazine's picks for the best tequila: