Agave is a green plant native to Mexico. The heart and sap of the plant are the main ingredients in various alcoholic beverages, the most famous of which are tequila, mezcal and pulque.
It is necessary
- To make tequila:
- - 3-4 kg of agave leaves;
- - 25-35 g of yeast.
- - 1 kg of sugar.
- To make mezcal:
- - 3-4 kg of agave leaves;
- - 30-40 g of yeast.
- To prepare pulque:
- - 2-3 liters of juice from agave buds;
- - 10-25 g of yeast.
Instructions
Step 1
In Russian conditions, it is almost impossible to prepare drinks from agave, since the plant is distributed exclusively in Mexico and is not officially supplied to Russia. On sale you can find ready-made Mexican drinks, on the basis of which various strong cocktails are created. However, if you are planning to move to Mexico and start your own production, making agave drinks yourself can be quite an affordable activity.
Step 2
To make tequila, you need to collect blue agave leaves. The core is extracted from them and divided into several parts. Then the pieces of the core are kept for 2-3 days in a special oven, the temperature in which should reach 60-85 ° C. This softens the leaves and makes them suitable for further processing.
Step 3
Within 24 hours, the raw material is cooled and placed in stone millstones, where the juice is squeezed out. The sweet juice obtained at the same time is diluted with water, and special yeast is poured into it, and sugar is also added. Next, the semi-finished product is placed in wooden or steel barrels, where the fermentation process takes place. Within 7-12 days of infusion, a drink with a strength of 10 degrees is formed.
Step 4
The final stage of making tequila is distillation, which is done twice. Further, the strength of the drink is already 55 degrees. Before bottling, the drink is aged again in barrels, due to which it receives a branded and specific flavor and aroma. The infusion period can range from several months to several years: each manufacturer has its own recipe.
Step 5
To make mezcal, they take the core of an agave and bake it in stone ovens with a special conical shape. The pits are covered with palm fiber, earth and charcoal. In addition, nowadays, special distillation devices heated with ordinary wood are increasingly used.
Step 6
The plant is infused for several days, absorbing the aroma of smoke. Then it is crushed using stone wheels, releasing juice. The resulting juice is fermented within three days after adding yeast to it. In addition, unlike tequila, sugar is not added to the mezcal, so the drink has a transparent amber hue. After two distillation procedures, the drink acquires a strength of 38-43 degrees and gets a rich aroma.
Step 7
To create pulque, juice obtained from young agave buds is used. For three days, the juice is fermented, and the result is pulque - a viscous and slightly frothy milky drink with a strength of 4 to 6 degrees. Pulque is believed to be good for digestion and strengthens the body in moderation.
