In search of the giant blue agave

John Blanchette

This is also the land that gave us mariachi music, the Mexican hat dance and tequila. I love the music and the dance, but I was here in search of the greatest tequila in the world, made of 100 percent blue agave and grown to giant size in the hills of the Los Altos region. Sixty percent of the blue agave in Mexico comes from The Highlands.

Guadalajara is the second-largest city in Mexico and the capital of Jalisco. It is a bustling trade center where countries throughout South, Central and North America meet and do business. To the west, 150 miles, is Puerto Vallarta, and to the south, Mexico City. Guadalajara is called "The City of Roses" and is full of pleasant aromas, beautiful trees and old neighborhoods with character.

The Jalisco region is also home for many migrant workers and emigres whose agricultural skills make them invaluable to the farming industry in the western United States. I was headed to the small town of Arandas, home to Tequila Cazadores, one of Mexico's most respected distilleries and producer of the most popular tequila in my home state of California. About an hour-and-a-half drive into The Highlands above Guadalajara, the rich, reddish-brown soil frames blue-colored agave plants that run for miles, spiking the rolling landscape in all directions.

It is here that the largest and sweetest plants grow. Tequila is made from the center core of the cactus, called the "pina" because of its resemblance to pineapples. But these are pineapples on megasteroids, the size of hassocks and weighing in well above 100 pounds apiece.

It takes between six and eight years for them to reach maturity, and harvesting is a dangerous profession. Workers called tequila agevero slice away the thorny leaves of the plant (I backed into several of them and can attest to their fine defenses) with sharp, hoe-like knives to reveal the inner barrel. In the days before Fiberglas, the shoots of the plant were sliced and laminated to form strong but light surfboards.

The pinas are trucked down to the distillery, the acidic top cones are removed, they're sliced in half and then roasted in huge ovens, to concentrate the sugars. They have a very pleasant taste when cooked, sort of like a candied crabapple. The juice from the first press of the agave is discarded to remove the impurities and sour taste of the skin before it is distilled twice in small stainless steel pot stills for 12 hours each time.

Then the open fermentation process begins, when the liquid is transferred to large vats for seven to nine days. At Cazadores, the master distiller plays classical music during fermentation, believing that Mozart calms the yeast better than the music of the mariachi. Several types of tequila are created from the distillate, depending on the amount of aging in American oak casks.

This year, Cazadores is launching a new product called Corzo, a super-premium tequila. After aging in oak for two months, it is distilled a third time, creating sipping liquor with the flavor of cognac. The packaging was created by designer Fabien Baron and features expensive and beautifully blown glass, with an innovative pour spout.

Cazadores has a beautiful tasting room with a view of the bottling operation, open daily from 10 a.m. The different tequila products can be sampled neat or creatively in a number of colorful cocktails mixed with a variety of fruit juices. Tours of the plant and fields can be arranged.

In Jalisco, margaritas of all sorts are available, but tequila is often accompanied by a delicious side drink called sangrita, a tomato juice concoction made with lemon and orange juice, Tabasco, Worcestershire sauce, salt, pepper and salsa Maggie, which can be found in Mexican markets in the United States and gives the drink its special flavor.

The best tequilas are made from the gigantic blue agave that grow in the rolling hills of Los Altos. Try a taste test and you'll discover that when it comes to tequila, bigger is better.

IF YOU GO

While in Guadalajara, try dining at the area's most innovative restaurant, Cocina 88, set in a magnificent chateau built during the French occupation in the 1860s. It is run by American chef Jose Paul and features a large wine cellar, which contains many excellent Baja wines.

Another beautiful restaurant downtown is La Fonda de San Miguel, a converted convent built in 1690. They serve the wonderful stews and other dishes native to the region. Like most restaurants in Guadalajara, live musical entertainment is presented during dinner.

On Saturdays, the Guadalajara Chamber of Commerce conducts a 10-hour bus tour on the Tequila Express offering a safe, if not sober, way to fully explore the area. A fun shopping spree is available in the nearby town of Tlaquepaque (Ta-laka-paka), where thousands of small artisan shops fill the picturesque streets and alleyways with traditional arts and crafts from the area. It's a buyer's paradise with great bargains.

For information and booklets on travel accommodations, special events, sightseeing, dining options, bargain hunting, etc., contact the Jalisco Tourist Office at www.jalisco.com. For tequila recipes and information, the Cazadores Web site is www.cazadores.com.

John Blanchette is a freelance travel writer.

© Copley News Service