{"id":237,"date":"2019-05-06T03:23:00","date_gmt":"2019-05-06T07:23:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.messysuitcase.com\/index.php\/2019\/05\/06\/herradura-tequila-express\/"},"modified":"2019-05-06T03:23:00","modified_gmt":"2019-05-06T07:23:00","slug":"herradura-tequila-express","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/messysuitcase.com\/index.php\/2019\/05\/06\/herradura-tequila-express\/","title":{"rendered":"The Herradura Tequila Express"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n<\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

\n<\/a><\/div>\n
\n(Even
\nthough we have moved on to Guanajuato, we still have a few blogs from our life
\nin Tlaquepaque to post. Enjoy!)<\/span><\/i><\/div>\n
\n<\/div>\n
\nLiving
\nin Tlaquepaque, we were less than 50 miles from the birthplace of tequila, the
\ntown of Tequila. So of course we had to visit and become acquainted with Mexico\u2019s
\nmost famous alcoholic beverage!<\/span><\/div>\n
\n<\/div>\n

\nWhat is
\nTequila, Anyway?<\/span><\/b><\/h3>\n
\n<\/div>\n
\nTequila,
\na type of mescal made from the blue agave plant, was first made in the 16th
\ncentury. Mexican law states that tequila can only be produced in the Mexican
\nstate of Jalisco and in limited number in three other states. Tequila must be
\n40% alcohol (80 proof) in the US, but in Mexico it\u2019s usually 38%.<\/span><\/div>\n
\n<\/div>\n
\nThere
\nare over 100 distilleries producing over 900 brands of tequila, and many conduct
\ntours and tastings at their haciendas.<\/span><\/div>\n
\n<\/div>\n
\nWe
\ndecided to splurge and signed up for a day trip on the Herradura Express<\/a>, a
\nspecial train leaving from Guadalajara to the Herradura Hacienda in Amatitan, a
\ntown adjacent to Tequila. There were three classes of seats on the train. We
\nselected the middle-class ticket which cost $2400 MXN pesos each, or about $125.<\/span><\/div>\n
\n<\/div>\n
\n<\/a><\/div>\n
\n
<\/span><\/div>\n
\n <\/span>We
\nUbered to the train station, checked in and selected our seats. Even though we
\nhad been told the train had been sold out, we had four comfortable seats and
\na table to ourselves. There was a bar in our car, which was kept busy the whole
\nday.<\/span><\/div>\n
\n
<\/span><\/div>\n\n\n\n\n
<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Carlos, our bartender<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n
\n
<\/span><\/b><\/div>\n

\nTequila on
\nthe Train<\/span><\/b><\/h3>\n
\n<\/div>\n
\nWe
\nwere immediately served water, juice and a box breakfast. But once the train left
\nthe station, at 10 in the morning, they switched to serving tequila-based
\ndrinks. I can\u2019t even remember what they all were or how many we had, but the
\ndrinks were definitely flowing, including Margaritas, Tequila Sunrises, Horchatas
\n(a Mexican rice-based vanilla drink), White Russians, a coffee-based drink
\ncalled The Bull, and many more. <\/span><\/div>\n
\n
<\/span><\/div>\n
\n<\/a><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

\n<\/a><\/div>\n
\n
<\/span><\/div>\n
\n<\/div>\n
\nAfter
\nabout 90 minutes or so of traveling amid a breathtaking landscape, including fields
\nupon fields of blue agave, we arrived in the tiny pueblo of Amatitan and
\ntransferred onto buses for the short ride to the Hacienda <\/a><\/span>Herradura<\/a><\/span>. We got
\ninto the English-language tour and were off.<\/span><\/div>\n
\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n
<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
The Tequila Volcano<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n\n\n\n
<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Agave plants<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n
\n
<\/span><\/b><\/div>\n
\nThe Tour<\/span><\/b><\/div>\n
\n<\/div>\n
\nFirst
\nstop was walking by some blue agave plants, which we learned take 8 years to
\nmature to the point they could be used for tequila. Next, we watched a Jimador<\/i> use
\na coa<\/i> (a wooden-handled cutting blade) to strip the leaves from the plant to get to the heart,
\nalso called a pina because it resembles a pineapple, which is used in the
\ndistillation process. <\/span><\/div>\n
\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n
<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
The Jimador with his coa chopping off
\nthe leaves of the blue agave plant<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n
\nWe saw the row of ovens where the pinas are baked. Next, they are squeezed repeatedly to get the agave juice, which is distilled and then fermented in giant barrels. The pulp is removed and used for other things such as candy and even furniture. <\/span><\/div>\n
\n
<\/span><\/div>\n\n\n\n\n
<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
The ovens<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
A pile of pinas<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

\nTasting<\/span><\/b><\/h3>\n
\n<\/div>\n
\nNext
\nwe walked through an ancient section of the facility that is no
\nlonger used, and led to a tasting cellar. Tasting glasses were neatly laid out on
\ntables.<\/span><\/div>\n
\n
<\/span><\/div>\n
\n<\/a><\/div>\n
\n
<\/span><\/div>\n
\nA bilingual talk was given on the \u201ccorrect\u201d way to drink tequila<\/span>:
\nSwish the glass in a circle to check out the \u201clegs\u201d of the liquid. Breath in
\nthe scent. Breath in through your nose, hold it, sip tequila onto your tongue.
\nSwallow. Breath out through your nose. Finally, emit an \u201cAhhh\u201d and empty your
\nlungs. We started our tasting. To the best of my recollection, we tried 5. We
\ncould taste the differences, particularly the smoothness, between the various categories
\nof tequila:<\/span><\/div>\n
\n<\/div>\n