Cue the Champs on the iPod and break out the tumblers — National Tequila Day is coming Friday, July 24.
Bars and taverns valleywide will offer drink specials to mark the occasion.
Mundo, a Latin chic restaurant at 495 S. Grand Central Parkway, Suite A-116, will offer tequila drink specials at lunch. Mingo Kitchen and Lounge, 180 S. First St., will offer the specials all day and night.
A June 30 report from Starnewsonline of Wilmington, S.C., said Americans buy 12.3 million cases of tequila a year, according to the Distilled Spirits Council, and that tequila is one of the fastest-growing spirits categories America.
As the Huffington Post reported in July 2014, true tequila, like true Champagne, has a designation region of origin. Champagne must hail from France, the Huffington Post says, and tequila must hail from Jalisco, Guanajuato, Michoacan, Nayarit, and Tamaulipas in Mexico.
Some observers think tequila packs health benefits. In May 2013, chef Sue Torres, of Sueños in New York City, told Forbes magazine that tequila may be better for the body than other alcohols.
“The sugars are simple sugars, so they break down easily in your body,” she told Forbes.
In a March 2014 Forbes story, reported that researchers found that agavins, derived from the agave plant that’s used to make tequila, triggered insulin production in mice and helped obese mice lose weight.
And, as Rawstory.com reported in May, doctors in the 1930s prescribed tequila as a cold and flu cure because the liquor can soothe sore throats and kill bacteria.
Many websites, including Food.com have tequila drink recipes to mark the festivities. Here are a few including Fubar and Alien, two premium tequila brands.
LEATHERNECK
2 ounces Fubar Tequila
1 ounce coffee liqueur
1 ounce crème de menthe
2 dashes chocolate bitters
Serve over ice, serve up or on the rocks.
GREEN BERET
1 ounce Fubar Tequila
½ ounce Midori
½ ounce apple pucker
½ ounce pineapple juice
Serve over ice, serve up or on the rocks.
SEX WITH AN ALIEN
1¼ ounces Alien Tequila Reposado
1¼ ounces triple sec
¾ ounce peach schnapps
¾ ounce fresh lime juice
¼ ounce grenadine syrup
Pour all ingredients into a short glass. Top off with Sprite and garnish with a lime wedge.
ORGANIC MARGARITA
1½ ounces Alien Tequila Silver
1 ounce fresh-squeezed lime juice
1 ounce fresh-squeezed lemon juice
½ ounce fresh-squeezed orange juice
1 o8nce Alien Honey
Shake all ingredients with ice and serve on the rocks or blended. Garnish with a lime or orange wheel.
HYBRID
1½ ounces Alien Tequila Silver
1 ounce blueberry Stoli
2 whole strawberries
5 mint leaves
3 packets of sugar
In a tumbler, muddle the mint and strawberries with the sugar. Add the remaining ingredients together and shake with ice. Pour all of the contents into a short glass and top with Sprite. Garnish with a mint leaf and strawberry slice.
