Cue the “Tequila” song, it’s National Tequila Day.

But don’t start sipping just yet — it is a workday, after all — because first, we want to talk a little bit about the origin of this agave spirit.

John Douglass, who owns the botany shop + cocktail bar Pretty Decent with his wife, Jeanne, knows all about the drink named after a small, Mexican town.

“A few hundred years ago, if we were making what’s tequila now, we would have been calling it mezcal,” John said. In fact, it wasn’t until the 1970s that the name “tequila” became the intellectual property of the Mexican government.

Today, people tend to use the terms tequila and mezcal interchangeably. But as John explained, there is a clear difference between the two. “Tequila is made in one part of Mexico, from just one plant,” he said, “whereas mezcal is made all over the country... from 50+ varieties of plants. So, tequila is a subset of mezcal.”

Real Minero — which is available at Pretty Decent — has been made by the same family in Oaxaca since the late 19th century. | Photo by LOUtoday

Whether you choose to celebrate today with tequila or mezcal, (why not both?) try to do it at a local bar that serves sustainable + socially conscious options. Here are some suggestions to look forward to — after work, of course:

Spicy Oaxacan Old Fashioned, Pretty Decent | This boasts tequila, mezcal, poblano, and a sugar cube.
A Jimador’s Breakfast, Epiphany | This specialty cocktail features both tequila + mezcal with pepita orgeat, ancho, lime, and a whole egg.
Try a brand-new cocktail off of Pretty Decent’s new mezcal-focused menu, which debuts today at 4 p.m.

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