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Title: ¡Tequila!: Distilling the Spirit of Mexico

Author: Marie Gaytán

Narrator: Darren Roebuck

Format: Unabridged

Length: 6 hrs and 10 mins

Language: English

Release date: 09-29-16

Publisher: University Press Audiobooks

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 8 votes

Genres: History, World

Publisher's Summary:

Italy has grappa, Russia has vodka, Jamaica has rum. Around the world, certain drinks - especially those of the intoxicating kind - are synonymous with their peoples and cultures. For Mexico, this drink is tequila. For many, tequila can conjure up scenes of body shots on Cancún bars and coolly garnished margaritas on sandy beaches. Its power is equally strong within Mexico, though there the drink is more often sipped rather than shot, enjoyed casually among friends, and used to commemorate occasions from the everyday to the sacred. Despite these competing images, tequila is universally regarded as an enduring symbol of lo mexicano.

¡Tequila! Distilling the Spirit of Mexico traces how and why tequila became and remains Mexico's national drink and symbol. Starting in Mexico's colonial era and tracing the drink's rise through the present day, Marie Sarita Gaytán reveals the formative roles played by some unlikely characters.

Like all stories about national symbols, the rise of tequila forms a complicated, unexpected, and poignant tale.

The book is published by Stanford University Press.

Members Reviews:

like myself, the allure of alcohol goes way beyond ...

To say that this book was not what I expected would be a grave understatement. ÂI think it ought to have tipped me off that the reviews on the jacket were all from professors and Mexican authors, rather than other bar/cocktail connoisseurs. ÂSo, too, should I have paid more attention to the author, Marie Sarita Gaytan, Assistant Professor of sociology and gender studies at the university of Utah. ÂWith this information in mind, it might have occurred to me that this was not to be the average bar book, albeit one focused on tequila. ÂIt even says on the top of the back âSociology/Hispanic Studiesâ, indicating that this very well could be (and almost certainly is) a college level textbook or supplemental reading. ÂLuckily for me (or maybe notâ) I have some experience with muddling my way through such things, as I had to do when I was pursuing my history degree. ÂAt least this time Iâm actually interested in the subject, though even I admit it took me twice as long to read this small book as it has taken me to read any other alcohol related text. Â

If you are a purveyor of cocktails, look elsewhere. ÂThere is not a single recipe to be found in these pages. ÂIf you are looking to expand your awareness of tequila and other agave distillates, also look elsewhere. ÂThere is little in the way of classification and nothing remotely resembling tasting notes. ÂIf, like myself, the allure of alcohol goes way beyond what you taste and what you feel when you drink it, then you might be interested in this book. ÂEven then, you must approach this with the idea that you are learning about the culture of Mexico through the lens of Tequila and not the other way around. ÂYou must be acutely interested in the history of Mexico and itâs people, far and above the interest you gain as simply a tequila drinker. Â

For some context, I will set before you the chapter titles:

Fermenting Struggles: Pulque, Mezcal, and Tequila

Intoxicating Icons: Pancho Villa, Masculinity, and U.S.