Tequila!
By: Barnaby Dorfman
Published: March 28, 2008

I'm in Mexico on vacation and have been reflecting on that fact that I've spent of about 2 years of my life here altogether....boy has the country changed over those years! When I visited for the first time in the early eighties, I was a high school language student in the colonial town of San Miguel de Allende.  Back then, Mexico was suffering from hyper-inflation and almost nothing was imported, so I experienced deep immersion in the traditional foods and drink of Mexico. It was then that I first tried Tequila, which originated in Mexico and still can only be produced here by international accord. Though many Americans are familiar with the drink, few know much about it's origins in the town of the same name. Even Wikipedia fails to properly explain how it's made, something I hope to find the time to remedy. A more recent discovery on my part is “Agavero” a sweet tequila liqueur that's wonderful on the rocks as an after dinner drink.
Rather than give you the a full account of tequila, for now I'm going to content myself with drinking the stuff along with salt and a nice slice of lime. However, if you must know more, here are a few good resources:
http://www.itequila.org
http://www.tequila.net

Comments:
J.R. Jackson
March 28, 2008

Curious, when visiting San Miguel de Allende do you fly or drive there? If you drive how far from the U.S. border is it and would it be safe to drive my own vehicle?
Thanks for your help,
J.R.
Barnaby Dorfman

I haven't been to San Miguel in over 20 years, so I can't help with specifics. But the town is north of Mexico City and East of Guadalajara, so my guess is about 1,000 miles south of the border of California...closer to Texas. I know lots of folks who drive long distances in Mexico with no trouble, especially in recent years since they've updated the highways.