Tequila & Spirits Magazine * September/October 2018

TEQUILA & SPIRITS MAGAZINE

SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2018

HALLOWEEN & DIA DE LOS MUERTOS TEQUILA & FILMS

PULQUE DRINK OKTOBERFEST

FESTIVAL

POPULAR WORLD FESTIVALS

MAGAZINE

BEVERAGES | WINE | ENTERTAINMENT | TECHNOLOGY | TRAVEL

THE BEVERAGES

WINE

TRAVEL

SPORTS

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LIFESTYLE ENTERTAINMENT

RESTAURANTS

VEHICLES

TECHNOLOGY

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CONTENTS 2 LETTER FROM PUBLISHER

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THE LIFESTYLE

9

OKTOBERFEST

34

HALLOWEEN & DIA DE LOS MUERTOS

50

WINE

AROMAS

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60

PULQUE

INFUSED

DRINK

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WATER

62

POPULAR WORLD FESTIVALS

76

TEQUILA

&

FILMS

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TEQUILA & SPIRITS MAGAZINE

Publisher

Jose Pinedo

Associate Editor Simon Pinedo

Contributors

Anna, Brooke, Natalia, Savannah, Martin, Isabel, Maria, Mike, Anna, David, Debbie, Simon, Ximena, Joe, Jackie, Sara

Advertising sales

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FROM THE PUBLISHER

Welcome, welcome, welcome back to Tequila & Spirits Magazine! Special thanks to all of our subscribers and followers from all over the world. Thank you for your continued support.

We want to be entertaining and informative but above all useful. Inside this issue, you’ll find a mixture of articles such as the history of Pulque. Have you tried it yet? We take you to Oktoberfest; learn about the biggest beer festival in the world.

Many festivals and holidays are approaching in the next couple of months; one in particular is Halloween, celebrated today by more people in more countries than ever before.

Why? Simple, it is fun, you get lots of sweets, and you get to dress up in your favorite costume.

Enjoy the rest of summer along with the September / October 2018 issue of Tequila and Spirits Magazine. Until next time!

Salud Amigos

Sincerely, Jose Pinedo

FESTIVAL

O

ktoberfest (German pronunciation: [ɔktoːbɐfɛst]) is the world’s largest Volksfest (beer festival and travelling funfair). Held annually in Munich, Bavaria, Germany, it is a 16- to 18-day folk festival running from mid or late September to the first weekend in October, with more than 6 million people from around the world attending the event every year. Locally, it is often called the Wiesn, after the colloquial name for the fairgrounds, Theresa’s meadows (Theresienwiese). The Oktoberfest is an important part of Bavarian culture, having been held since the year 1810. Other cities across the world also hold Oktoberfest celebrations that are modeled after the original Munich event.

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During the event, large quantities of Oktoberfest Beer are consumed: during the 16-day festival in 2017, for example, 7.7 million litres (66,000 US bbl) were served.

Visitors also enjoy numerous attractions, such as amusement rides, sidestalls, and games. There is also a wide variety of traditional foods available.

HISTORY

The Munich Oktoberfest originally took place in the 16-day period leading up to the first Sunday in October. In 1994, this longstanding schedule was modified in response to German reunification. As such, if the first Sunday in October falls on the 1st or the 2nd, then the festival would run until 3 October (German Unity Day). Thus, the festival now runs for 17 days when the first Sunday is 2 October and 18 days when it is 1 October. In 2010, the festival lasted until the first Monday in October (4 October), to mark the event’s bicentennial.

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ronprinz Ludwig (1786–1868), later King Ludwig I (reign: 1825– 1848), married Princess Therese of Saxe-Hildburghausen on 12 October 1810. The citizens of Munich were invited to attend the festivities held on the fields in front of the city gates to celebrate the royal event.

The fields were named Theresienwiese (“Theresa’s Meadow”) in honour of the Crown Princess, and have kept that name ever since, although the locals have since abbreviated the name simply to the “Wiesn”. Horse races, in the tradition of the 15thcentury Scharlachrennen (Scarlet Race at Karlstor), were held on 18 October to honor the newlyweds. It is widely understood that Andreas Michael Dall’Armi, a Major in the National Guard, proposed the idea.

However, the origins of the horse races, and Oktoberfest itself, may have stemmed from proposals offered

by Franz Baumgartner, a coachman and Sergeant in the National Guard.

The precise origins of the festival and horse races remain a matter of controversy, however, the decision to repeat the horse races, spectacle, and celebrations in 1811 launched what is now the annual Oktoberfest tradition.

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he fairground, once outside the city, was chosen due to its natural suitability. The Sendlinger Hill (today Theresienhohe) was used as a grandstand for 40,000 race spectators. The festival grounds remained undeveloped except for the king’s tent. The tastings of “Traiteurs� and other wine and beer took place above the visitors in the stands on the hill. Before the race started, a performance was held in homage of the bridegroom and of the royal family in the form of a train of 16 pairs of children dressed in Wittelsbach costumes, and costumes from the then nine Bavarian townships and other regions.

This was followed by the punishing race with 30 horses on a 11,200foot (3,400 meters) long racetrack, and concluded with the singing of a student choir. The first horse to cross the finish line belonged to Franz Baumgartner (one of the purported festival initiators). Horse racing champion and Minister of State Maximilian von Montgelas presented Baumgartner with his gold medal.

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19th Century In 1811, a show was added to promote Bavarian agriculture. In 1813, the festival was canceled due to the involvement of Bavaria in the Napoleonic Wars, after which the Oktoberfest grew from year to year. The horse races were accompanied by tree climbing, bowling alleys, and swings and other attractions.

In 1818, carnival booths appeared; the main prizes awarded were of silver, porcelain, and jewelry. The city fathers assumed responsibility for festival management in 1819, and it was decided that Oktoberfest become an annual event. Later, it was lengthened and the date pushed forward because days are longer and warmer at the end of September. The horse race continued until 1960, and the agricultural show still exists today and is held every four years in the southern part of the festival grounds.

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o honour the marriage of Prince Ludwig and Therese of Saxe-Hildburghausen, a parade took place for the first time in 1810. Since 1850, the parade has become an annual event and an important component of the Oktoberfest. Eight thousand people—mostly from Bavaria—and dressed in traditional costumes walk from Maximilian Street through the centre of Munich to the Oktoberfest grounds. The march is led by the Münchner Kindl.

Since 1850, the statue of Bavaria has watched over the Oktoberfest. This worldly Bavarian patron was first sketched by Leo von Klenze in a classic style and Ludwig Michael Schwanthaler romanticised and “Germanised” the draft.[citation needed] The statue was constructed by Johann Baptist Stiglmaier and Ferdinand von Miller.

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In 1853, the Bavarian Ruhmeshalle was completed. In 1854, the festival was cancelled after 3,000 residents of Munich died during a cholera epidemic. There was no Oktoberfest in 1866 because Bavaria was involved in the Austro-Prussian War. In 1870, the Franco-Prussian War again forced the cancellation of the festival. In 1873, the festival was cancelled due to yet another cholera epidemic. In 1880, electric light illuminated more than 400 booths and tents. In 1881, booths selling bratwurst opened and the first beer was served in glass mugs in 1892.

A t t h e e n d o f t h e 1 9 t h ce n tu ry, a re-organization took place. Until then, there were games of skittles, large dance floors, and trees for climbing in the beer booths.

Organizers wanted more room for guests and musicians which resulted in the booths becoming beer halls which are still used today.

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n 1887, the parade of the Oktoberfest staff and breweries took place for the first time.

This event showcases the splendidly decorated horse teams of the breweries and the bands that play in the festival tents. This event always takes place on the first Saturday of the Oktoberfest and serves as the official prelude to the Oktoberfest celebration.

20th Century At the 100th anniversary of Oktoberfest in 1910, an estimated 120,000 litres of beer were consumed.

Three years later, the “Bräurosl” was founded, which at that time was the largest pavilion to have ever been built, accommodating approximately 12,000 people.

Due to World War I, Oktoberfest was temporarily suspended from 1914 to 1918. The two years after the war, in 1919 and 1920, Oktoberfest was replaced by the so-called “kleineres Herbstfest” (which can be translated as “smaller autumn celebration”), and in 1923 and 1924 the Oktoberfest was canceled due to heavy inflation.

During National Socialism, Oktoberfest was used as part of Nazi propaganda.

In 1933, Jews were forbidden to work on the Wiesn. Two years later, Oktoberfest’s 125th anniversary was celebrated with all the frills. The main event was a big parade.

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The slogan “proud city–cheerful country” was meant to show the alleged overcoming of differences between social classes, and can be seen as an example of the regime’s consolidation of power. In 1938, after Hitler had annexed Austria and won the Sudetenland via the Munich Agreement, Oktoberfest was renamed to “Großdeutsches Volksfest” (German Empire folk festival), and as a showing of strength, the NS-regime transported people from Sudetenland to the Wiesn by the score.

During World War II, from 1939 to 1945, no Oktoberfest was celebrated. Following the war, from 1946 to 1948, Munich celebrated only the “Autumn Fest”. The sale of proper Oktoberfest beer—2% stronger in Gravity than normal beer—was not permitted; guests could only drink normal beer.

Since its foundation, Oktoberfest were not celebrated 24 times.

Beginning in 1950, the festival has always been opened with the same traditional procedure: A twelve-gun salute and the tapping of the first keg of Oktoberfest beer at 12:00 p.m. by the incumbent Mayor of Munich with the proclamation “O’zapft is!” (“It’s tapped!” in the Austro-Bavarian dialect). The Mayor then gives the first litre of beer to the Minister-President of the State of Bavaria. The first mayor to tap a keg was Thomas Wimmer.

Before the festival officially starts, parades are held with the traditional marksmen’s clubs, beer-tent waitresses, and landlords participating.

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ctually, there are two different parades which both end at the Theresienwiese.

They start around 9:45 a.m. to 10.50 am.

During Oktoberfest, some locals wear Bavarian hats (Tirolerhüte), which contain a tuft of chamois hair (Gamsbart). Historically, in Bavaria chamois hair was highly valued and prized. The more tufts of chamois hair on one’s hat, the wealthier one was considered to be. Due to modern technology, this tradition has declined with the appearance of chamois hair imitations on the market.

For medical treatment of visitors, the Bavarian branch of the German Red Cross operates an aid facility and provides emergency medical care on the festival grounds, staffed with around 100 volunteer medics and doctors per day.

They serve together with special detachments of Munich police, the fire department and other municipal authorities in the service centre at the Behördenhof (authorities’ court), a large building specially built for the Oktoberfest at the east side of the Theresienwiese, just behind the tents. There is also a station for lost & found children, a lost property office, a security point for women and other public services.

Since the 1970s, local German gay organizations have organized “Gay Days” at Oktoberfest, which since the 21st century always begin in the Bräurosl tent on the first Sunday.

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Waitress with beers served at Oktoberfest. Wearing a dirndl, a traditional women’s dress of Bavaria.

To keep the Oktoberfest, and especially the beer tents, amicable for the elderly and families, the concept of the “quiet Oktoberfest” was developed in 2005. Until 6:00 pm, the orchestras in the tents only play quiet brass music, for example traditional folk music. Only after that may Schlager pop or electric music be played, which had led to excess violence in earlier years. The music played in the afternoon is limited to 85 Decibels. With these rules, the organisers of the Oktoberfest were able to curb[dubious – discuss] the tumultuous party mentality and preserve the traditional beer-tent atmosphere.

Starting in 2008, a new Bavarian law was passed to ban smoking in all enclosed spaces open to the public.

Because of problems enforcing the anti-smoking law in the big tents, an exception was granted to the Oktoberfest in 2008, although the sale of tobacco was not allowed.

After heavy losses in the 2008 local elections, with the smoking ban being a big issue in political debates, the state’s ruling party implemented general exemptions to beer tents and small pubs.

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he change in regulations was aimed in particular to benefit the large tents of the Oktoberfest: So, smoking in the tents is still legal, but the tents usually have non-smoking areas. The sale of tobacco in the tents is now legal, but is widely boycotted by mutual agreement. However, in early 2010, a referendum held in Bavaria as a result of a popular initiative re-instituted the original, strict, smoking ban of 2008; thus, no beer will be sold to people caught smoking in the tents.

The blanket smoking ban did not take effect until 2011, but all tents instituted the smoking ban in 2010 to do a “dry run� to identify any unforeseeable issues.

The year 2010 marked the 200th anniversary of the Oktoberfest. For the anniversary, a horse race in historical costumes was held on opening day. A so-called historische Wiesn (historical Oktoberfest) took place, starting one day earlier than usual on the southern part of the festival grounds. A specially brewed beer (solely available at the tents of the historical Oktoberfest), horse races, and a museum tent gave visitors an impression of how the event felt two centuries ago.

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On the occasion of the 200th anniversary in 2010 a so-called Historisches Oktoberfest (Historical Oktoberfest) was designed on the site of the Central Agricultural Festival at the south end of the Theresienwiese. It opened one day before the official Oktoberfest with the traditional keg tapping by the Lord Mayor.

The comprehensive five acres of fenced grounds presented historic rides, beer tents and other historical attractions such as a Steckerlfisch grilling, a chain swing and a cotton candy stand.

Included in the price of admission, an animal tent and the racecourse could be visited next to the museum.

The animal tent included, among other things, a petting zoo, and was managed by the Hellabrunn Zoo and the Bavarian Farmers Association. The Munich Stadtmuseum took over the design of the museum tent. The Oktoberfest anniversary was accompanied by an artistic and cultural program, in which for example the Biermösl Blosn (local entertainers) performed.

The bands in the relatively small Herzkasperl Festzelt – offering 850 seats – had to do without electrical amplification.

The six main Munich breweries Augustiner, Hacker-Pschorr, Hofbräu, Löwenbräu, Paulaner and Spaten presented a special exclusively brewed dark beer, which was made after a historic recipe from the early 19th century.

The beer mugs in the beer tents did not have the company logo of the breweries, but rather the inscription “Munich beer”.

Unlike the usual Oktoberfest, the Historic Wiesn closed at 8 pm. Instead of the 300,000 guests estimated by the city council, well over half a million visitors came. The festival site had to be temporarily closed several times due to overcrowding.

According to the Munich City Council Decision on 16 October 2012, the entry fee for the Historical Oktoberfest, now called Oide Wiesn (bavarian for old fairground), in 2013 was to be three euros again. For the first time a re-entry was possible with the tickets.

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ther changes made at that Munich City Council meeting were that the musicians’ tent increased the number of indoor seats from 1000 to 1,500. Outside tent seating increased from 800 to 1,000.

They also supported the Showman Foundation with a contribution of €200,000, so it could run a museum tent, a velodrome, as well as a children’s program. Also in 2013, the total festival area was enlarged and attractive entrances were added.

The story of the entry of the Oktoberfest restaurateurs and breweries for the opening of the Oktoberfest began in 1887, when the then manager, Hans Steyrer, first marched from his meadow to the Tegernseer Landstraße with his staff, a brass band and a load of beer to the Theresienwiese.

In its current form, the parade has taken place since 1935, where all the breweries first took part.

Since then, the parade is led by the Münchner Kindl, followed by the incumbent lord mayor of Munich in the Schottenhammel family carriage since 1950. This is followed by the decorated horse carriages and floats of the breweries and the carriages of the other restaurateurs and showmen.

The music bands from the beer tents accompany the parade.

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n honor of the silver wedding anniversary of King Ludwig I of Bavaria and Princess Therese, a traditional costume parade took place in 1835 for the first time. In 1895, the Bavarian novelist Maximilian Schmidt organized another parade with 1,400 participants in 150 traditional costume groups.

Since 1950, this parade is organized annually and has become one of the highlights of the Oktoberfest and one of the worlds largest parades of its kind. On the first festival Sunday, 8000 participants march in the parade in their historic festival costumes from the Maximilianeum on a seven kilometer stretch to the festival grounds.

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This parade is also led by the MĂźnchner Kindl; followed by notables of the city council and the city administration and the state of Bavaria, usually the minister-president and his wife, traditional costume and rifle clubs, musical bands, marching bands, flagwavers and about 40 carriages with decorated horses and carts. The clubs and groups come mostly out of Bavaria, but also from other German states, Austria, Switzerland, Northern Italy and other European countries.

Beer is one of the oldest and most widely consumed alcoholic drinks in the world, and the third most popular drink overall after water and tea. Beer is brewed from cereal grains—most commonly from malted barley, though wheat, maize (corn), and rice are also used. During the brewing process, fermentation of the starch sugars in the wort produces ethanol and carbonation in the resulting beer. Most modern beer is brewed with hops, which add bitterness and other flavours and act as a natural preservative and stabilizing agent. Other flavouring agents such as gruit, herbs, or fruits may be included or used instead of hops. In commercial brewing, the natural carbonation effect is often removed during processing and replaced with forced carbonation.

Various legal definitions of beer exist in different countries. Historically, the most famous of these was the Reinheitsgebot, which applied to parts of the Holy Roman Empire and Germany and required beer to be made from only water, hops, and barley. Today in Canada, the Canadian Government’s Food and Drug Regulations state that beer must have alcohol content that ranges from 1.1% to 8.6%, though it also includes a stipulation that it could be greater than 8.6% and labeled accordingly.

Beer in South Korea must have less than 25% ABV, which means that it has to be 25 mL of alcohol or less per 100 mL of solution, and can be considered ‘lite’ only if it has less than 30 kcal per 100ml. Additionally, beer in South Korea must use only water, hops, and starches (wheat, rice, barley, corn, or potato) as ingredients in the brewing process. In Singapore, beer must have at minimum 1.0% alcohol by volume concentration at 20 °C. It is often brewed from a mixture of grains like malt, sugars or its equivalent, and hops or other vegetables.

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Top Oktoberfest celebrations around the world

Munich, Germany

www.oktoberfest.de/en

Blumenau, Brasil

www.oktoberfestblumenau.com.br

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18 Light Beers We L O V E

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Kitchener-Waterloo,

Canada

Cincinnati, USA

www.oktoberfest.ca

www.oktoberfestzinzinnati.com

La Crosse, Wisconsin USA www.oktoberfestsusa.com

Pomona, California USA

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www.fairplex.com/oktoberfest

Shanghai, China

Canberra, Australia

Ho Chi Minh City - Vietnam

www.oktoberfestshanghai.com

www.oktoberfestparklands.com.au

www.oktoberfestvietnam.com

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Dablin

www.oktoberfests-dublin.de

Phoenix, Arizona USA

www.tempeoktoberfest.com

Torrance, California USA

www.alpinevillagecenter.com/oktoberfest

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Mt Angel, Oregon USA www.oktoberfest.org

Las Vegas, Nevada USA www.hofbrauhauslasvegas.com

Okinawa, Japan

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Dia de los muertos

By Simon Pinedo

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hat is the relationship between Day of the Dead (Dia de los Muertos), celebrated in Mexico and other countries on November 2nd, and Halloween, celebrated on October 31st? ¿Qué relación existe entre en Día de los muertos que se celebra en México y otros países el 2 de noviembre y el día de Halloween que se celebra el 31 de octubre?

The worship of death was practiced in Mexico approximately 4,800 years ago. The Aztec calendar consists of 18 months and festivals dedicated to death were celebrated 6 times during their year. The two main festivals took place in the ninth monthMiccaihuitontli, which means the festival of the deceased children, and in the tenth month-Hueymicaihuitl, the commemoration of dead adults. In the Christian calendar, All Saints’ Day (November 1st) honors deceased children and adults are commemorated on November 2nd.

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Hace 4,800 años ya se practicaba en México el culto a la muerte. En los 18 meses representados en el calendario Azteca, se distinguen 6 festejos a la muerte, siendo los dos principales el del noveno mes Miccaihuitontli que significa Fiesta de los niños difuntos y la del décimo mes Hueymicaihuitl; la conmemoración de los muertos adultos. ( En el santoral cristiano, el día 1 de Noviembre día de todos los santos, también se conmemora a los niños difuntos; y el 2 de noviembre a los difuntos adultos)

There was no special place for the good or the bad. Life after death was totally dependent on the choice of the gods; the most envied were those who had perished fulfilling the duties that had been entrusted to them at birth. Children who were stillborn went to heaven, where they came from; there was “a milk tree” in heaven that would give these babies eternal food during their eternal childhood.

No había un lugar especial para los buenos o para los malos. La vida después de la muerte dependía totalmente de la elección de los dioses; la suerte más envidiada estaba destinada a quienes habían perecido cumpliendo con los deberes que se les había encargado al nacer. Los niños que nacían muertos se dirigían al cielo decimotercero, de donde procedían, existía en ese cielo “un árbol de leche” que les daría a los niños el alimento eterno, para su eterna infancia.

Warriors killed in battle or on the sacrificial stone became “companions of the eagle,” meaning the sun, and their glorious life consisted of warlike songs and combats.

After four years, they were transformed into hummingbirds and returned to the earth to live among the flowers. The women who died in childbirth also formed a courtship of the sun and also delighted in the songs of war and mock combat. In any case, both men and women had an exceptional destination reserved for their life in the afterlife when they died for the sun.

Los guerreros muertos en batalla o en la piedra de los sacrificados se volvían “acompañantes del águila”, o sea del sol, su vida gloriosa estaba hecha de cantos guerreros y de combates. Al cabo de cuatro años eran transformados en colibríes y volvían a la tierra para vivir entre las flores. Las mujeres muertas en parto también formaban un cortejo del sol y también se deleitaban con los cantos bélicos y simulacros de combate.

En cualquier caso, de hombre o mujer, un destino excepcional estaba reservado para su vida después de la vida, para aquellos que morían para el sol.

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It was believed that the destiny of human beings was to perish, but this was not the end, they would continue living but in another way. Due to the expected trip, the dead were buried with all kinds of objects that could be useful on their way to Mictlán, which was the lower level of the land of the dead.

Se consideraba que el destino de los seres humanos era perecer, pero este no era el final, porque pensaban que seguirían viviendo de otro modo. Debido al esperado viaje, los muertos eran enterrados con toda clase de objetos que pudieran serles de utilidad en su trayecto al Mictlán, que era el nivel inferior de la tierra de los muertos.

The winners of the ball game were also sacrificed. Yes, the winners! Being sacrificed was nothing bad at all, you would go with the gods; it was almost the best thing that could happen to you as was dying when giving birth or in combat.

Los ganadores del juego de pelota también eran sacrificados, si, los ganadores. Porque ser sacrificado no era malo, para nada, ibas con los dioses, era casi lo mejor que te podía pasar junto con morir al dar a luz o morir en el combate.

The popular belief is that the souls of the departed loved ones return from beyond the grave during the Day of the Dead. For this reason, they are welcomed with an offering of their favorite food and drink, fruit, sweet sugar skulls, and toys for the children.

La creencia popular es que las almas de los seres queridos que se fueron regresan de ultratumba durante el Día de Muertos. Por ello, se les recibe con una ofrenda donde se coloca su comida y bebida favorita, fruta, calaveritas de dulce y, si fuese el caso, juguetes para los niños.

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The custom of burying objects, food, and offerings with the dead comes from the belief that when people die they travel to the kingdom of Mictlán and then arrive in Tlalocan (the “sky” of the Aztec culture).

This is why the dead person needs food and water for the trip or candles to light up.

La costumbre de sepultar junto a los muertos objetos, comida y ofrendas nace de la creencia de que cuando mueren las personas viajan al reino de Mictlán y luego llegan a Tlalocan (el “cielo” de la cultura azteca). Por eso el muerto necesita para el viaje –por ejemplo- comida y agua, o veladoras para iluminarse.

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And thus, the objects were placed in the grave and on the altar of the dead. When the time comes for the annual visit to the living - Day of the Dead - copal and cempasuchil flowers are used to mark the path to our ancestors.

De acuerdo a esto, se colocaban los objetos en su tumba y en el altar de muertos. Cuando llega el momento de la visita anual a los vivos -el Día de Muertos- se coloca copal y flores de cempasuchil que servirán para marcar el camino a nuestros antepasados.

Currently, in Mexico and other countries of Central America, Day of the Dead is celebrated by building altars at home in honor of their loved ones, such as a family member or admired public figures. Some families make a special visit to the cemetery where they eat over the grave of their ancestor, accompanied by the soul of the deceased.

Actualmente, en México y en otros países de Centroamérica, el Día de Muertos se festeja poniendo altares en cada casa en honor de los seres queridos de la familia o de personajes públicos admirados. Algunas familias realizan una especial visita al cementerio: comen sobre la sepultura de su antepasado, acompañados por el alma de su difunto.

During these two unique days of the year, the souls of the dead are allowed to return to the world of the living to reunite with their loved ones once again. The Day of the Dead is a welcome home party for those whom we love but are no longer with us.

Estos dos únicos días del año, las almas de los muertos tienen permiso para volver al mundo de los vivos y acercarse nuevamente a sus seres queridos. El Día de los Muertos es por esto una verdadera fiesta de bienvenida para aquellos que se aman y ya no están con nosotros..

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These traditions were combined with the Catholic culture when the Spaniards arrived in the Mexica territory. Missionaries, in their eagerness to evangelize the natives, realized that the Aztecs celebrated death; similarly, in Europe and the Christian world there was also a feast which celebrated all saints and the deceased. They realized that this was a very clever way by which to catechize and unite both the Aztec and Christian festivities. And so on November 1st, All Saints Day is especially dedicated to all the children who have died and on the 2nd of November all adults are celebrated as they would be in the Aztec culture. The Church celebrated this day liturgically, with mass and rosaries. The Indians began to attend the Christian liturgical acts, but their traditions of celebrating their dead according to their customs, beliefs, and traditions also became popular. And this is how it came about, Day of the Dead as we know it today.

Todo esto se combinó con la cultura católica cuando los españoles llegaron al territorio mexica; los misioneros en su afán de evangelizar a los nativos, se dieron cuenta que los aztecas celebraban esta festividad a sus muertos, viendo que de forma similar, en Europa y el mundo cristiano también había una fiesta dentro del santoral en el que se celebraba el día de todos los santos y el día de los difuntos; se dan cuenta que esta es una forma muy atinada para catequizar y unen las dos festividades la Azteca y la cristiana, surgiendo así el Primero de Noviembre el día de todos los santos especialmente dedicado a todos los niños que habían muerto, y el día 2 de noviembre dedicado a todos los difuntos, lo que para la cultura azteca sería le celebración de los muertos adultos. La Iglesia celebraba este día litúrgicamente, con misa y rosarios. Los indígenas comenzaron a asistir a los actos litúrgicos cristianos, pero también tomó gran auge sus tradiciones de festejar a sus muertos de acuerdo a sus costumbres, creencias y tradiciones. Y así es como surge, el día de muertos tal como lo conocemos hoy en día.

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Happy Halloween

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Dia de los Muertos

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Along with these celebrations there is yet another, Halloween. It is rooted in many countries, including the United States and Europe, and little by little in Mexico. Just as Day of the Dead was mixed with Aztec customs and traditions, so is Halloween.

Junto con esta celebración existe otra, también muy arraigada en muchos países tanto en Estados Unidos como Europa, y poco a poco, introduciéndose también en México, me refiero al día de Halloween.

On October 31, one day before All Saints’ Day, some countries begin the celebration.

What we know today as Halloween is actually a holiday that has its origins in the Catholic religion, a fact that is not very well known.

Halloween (All Hallows’ Eve) means the “eve of all saints” in Spanish. In some countries, the festivities began on the eve before All Saints’ Day and not at dawn. Over the years, it has been given other characteristics, and so it is also known as night of the dead, night of witches, or eve of the deceased; the result of a syncretism originated by the Christianization of the end of summer party of Celtic origin called Samaín.

Así como el día de muertos se mezcló con las costumbres y tradiciones aztecas, el 31 de Octubre, un día antes de todos los santos, en algunos países se celebraba ya desde la tarde anterior el día de todos los santos. Lo que hoy conocemos como Halloween en realidad es una festividad que tiene sus orígenes en la religión católica, que estoy seguro muchos ignoran este dato, pues Halloween ( All Hallow Eve) significa en español “Víspera de todos los santos”. En algunos países, las festividades o el día comenzaba en la tarde anterior al día y no al amanecer. Con el paso de los años se le ha ido dando otras vertientes, y así que también se le conoce como Noche de muertos, o noche de brujas o víspera de difuntos, resultado de un sincretismo originado por la cristianización de la fiesta del fin de verano de origen celta llamada Samaín.

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The ancient Celts believed that the line connecting this world with the other world was narrowing with the arrival of Samain, allowing spirits (both benevolent and malevolent) to pass through. Ancestors were invited and honored while the harmful spirits were far away. It is believed that the use of costumes and masks was due to the need to scare away evil spirits. Its purpose was to adopt the appearance of an evil spirit to avoid being harmed.

Los antiguos celtas creían que la línea que une a este mundo con el Otro Mundo se estrechaba con la llegada del Samain, permitiendo a los espíritus (tanto benévolos como malévolos) pasar a través.

Los ancestros familiares eran invitados y homenajeados mientras que los espíritus dañinos eran alejados. Se cree que el uso de trajes y máscaras se debe a la necesidad de ahuyentar a los espíritus malignos. Su propósito era adoptar la apariencia de un espíritu maligno para evitar ser dañado.

In 1840, this festivity arrived in the United States and Canada, where it was strongly rooted. However, it did not begin to be massively celebrated until 1921. That year the first Halloween parade was held in Minnesota and then other states followed.

The holiday acquired a progressive popularity in the decades that followed.

En 1840 esta festividad llegó a Estados Unidos y Canadá, donde quedó fuertemente arraigada.

Sin embargo, la fiesta no comenzó a celebrarse masivamente hasta 1921. Ese año se celebró el primer desfile de Halloween en Minnesota y luego le siguieron otros estados. La fiesta adquirió una progresiva popularidad en las siguientes décadas.

The internationalization of Halloween occurred in the late 1970s and early 1980s thanks to film and television. In 1978, the movie Halloween, by John Carpenter, premiered in the United States and throughout the world. The film set on the Eve of All Saints was a reference for horror films, with innumerable sequels and imitations.

La internacionalización de Halloween se produjo a finales de los años 1970 y principios de los 1980 gracias al cine y a las series de televisión. En 1978, se estrenaba en Estados Unidos y en el mundo entero Halloween, de John Carpenter; una película ambientada en la víspera de Todos los Santos que supuso una referencia para el cine de terror; con innumerables secuelas e imitaciones.

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Thanks to the enormous commercial deployment and publicity engendered in American cinema, Halloween’s popularity continues to this day. The image of American children scampering through dark streets disguised as goblins, ghosts, and witches, asking for tricks or treats from the inhabitants of a dark and quiet neighborhood, has been recorded in the mind of many people.

Undoubtedly, the Day of the Dead festival and Halloween have a great relationship that emerged at the same time and hand in hand, although today we see them as antagonistic festivities.

El hecho de que esta fiesta haya llegado hasta nuestros días es, en cierta medida, gracias al enorme despliegue comercial y la publicidad engendrada en el cine estadounidense. La imagen de niños norteamericanos correteando por las oscuras calles disfrazados de duendes, fantasmas y demonios, pidiendo dulces y golosinas a los habitantes de un oscuro y tranquilo barrio, ha quedado grabada en la mente de muchas personas.

Sin lugar a duda la festividad de Día de Muertos y el día de Halloween tienen una gran relación y surgieron al mismo tiempo y de la mano, aunque hoy en día los veamos como festividades antagónicas.

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WINE AROMAS

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S

angiovese is a red Italian wine grape variety that derives its name from the Latin sanguis Jovis, “the blood of Jupiter”. Though it is the grape of most of central Italy from Romagna down to Lazio, Campania and Sicily, outside Italy it is most famous as the only component of Brunello di Montalcino and Rosso di Montalcino and the main component of the blend Chianti, Carmignano, Vino Nobile di Montepulciano and Morellino di Scansano, although it can also be used to make varietal wines such as Sangiovese di Romagna and the modern “Super Tuscan” wines like Tignanello.

Sangiovese was already well known by the 16th century. Recent DNA profiling by José Vouillamoz of the Istituto Agrario di San Michele all’Adige suggests that Sangiovese’s ancestors are Ciliegiolo and Calabrese Montenuovo. The former is well known as an ancient variety in Tuscany, the latter is an almost-extinct relic from the Calabria, the toe of Italy. At least fourteen Sangiovese clones exist, of which Brunello is one of the best regarded. An attempt to classify the clones into Sangiovese grosso (including Brunello) and Sangiovese piccolo families has gained little evidential support.

SANGIOVESE- Aromas of Cherry, blackberry, raspberry, hay, juniper, vanilla bean, chilli, coffee, dark chocolate, licorice, cedar, graphite * Italy

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Young Sangiovese has fresh fruity flavours of strawberry and a little spiciness, but it readily takes on oaky, even tarry, flavours when aged in barrels. While not as aromatic as other red wine varieties such as Pinot noir, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Syrah, Sangiovese often has a flavour profile of sour red cherries with earthy aromas and tea leaf notes. Wines made from Sangiovese usually have medium-plus tannins and high acidity.

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inotage is a red wine grape that is South Africa’s signature variety.

It was bred there in 1925 as a cross between Pinot noir and Cinsaut (Cinsaut was known as “Hermitage” in South Africa at that time, hence the portmanteau name). It typically produces deep red varietal wines with smoky, bramble and earthy flavors, sometimes with notes of bananas and tropical fruit, but has been criticized for sometimes smelling of acetone. Pinotage is often blended, and also made into fortified wine and even red sparkling wine. The grape is a viticultural intraspecific cross of two varieties of Vitis vinifera, not an interspecific hybrid.

PINOTAGE -(red) Aromas of blackberry, black currant, banana, black cherry, blueberry, bell pepper, rosemary, clove, juniper, black pepper, bay laurel, anise, coffee, tobacco * South Africa

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PINOTAGE

FURMINT- Aromas of Pineapple, apple, apricot, pear, peanut, dried fig, kumquat, orange peel, ivy, fennel, cardamom, white pepper * Hungarian

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urmint is a white Hungarian wine grape variety that is most noted widely grown in the Tokaj-Hegyalja wine region where it is used to produce single-varietal dry wines as well as being the principal grape in the better known Tokaji dessert wines. It is also grown in the tiny Hungarian wine region of SomlĂł. Furmint plays a similar role in the Slovakian wine region of Tokaj. It is also grown in Austria where it is known as Mosler. Smaller plantings are found in Slovenia where it is known as Ĺ ipon. The grape is also planted in Croatia where it is known as Moslavac. It is also found in Romania and in former republics of the Soviet Union. Furmint is a late ripening variety.

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ortese is a white Italian wine grape variety predominantly grown in the southeastern regions of Piedmont in the provinces of Alessandria and Asti. It is the primary grape of the Denominazione di origine controllata (DOC) wines of Cortese dell’Alto Monferrato and Colli Tortonesi as well as the Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita (DOCG) wine of Cortese di Gavi. Significant plantings of Cortese can also be found in the Lombardy region of Oltrepò Pavese and in the DOC white blends of the Veneto wine region of Bianco di Custoza.

Cortese has a long history in Italian viticulture with written documentation naming the grape among the plantings in a Piedmontese vineyard as early as 1659. The grape’s moderate acidity and light flavors has made it a favorite for the restaurants in nearby Genoa as a wine pairing with the local seafood caught off the Ligurian coast.

Cortese (white) Aromas of pear, lemon, lime, cantaloupe, mint, pear, mango, lychee * Italy

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CORTESE

CHENIN BLANC - Aromas of bitter orange, walnut, apple, apricot, pear, lemon balm, ginger, cinnamon, curry, clove, dried oyster * France

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henin blanc (known also as Pineau de la Loire among other names) is a White wine grape variety from the Loire Valley of France. Its high acidity means it can be used to make everything from sparkling wines to well-balanced dessert wines, although it can produce very bland, neutral wines if the vine’s natural vigor is not controlled. Outside the Loire it is found in most of the New World wine regions; it is the most widely planted variety in South Africa, where it is also known as Steen.

The grape may have been one of the first to be grown in South Africa by Jan van Riebeeck in 1655, or it may have come to that country with Huguenots fleeing France after the revocation of the Edict of Nantes in 1685. Chenin blanc was often misidentified in Australia as well, so tracing its early history in the country is not easy.

It may have been introduced in James Busby’s collection of 1832, but C. Waterhouse was growing Steen at Highercombe in Houghton, South Australia, by 1862.

CHENIN BLANC SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2018 | 57

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DOMINA - Aromas of Blackberry, cherry, green pepper, licorice, coffee * Germany

D

omina is a dark-skinned variety of grape used for red wine. It was created

by German viticulturalist Peter Morio at the Geilweilerhof Institute for Grape Breeding in the Palatinate in 1927 by crossing the varieties Blauer Portugieser and Pinot noir (known in Germany as Spätburgunder).

Work on the variety was the continued by Bernhard Husfeld at the same institute in the 1950s. The variety received protection and was released for general cultivation in 1974.

In 2006, there were 395 hectares (980 acres) of Domina in Germany, with an increasing trend. Domina plantings are primarily found in Franconia. Domina wines are dark red and rich in tannin. In Belgium, it is authorised for AOCs : Hageland and Haspengouw.

Domina gives high yields and is not very demanding with respect to vineyard conditions.

It ripens later than its parent Blauer Portugieser but earlier than its parent Pinot noir. Domina wines are full-bodied and have a deep colour, but are not considered as elegant as Germangrown Spätburgunder.

DOMINA

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Infused

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Water

Recipes

Strawberry, Kiwi & Lime Infused Water • • • • • • •

Ice 1 kiwi, peeled and cut into slices 2 strawberries, hulled and cut into slices 1/2 lime, cut into slices Sparkling or regular water

Raspberry & Mint Infused Water • • • •

Ice 1/4 cup fresh raspberries 1/4 cup fresh mint leaves Sparkling or regular water

Fill a glass, bottle, pitcher or carafe with ice, lemon, and lime. Fill to top Fill a glass, bottle, pitcher or carafe with ice, with water. Enjoy immediately. kiwi, strawberries, and lime. Fill to top with Refill with more water and ice until water. Enjoy immediately. Refill with more fruit flavor is gone. water and ice until fruit flavor is gone.

Lemon & Lime Infused Water • • • •

Ice 1/2 lemon, cut into slices 1/2 lime, cut into slices Sparkling or regular water

Fill a glass, bottle, pitcher or carafe with ice, lemon, and lime. Fill to top with water.

Enjoy immediately. Refill with more water and ice until fruit flavor is gone.

Cucumber & Mint Infused Water • • • •

Ice 1/4 cucumber, cut into slices 1/4 cup fresh mint leaves Sparkling or regular water

Fill a glass, bottle, pitcher or carafe with ice, cucumber, and mint. Fill to top with water. Enjoy immediately. Refill with more water and ice until fruit flavor is gone.

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PULQUE

ulque [ p u l k e ] (occasionally referred to as agave wine is an alcoholic beverage made from the fermented sap of the maguey (agave) plant.

It is traditional to central Mexico, where it has been produced for millennia. It has the color of milk, somewhat viscous consistency and a sour yeast-like taste.

The drink’s history extends far back into the Mesoamerican period, when it was considered sacred, and its use was limited to certain classes of people. After the Spanish Conquest of Mexico, the drink became secular and its consumption rose. The consumption of pulque reached its peak in the late 19th century. In the 20th century, the drink fell into decline, mostly because of competition from beer, which became more prevalent with the arrival of European immigrants. There are some efforts to revive the drink’s popularity through tourism.

Pulque is a milk-colored, somewhat viscous liquid that produces a light foam. It is made by fermenting the sap of certain types of maguey (agave) plants. In contrast, mezcal is made from the cooked heart of certain agave plants, and tequila, a variety of mezcal, is made all or mostly from the blue agave. About six varieties of maguey are best used for the production of pulque.

The name pulque is derived from Nahuatl.

The original name of the drink was iztāc octli (white pulque), the term pulque was probably mistakenly derived by the Spanish from the octli poliuhqui, which meant “spoiled pulque”.

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DRINK

THE HISTORY

PULQUE

is a milk-colored alcoholic beverage

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The Maguey Plant

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he maguey plant, also called a “century plant” in English, is native to Mexico. It grows best in the cold, dry climates of the rocky central highlands to the north and east of Mexico City, especially in the states of Hidalgo and Tlaxcala. Maguey has been cultivated at least since 200 CE in Tula, Tulancingo and Teotihuacan, and wild plants have been exploited for far longer. The plant historically has had a number of uses. Fibers can be extracted from the thick leaves to make rope or fabric, its thorns can be used as needles or punches and the membrane covering the leaves can be used as paper or for cooking.

The name maguey was given by the Spanish, who picked it up from the Taíno. This is still its common name in Spanish, with Agave being its scientific generic or technical name.

The Nahuatl name of the plant is metl.

Maguey flowers

The manufacturing process of pulque is complex and required the death of the maguey plant. As the plant nears maturity, the center begins to swell and elongate as the plant gathers stored sugar to send up a single flower stalk, which may reach up to 20 feet in height. However, plants destined for pulque production have this flower stalk cut off, leaving a depressed surface 12-18 inches in diameter. In this center, the maguey sap, known as aguamiel (honeywater), collects. It takes a maguey plant 12 years to mature enough to produce the sap for pulque.

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Mythological Origins

ulque has been drunk for at least 1,000 years, and its origins are the subject of various stories and myths. Most involve Mayahuel, the goddess of the maguey. It was thought that the aguamiel collecting in the center of the plant was her blood. Other deities, such as the Centzon Totochtin (400 rabbits) are associated with it, by representing the drink’s effects, and are the children of Mayahuel.

Another version involving Mayahuel has her as a mortal woman who discovered how to collect aguamiel but someone named Pantecatl [pantekat] discovered how to make pulque.

According to another story, pulque was discovered by the Tlacuache [takatʃe] (opossum), who used his human-like hands to dig into the maguey and extract the naturally fermenting juice. He became the first drunk. Tlacuache was thought to set the course of rivers. The rivers he set were generally straight except when he was drunk.

Then they follow Tlacuache’s meandering path from cantina to cantina.

Pre-Hispanic period

Another account traces the discovery of aguamiel to the Toltec Empire, when a noble named Papantzin was trying to get the emperor to marry his daughter Xochitl.

He sent her to the capital with an offering of aguamiel, honey of the agave plant. The emperor and princess wed, and their son was named Meconetzin [mekonetsin] (maguey son). In other versions of the story, Xochitl is credited with discovering pulque.

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A tlachiquero collecting maguey juice with a acocote

The maguey was one of the most sacred and important plants in ancient Mexico.

It had a privileged place in mythology, religious rituals and the Mesoamerican economy. Pulque appears in a number of graphic representations from pre-colonial times, beginning with stone carvings from about 200 CE. The first major work involving pulque is a large mural called the “Pulque Drinkers”, unearthed in 1968 at the pyramid of Cholula, Puebla. The most likely means of the discovery of aguamiel and fermented pulque was from the observation of rodents who gnaw and scratch at the plant to drink the seeping sap. Fermentation of the aguamiel can take place within the plant itself.

For the indigenous peoples of the central highlands of Mexico, the imbibing of pulque was done only by certain people, under certain conditions. It was a ritual drink, consumed during certain festivals, such as that of the goddess Mayahuel, and the god Mixcoatl. It was drunk by priests and sacrificial victims, to increase the priests’ enthusiasm and to ease the suffering of the victim. There are many references in Aztec codices, such as the Borbonicus Codex, of pulque’s use by nobility and priesthood to celebrate victories. Among commoners, it was permitted only to the elderly and pregnant women. Production of pulque was ritualized and the brewers were superstitious. They would abstain from sex during the fermentation period because they believed that sexual intercourse would sour the process.

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The discovery of pulque by nineteenth-century Mexican painter José Obregón

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fter the Conquest, pulque lost its sacred character, and both indigenous and Spanish people began to drink it. The Spanish initially made no laws regarding its use. It became a lucrative source of tax revenue, but by 1672, public drunkenness had become enough of a problem that the viceregal government created regulations to curtail its consumption. A maximum of 36 “pulquerias” were permitted for Mexico City, which had to be located in open areas, be without doors and close at sundown. Food, music, dancing and the co-mingling of the sexes was prohibited. However, pulque continued to play a major role in the socioeconomic history of Mexico during colonial times and in the early years of Independence. Through this period, it was the fourth largest source of tax revenue. At the end of the 17th century, the Jesuits began large-scale production of the drink to finance its educational institutions. In this way, the making of pulque passed from being a home-made brew to one commercially produced.

The casta system of racial hierarchy was created in Spanish America for elites to classify individuals into groups based on phenotype and perceived social class, and give them characteristics that were supposedly inherent to their group.

Often artists portrayed mixed-race castas.

This form of Mexican art portrayed castas in settings that were typical of their social group. The portrayal of pulque was used to show polarization between different castas. Before the Spanish colonization of the Americas, pulque was used for religious ceremonies in Mesoamerica. After the arrival of the Spanish, consumption was widespread among Indigenous Americans and mixed-race castas. This led to many social problems including sexual crimes and violence within the population.

In casta painting, pulque depicted situations the Europeans saw as characteristic of the castas they portrayed. Some of these paintings incorporated images of indigenous Americans and Africans as drunk with bottles appearing in the scenes. This is a reason that “shortly after the conquests, colonial officials declared pulque abuse and Indian drunkenness a major concern and committed themselves to addressing its impacts on society.” As a result, some casta painters depicted different castas safely consuming and selling pulque. Other casta painters depicted Indigenous Americans intoxicated in the streets, and incapacitated which as a result required their families to escort them home. Casta painting was used as a method of social commentary on the destructive use of pulque in everyday society. As the Spanish attempted to crack down on pulque, some casta painters depicted indigenous Americans in safe environments where even children were able to consume pulque. The paintings were meant to show that Spanish regulation was effective in controlling the consumption and distribution of pulque in the colonial period.

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roduction of pulque exploded after Independence, when the regulation of pulque producers ended, and Mexican nationalism increased.

From then until the 1860s, pulque haciendas multiplied, especially in Hidalgo and Tlaxcala states. In 1866, the first railway between Veracruz and Mexico City began operations, crossing through Hidalgo. This line was soon known as the “Pulque Train” because it brought supplies of the drink daily to the capital. This production and easy shipment of the drink made Hidalgo rich, and gave rise to a “pulque aristocracy” made up of some of the most powerful families of this time: Torres Adalid, Pimenta y Fagoaga, Macedo and others. At its peak, there were about 300 pulque haciendas.

Some still remain in the plains of Apan and Zempoala, in Hidalgo. Pulque hit its peak of popularity during the late 19th century, when it was enjoyed by rich and poor alike. As late as 1953, Hidalgo and Tlaxcala still obtained 30 and 50% respectively of their total revenues from pulque. This has diminished since then since irrigation, roads and other infrastructure has made possible other, more lucrative enterprises.

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The production process is long and delicate.

The maguey plant needs 12 years of maturation before the sap, or aguamiel, can be extracted, but a good plant can produce for up to one year. This aguamiel can be drunk straight, but it is alcoholic only after a fermentation process that can start in the plant itself. This liquid is collected twice a day from the plant, yielding about five or six liters per day. Today, this liquid is collected with a steel scoop, but in the past, an elongated gourd was used as a tube to suck the juice out. Between gatherings, the plant’s leaves are bent over the center where the juice collects to keep out bugs and dirt. This center is regularly scraped out to keep the plant’s production of sap active. Most maguey plants produce this aguamiel for about four to six months before they finally die. Some plants can yield up to 600 L of pulque.

The collected juice is placed into 50-liter barrels and carried from the field to the fermentation vats. These vats, called tinas, are located in a special building called a tinacal. This word derives from Spanish tina and Nahuatl calli that means house of vats. When pulque haciendas reached their peak in the late 19th century, hacienda life revolved around these tinacals. It typically was a rectangular shed of stone with a wooden roof. The upper parts of the walls opened for air circulation and the façades were sometimes decorated with indigenous designs or other images associated with the making of pulque. One popular motif was the discovery of pulque by Xochitl. Other popular elements were the images of the hacienda’s patron saint and the Virgin of Guadalupe. Inside were the vats, which were cowhide stretched over wooden frames lined up against the walls. In larger tinacals, there were three or four rows of vats.

Today, the tinas are made of oak, plastic or fiberglass and hold about 1,000 liters each.

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fter placing the juice in the fermentation vats, mature seed pulque (semilla or xanaxtli) is added to “jump start” the process.

Unlike beer, the fermenting agent present in pulque is a bacterium of the species Zymomonas mobilis (syn. Thermobacterium mobile rather than yeast. Those in charge of the fermentation process guard their trade secrets, passing them on from father to son. Fermentation takes from seven to 14 days, and the process seems to be more art than science. A number of factors can affect fermenting pulque, such as temperature, humidity and the quality of the aguamiel.

The process is complex and delicate, and can go sour at any point. For this reason, and perhaps due to its ancient “sacred” character, there are rituals and prohibitions. Religious songs and prayers may be offered, and women, children and strangers are not allowed inside the tinacal.

Other superstitions include those against eating canned fish and wearing a hat inside the tinacal. The first is claimed to cause a bad taste in the pulque and the second is considered bad luck. To cleanse the bad luck, the offender must fill the hat with pulque and drink it down.

Just before the peak of fermentation, the pulque is quickly shipped to market in barrels.

The fermentation process is continuous, so the pulque must be consumed within a certain time before it spoils.

Red maguey worms known as “Chilocuiles”

The red maguey worms are known as chilocuiles, chinicuiles or tecoles, and are the larvae of the moth Comadia redtenbacheri.

These infest the core and roots of the maguey plant, often in a glutenous mass. Along with agave snout weevil larvae (mezcal worm), red maguey worms are one of the types of gusanos found in bottles of mezcal liquor from the Mexican state of Oaxaca.

The white maguey worms, known as meocuiles, are caterpillars of a butterfly commonly named “tequila giant skipper,” Aegiale hesperiaris.

Aegiale hesperiaris is found usually in regions of Central Mexico, on the leaves of Family Agavaceae plants, such as: Agave tequilana and Agave americana (maguey). They are not found on cacti, as is often erroneously reported. Aegiale hesperiaris butterflies deposit their eggs at the heart of the leaves of agaves. The larvae then eat the flesh of the agave stems and roots, sometimes boring out the agave completely.

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M

ost pulque is consumed in bars called pulquerías. At the beginning of the 20th century, more than 1,000 were located in Mexico City alone. By the early 20th century, pulquerías became socially accepted, and some were places of great elegance. But whether for rich or poor, two features stood out among these establishments: odd or catchy names, and murals decorating the walls.

Names included (translated) “My Office”, “Memories of the Future”, “Drink and Go”, “I’m Waiting for You Here at the Corner”, and, across the street from the National Chamber of Deputies, “The Recreation Center of Those Across the Street”. Diego Rivera once said one of the most important manifestations of Mexican painting was the murals that decorated the facades and interiors of pulquerías. One tradition maintained at all pulquerias at the beginning of the 20th century was to put sawdust on the floor. The tradition at that time was to begin a pulque-drinking session by spilling a little on the floor or ground as an offering to Mother Earth. Traditional pulquerías tend to be like clubs with closed membership, with casual visitors ignored or sometimes stared at. Frequent visits and large consumption of the drink tends to win acceptance.

While some establishments may forbid women, it is much more common for the establishment to provide a separate seating area for them. Intermingling of the sexes is not permitted. In the more rural areas of Hidalgo and Tlaxcala, where most pulque is made, the pulque is fresher and better.

A vendor usually displays a white flag over the door when a fresh shipment has arrived.

Traditionally, pulque is served from large barrels on ice. and served into glasses, using a jicara, which is a half of a calabash tree gourd. The bartender is called a jicarero. In a pulquería, cruzado, meaning something like “bottoms up”, is a frequent salute.

PULQUERIAS

Drinking glasses have colorful names and can reflect a customer’s ability to drink pulque.

Large two-liter glasses are called macetas (flower pots), one-liter glasses are called cañones (cannons), half–liters are called chivitos (little goats), quarter-liter glasses are catrinas (dandies), and eighth-liter glasses are tornillos (screws). Traditionally, these glasses are made from a greenish, hand blown glass. Pulque can be drunk straight from the barrel or can have a number of additives, such as fruit or nuts, added. Pulque prepared this way is called curado or cured.

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tequilaspirits

tequilaandspirits

Pulque flavors - Straberry, Coconut, Walnut & Natural

One of the limitations to pulque’s popularity has been the inability to store it for long periods or ship it far. Recently, pulque makers have found a way to preserve the beverage in cans. However, they admit this does change the flavor. The hope is that with this innovation, pulque can regain its lost market in Mexico and even achieve success as an export item, like tequila. It is already being offered in the United States.

Health Benefits There is a saying that pulque “sólo le falta un grado para ser carne” – “it is only a bit shy of being meat”, referring to the nutritional value of the drink. This was recognized by the Mesoamericans, who allowed pregnant women and the elderly to imbibe what was normally reserved only for priests and nobility. Modern analysis of the liquid has found that it contains carbohydrates, vitamin C, B-complex, D, E, amino acids and minerals such as iron and phosphorus.

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POPULAR WORLD FESTIVALS

H

ave you ever being at a festival that you wish it will never end. The following festivals with their cultures have created rituals and public spectacles that range from intimate to extremely open. Either way, one thing can be said for sure: festivals are fun, unique, and exciting. Below, we are going to talk about the top popular world festivals.

Mardi Gras, United States Every year in New Orleans around February, a two-week festival takes place and it parades “queens” and “kings” who dress in garish floats that are called “krewes”. These krewes will throw trinkets into large crowds, usually for the women who show their bodies. The 76 | TEQUILAANDSPIRITS.COM

idea behind Mardi Gras is to let loose and release your inhibitions. The day after is called “Ash Wednesday and the day after that “Fat Tuesday”.

CARNAVAL, BRAZIL In Rio De Janerio in early February every year, millions of people come to witness and be a part of Carnaval. It is basically a four-day long event that has festivities and involves groups trying to see who can beat each other and

earn the title of “best samba school”. At this festival, you’ll usually see a fair share of women and flashy boats. The “Masquerade Ball” is breathtaking and this is where you dress to impress.

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Kanamara Matsuri, Japan Kanamara Matsuri (otherwise known as the “Penis Festival” or “Festival of the Steel Phallus”) is an annual festival held in early April at Kanayama Shrine in Kawasaki. It started in 1978 and, amusingly, the festival had a much quieter existence until people began uploading YouTube videos of a huge, phallic structure

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being carried down the road and foreigners both in Japan and abroad caught wind of this remarkably unusual celebration. Today, about 30,000 attend the event with foreigners making up a good portion of this number.

II Palio, Italy Every year in July and August in Italy, this heart-stopping event occurs in Italy and even involves a huge horse race. This race typically lasts around 90 seconds and most of the other days are packed with major-league carousing.

The races typically involve a horse being

represented by 17 different neighborhoods and you will often see riders falling to the groundso don’t be surprised when this happens. But it doesn’t matter who wins because the festival is filled with food and alcohol and everybody has fun who attends.

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Semana Santa, Guatemala

by Jesus Christ himself. While it may seem like an odd tradition, it is something that takes place every year in Guatemala. The amount of passion during these meeting’s would even make an atheist’s jaw drop.

Photo by Luis Toribio

Imagine statues of Jesus being paraded through the streets that are laid with pines, fruits, and flowers. Also imagine that this street is almost a mile long and re-enacts the actually walking that was believed to have been taken

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Diwali, India On October or November of every year, a fiveday festival known as Diwali occurs. It invites all religions and creeds and is basically an event that is designed to celebrate the triumph over evil. Homes are sprayed with cleaners, people

purchase new sets of clothes, and a large amount of firecrackers are periodically set off without warning. On top of it all, sweets are exchanged as the noise-levels dramatically rise throughout this period.

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Burning Man, United States Every year in Nevada around August or September, a week-long spectacle called Burning Man will attract up to 30,000 people for an event that is like no other. What is Burning Man? It can really be difficult to put a label on it but this “City of Art� has a unique theme that often attracts very weird gizmos and gadgets. You are not allowed to sell anything at this event except for the

special outlets that focus on selling food and beverages. Friendly bartering between these things is recommended here and for about $300, you can become a part of it. The entire ceremony ends with the burning of a giant Wicker Man.

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La Tomatina, Spain

On the last Wednesday in August every year, Spain hosts a festival that lasts for a week and brings in approximately 200,000 pounds of tomatoes? Why you ask would there but such a need for so many of these? Well, they are used for diving into as well as hurling at each

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other once everyone has worked up a good buzz. At the end of the festival, you’ll usually see a street that is painted red and left with the remains of hundreds of thousands of tomatoes.

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Noche De Los Rabanos, Mexico On December 23rd of every year, Mexico hosts another popular event that is called “The Night of the Radishes�. As funny as the name sounds, it is a huge festival that attracts millions of people. It was originally brought around in

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the 16th century and has been around ever since. Today, this event incorporates all kinds of contests and the rewards are what you may guess: radishes. In some cases, cash prizes as well as respect is awarded too.

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Dia De Muertos, Mexico On November 1st and 2nd of every year, Mexico hosts an event which is known as “The Day of the Dead� in English. The two days associated with this festival involves tons of food and drinks, people in skeleton suites, and non-stop parties with bands performing near

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gravesites. Sure it may sound disrespectful, but Dia De Muertos has been around for a long time and destroys taboos all around the earth as it celebrates death and focus on life after it. It is a rare festival and a must-see for unique event goers.

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Tequila

&

Films

By Simon Pinedo

Back in the 1930s, the prohibition of liquor in the United States made it difficult to import European drinks. As a result, tequila seized the opportunity and entered the American market, increasing its popularity among thirsty consumers beyond the Rio Grande.

En la década de 1930, la prohibición del licor en los Estados Unidos dificultaba la importación de bebidas europeas. Como resultado, el tequila aprovechó la oportunidad y entró en el mercado estadounidense, aumentando su popularidad entre los consumidores sedientos más allá del Río Grande.

During the 1930s and 1940s, the film and music industry also contributed to the popularity of tequila in Mexico and beyond its borders. This brought about a false stereotype of Mexican habits. During this era, the charro, mariachi, and of course tequila became inseparable elements.

Durante los años 30s y 40s, el cine y la música contribuyeron a esta popularidad del tequila en México y más allá de las fronteras. Esto debido a la creación de un estereotipo falso del hacer de los mexicanos. Durante estos años, el charro, el mariachi, Jalisco y por supuesto el tequila fueron elementos inseparables.

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The cinema also managed to gradually change the stereotype that tequila was only for men, because in the movies women also drank tequila.

El cine también logró cambiar gradualmente el estereotipo de que el tequila era solo para hombres, porque en las películas las mujeres también bebían tequila.

We have to point out that in Hollywood movies, as in Mexican cinema, tequila is portrayed as the drink of choice when the most daring seek a needed burst of courage.

Tenemos que señalar que en las películas de Hollywood, como en el cine mexicano, el tequila se presenta como la bebida preferida cuando los más atrevidos buscan el coraje necesario.

There are few modern Mexican films where some form of alcohol such as tequila is not included. And the fact is that it will always be included in the real world. During Mexico’s “golden cinema” era, a charro accompanied by a bottle of tequila and the music of mariachi became cultural icons that helped spread the fame of this drink throughout Mexico and abroad.

Hay pocas películas mexicanas modernas en las que no se incluya alguna forma de alcohol como el tequila. Y el hecho es que siempre estará incluido en el mundo real.

Durante la era del “cine dorado” de México, un charro acompañado de una botella de tequila y la música de mariachi se convirtieron en íconos culturales que ayudaron a difundir la fama de esta bebida en todo México y en el extranjero.

Luis Aguilar and Pedro Infante

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Little by little, tequila became part of all artistic venues, such as the cinema, plastic arts, songs, and the literature of Mexico. It became a very popular drink at all social events.

Tequila has been a faithful companion of our joys and sufferings, in times of mourning and in times of jubilation.

Where there is a bottle of tequila, there too is the Mexican soul.

Poco a poco, el tequila se convirtió en parte de todos los lugares artísticos, como el cine, las artes plásticas, las canciones y la literatura de México. Se convirtió en una bebida muy popular en todos los eventos sociales.

ETequila ha sido fiel compañera de nuestras alegrías y sufrimientos, en tiempos de luto y en momentos de júbilo. Donde hay una botella de tequila, allí también está el alma mexicana.

It was and is common to see the protagonists in films from Mexico’s “golden cinema” drinking tequila to forget sorrows or to initiate a party.

Tequila is now known all over the world and perhaps a lot of it can be attributed to films.

Era y es común ver a los protagonistas de las películas del “cine de oro” de México bebiendo tequila para olvidar las penas o para iniciar una fiesta. El tequila es ahora conocido en todo el mundo y quizás mucho de eso se puede atribuir a las películas.

In 1949, the production of tequila made its first appearance in the film “De tequila su mescal,” a melodrama made in the vicinity of the town of Tequila where the production of distilled spirits is mentioned.

En 1949, la producción de tequila hizo su primera aparición en la película “De tequila su mezcal”, un melodrama realizado en las cercanías de la ciudad de Tequila donde se menciona la producción de aguardientes destilados.

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We cannot fail to mention the stereotypes that arise after World War II- “machos,” singers, and arduous tequila drinkers. Thus the films by famous Mexican actors, such as Pedro Infante, Jorge Negrete, and Pedro Armendáriz, include the drinking of tequila and the riding of horses to feel brave and forget their sorrows.

No podemos dejar de mencionar los estereotipos que surgen después de la Segunda Guerra Mundial: “machos”, cantantes y arduos bebedores de tequila. Así, las películas de actores mexicanos famosos, como Pedro Infante, Jorge Negrete y Pedro Armendáriz, incluyen beber tequila y montar caballos para sentirse valientes y olvidar sus penas

One of these great Mexican movie idols, Pedro Infante, starred in more than 60 films during his career. In most of them, he played a charro who frequently drank tequila to gain courage and make the beautiful protagonist fall in love with him, as in “Dicen que soy mujeriego” and “Dos tipos de cuidado,” where by the way, he share credit with another great one-Jorge Negrete. He also accompanied his pain with tequila, “Cartas Marcadas” of 1947 and “La mujer que yo perdí” of 1949 are other examples. In “Los Tres García” and “Las mujeres de mi General,” the characters become more daring after a few shots of tequila.

Uno de estos grandes ídolos del cine mexicano, Pedro Infante, protagonizó más de 60 películas durante su carrera.

En la mayoría de ellos, interpretó a un charro que con frecuencia bebía tequila para ganar coraje y hacer que la bella protagonista se enamorara de él, como en “Dicen que soy mujeriego” y “Dos tipos de cuidado”, donde por cierto, él comparte crédito con otro genial, Jorge Negrete.

También acompañó su dolor con tequila, “Cartas Marcadas” de 1947 y “La mujer que yo perdí” de 1949 son otros ejemplos. En “Los Tres García” y “Las mujeres de mi general”, los personajes se vuelven más atrevidos después de unos pocos tragos de tequila.

Pedro Armendáriz

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This Mexican macho stereotype made many men want to be like Pedro Infante a macho, a Latin lover, and a drinker of tequila.

Este estereotipo machista mexicano hizo que muchos hombres quisieran ser como Pedro Infante: un macho, un amante latino y un bebedor de tequila.

The existing stereotype portrayed tequila as a man’s drink perhaps due to its high percentage of alcohol.

At that time it was taken straight, when you do it scrapes the throat and, if you are not used to tequila, it drowns you. It was not yet mixed with soda; it went straight from the bottle or poured in a shot glass called “caballito,” a traditional way to drink tequila.

El estereotipo existente retrató el tequila como una bebida de hombre quizás debido a su alto porcentaje de alcohol. En ese momento se tomó directamente, cuando lo haces raspa la garganta y, si no estás acostumbrado al tequila, te ahoga. Todavía no estaba mezclado con soda; salió directamente de la botella o sirvió un vaso llamado “caballito”, una forma tradicional de beber tequila.

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Jorge Negrete and Amanda Del Llano

But men were not the only ones helping to promote tequila in movies, women also played a big part on the big screen and influenced the consumption of tequila around the world.

Pero los hombres no fueron los únicos que ayudaron a promover el tequila en las películas, las mujeres también desempeñaron un papel importante en la pantalla grande e influyeron en el consumo de tequila en todo el mundo.

Pedro Infante

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