Now, the mosto goes into big wooden vats or stainless steel tanks. Yeast is added, and the party begins. The yeast eats the sugar and burps out alcohol and carbon dioxide.
This is a messy, bubbly process. It looks like a hot tub full of science experiment. The smell changes from sweet to weirdly boozy.
For tequila, they often use natural yeast from the air or the agave itself. That’s why every batch tastes slightly different. It’s like a fingerprint made of alcohol.
Distillation: The Hot Cleaning
After fermentation, the liquid is only about 5% alcohol. That’s weaker than beer. So, we need to concentrate it.
They heat the liquid in copper pots called alambiques. The alcohol vaporizes, rises up a tube, cools down, and drips back as a clear, fiery liquid. It’s a magic trick.
They do this twice. The first run is called “ordinario” and tastes like rocket fuel. The second run gives you pure, beautiful silver tequila.
Tequila Sunrise Recipe
