The wonderful world of Agave
By Walter L. Meagher

The maguey is one of the most striking plants in Mexico and a remarkable example of a symbiosis between man and plant. Also called agave, it is a large rosette of thick, rigid leaves which generally end in a lethally sharp spike. Indigenous people from central Mexico up through the arid southwestern US have used agave to make pens, needles, nails and even string for weaving and sewing. Its four major parts—flowers, leaves, stalks and sap—are all edible while some species also yield fiber which can be made into razor strops, lathered like soap and even replace sugar in cooking.

The maguey is sacred to Mexico and holds a prominent place in its mythology and religious rituals. A living reminder can be seen growing wild at the ruins of the Hacienda Las Colonias Landeta, north of the presa.

El Charco de Ingenio, the botanical gardens east of town, has a special section of cultivated agaves in a variety of forms and sizes. Two of the creatively assembled beds highlight the species which have been the most use to man, whether for fiber or pulque.

The national beverage, tequila, is made by fermenting the liquid extracted from maturing magueys, a process that takes eight to ten years. Before the extract is fermented, the sweet water, aguamiel, is shared around, for the wholesome pleasure it gives. In many rural areas to this day, older people still rely on a daily dram of pulque for a significant dietary supplement of calories, vitamin B and protein.

Mezcal is the double-distilled spirit that can come from any one of five plants including the maguey. Tequila, however, is the most famous type of mescal and only comes from blue agave. What makes it different is the strict standards producers must adhere to: it must be at least 51 percent blue agave, a plant whose cultivation is restricted to Guanajuato, Michoacán, Tamaulipas, Nayarit and of course the area around Tequila, Jalisco.

Aztecs rated intoxication on a scale of one to 400 rabbits. The goddess, Mayahuel, represented maguey with all its powers, and her hundred sons were associated with pulque. Their animal was the rabbit. Complete drunkenness was represented in Aztec picture writing by 400 rabbits; lesser degrees of intoxication by fewer numbers of rabbits. And as sanmiguelenses well know there certain festivals, when 400 rabbits are loose in town!

Cacti at El Charco

The strange and exotic plant life in Mexico is one of the richest in the world. Many varieties can be admired in San Miguel’s Botanic Gardens which are filled with a wide variety of cacti as well as many other plants from other succulent families. There is immense variety in size, shape and color; tall, barrel-shaped, shrubby, clustering, with some sporting dazzling flowers.

Among the larger plants, several are of particular interest. Cephalocereus senilis, with its stems covered with long white hair, is known as the “old man cactus.” In the wild, they grow up to 15 meters high. At the entrance to the Gardens a traditional fence of Pachycereus marginatus, known as “organ cactus”, has been planted. Its thick but weakly thorned stems make an attractive but effective barrier, while “creeping devil” (Stenocereus eruca), with its stems covered in dagger-like thorns, grows along the ground, rooting as it goes.

The larger barrel cacti include Echinocactus grusonii, or “golden barrel”, some 200 of which are planted as a cascade on a hillside in the Botanical Gardens and Ferocactus histrix -acitron- which is native to the area. There are also many large specimens that have been imported in as rescued plants. In this case, the threat to their survival was their use in making cactus candy. The largest of all the barrel cacti is Echinocactus platyacanthus, with its massive stems up to 2.5 meters tall. Two huge specimens have been imported into the Gardens as rescued plants.

Shrubbier species include a variety of Opuntias, or prickly pears and their relatives. Some are very fiercely thorned and many are eaten, as fruit and as young stem sections, boiled as a traditional Mexican dish known as nopales or nopalitos. 

Some of the most spectacular sights in the garden are several species of Echinocereus. Their thick clustering stems form clumps up to a meter or more across which are covered by a mass of large, shiny pink flowers in the spring.

Climbing and trailing species are also abundant in the Gardens. Many of these plants, such as Selenicereus sp., “Queen of the Night,” Peniocereus serpentinus and several species of Acanthocereus, have large, white nocturnal flowers.

Among the low-growing plants in the collection, the genus mammillaria is notable for its range of forms and flowers, often arranged in rings around the plants. This genus of about 180 species is well represented, including larger plants such as Mammillaria melanocentra, M. compressa, M. magnimamma and M. spinosissima. A smaller species, Mammillaria marcosii, is one of the discoveries made by the Botanical Gardens under the curatorship of Charles Glass. It is a beautiful plant with a wide range of thorn colors. The large clusters of Mammillaria plumose are impressive with thready thorns like cotton wool. Miniature plants include M. albiflora with dense white spines, and M. saboae s.p. goldii, with large flowers. Mammillaria luethyi is a recently discovered species, a tiny plant, bearing large flowers.

The other succulent families include Cycadaceae, Bombaceae, Euphorbiaceae, Bromeliaceae and a large number of Agavaceae (century plants). Many plants of this last family have economic uses, such as the making of wines and distilled drinks and as a source of fibers. The leaf bases of Dasylirion acrotriche (cucharilla) are used locally as decorations for religious festivals. Many of these plants are found and used in the Gardens, emblematic of the integration of the botanical and cultural interests of the Charco del Ingenio.


To see the most extensive selection of cactus in San Miguel visit El Charco del Ingenio park and nursery. El Charco del Ingenio is open from sunrise to sunset everyday, entrance 30 pesos for non-members, members free.


Tequila myths and legends

According to one legend, margaritas were invented by bartender Carlos “Danny” Herrera in the 1940s at the Rancho La Gloria bar in Tijuana.for actress Marjorie (Margarita) King who was allergic to most kinds of alcohol. Another story credits Francisco “Pancho” Morales, a bartender in Tommy's Bar in Ciudad Juarez, as the maker of the first margarita on July 4, 1942.

Tequila is made from blue agave, also known as Agave tequilana azul, Weber’s blue agave, and called maguey by the local people. To be called tequila it must be at least 51 percent agave; the remainder is usually maize or sugarcane. The very best tequilas are made of 100 percent blue agave.

Tequila is made from distilled sap from hearts (piñas) of the agave plant. Agave is not a cactus, but .it is a succulent and, although it shares a common habitat with many cacti, it has a different life cycle. A mature agave has leaves 5-8 feet tall, and is 7-12 feet in diameter. Its lifespan is 8-15 years, depending on the species, growing conditions and climate. The name agave comes from the Greek word for “noble.”

A person trained in the facts of tequila history, tequila production, and Mexican folklore is called a tequilero.

Technically, tequila is a type of mezcal, but not all mezcals are tequilas.

Bulk agave syrup, usually derived from wild agave, is often exported, and usually has other sugars added,with caramel for coloring. Agave syrup or nectar is about 90 percent fructose, and can be used as a sweetener and as a safe substitute for table sugar, corn syrup, or honey. It is marketed as a natural sweetener with a low glycemic index.

Best of all, tequila contains no carbohydrates, fats or cholesterol.


Spicing it up

A basic margarita contains lime juice, a liqueur such as Triple Sec or Cointreau and of course, tequila, in a standard ratio of one part each lime and tequila and one-half part liqueur. But there are many exotic versions for the more adventurous. Following is a list of just a few:

Coconut Margarita

· 1¼ oz. tequila

· ½ oz. fresh pineapple juice

· 2 ½ oz. lime juice 
· 2 ½ oz. cointreau

· 1 oz. cream of coconut

· 12 oz. ice

Blend all ingredients until slushy.

Tequila Sunrise

· 2 oz Tequila 

· 4 oz Orange juice 

· 2 dashes (3/4 oz) Grenadine 

Pour tequila and orange juice in a highball glass. Add ice and stir. Tilt the glass and pour the Grenadine down the side. The Grenadine should fall to the bottom of the glass, and then rise up slowly. Garnish with an orange slice. This drink is sometimes stirred gently.

Ixtapa

· 2 oz. coffee liqueur

· 1 oz. silver tequila

Serve on the rocks

Tequila Sour

· 1¼ oz. tequila

· juice of ½ lemon

· ½ tsp. bar sugar

Shake with ice. Strain into chilled sour glass. Garnish with lemon slice and maraschino cherry. 

Tequila Martini 

· ¾ oz. tequila

· ½ oz. dry vermouth

Stir with ice. Strain into chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with an olive.

Low Rider 
· 1½ oz. tequila

· ½ oz. triple sec

· 1 splash cranberry juice

Mix on the rocks in a highball.

Acapulco Blue 

· ¾ oz. tequila

· ½ oz. blue curacao

· ½ oz. bar syrup

· 1 splash club soda

Rim whiskey sour glass with lime juice and salt. Place ½ orange slice in glass. Add crushed ice, tequila, blue curacao, bar syrup and club soda to fill. Stir lightly.

Añejo Pacifico

· 1¼ oz. añejo tequila

· ½ oz. lime juice

· ½ oz. passion-fruit syrup

Chill mixture over rocks. Strain. Serve in cocktail glass. Garnish with lime wheel.

Banderita

In Artes de Mexico's issue 27, a tequila banderita, or flag, is described: three caballitos (shot glass), one with green lime juice, one with clear ('white') tequila, the last with red sangrita - arranged in these colors to represent the Mexican flag.