Melvyn Minnaar : Potable pleasures
Lets raise a shot glass to gumptious Gawies great idea and check whether Speedy Gonzales is on his way to Graaff- Reinet for the best celebration since those desert folks discovered aloes for skin products.
Of all the hundreds who have stared at the spiky, useless plants that generously dot the barren landscape of so many farms in the Great Karoo, it was Gawie Venter who realised that those very same agave trees were the ones that brought drinking fame and fortune to Mexico.
For decades considered an unwelcome, futile foreigner, and dangerous to boot for its sharp, hard leaves, the Garingboom (Agave Americana) or Blue Weber Tequilana Agave, is the distilling basis for genuine tequila often the pub-crawl finale.
Venters new company, Tequila and Mazcal Distillers, has set up shop in Graaff- Reinet where he has already contracted seven farmers who have wild agaves aplenty on their land. In true RDP fashion, he says his company will provide work for 58 people once they have a distilling licence.
According to Venter, distilling experiments have shown the Great Karoo alcohol to be superior stuff and he is confident that his new companys 15-million shares will be snapped up.
Lets drink that toast with proper ritual: fill a shot glass to the brim with Olmeca Blanco or Jose Cuervo Reposado (gold). It tastes better if the liquid is cooled down, so keep the bottle in the fridge. Have a slice of lime or lemon handy. Sprinkle fine salt along your thumb.
In a seamless three-movement action: lick the salt, suck the lime and down the tequila. As the alcohol heats the gullet, the unique peppery tequila taste returns to fill the mouth in a perfect recipe of sweet, sour, salty and bitter.
Historians believe that tequila was first produced in the 14th century, and now it has conquered the world. Until the Great Karoo version comes up for the test, Hecho en Mexico and a Nom identity number on the label guarantee the real thing.
By Mexican law there are only five regions in the state of Jalisco where tequila may be produced legally. This is done in four styles: Blanco (white or silver), unaged; Joven Abocado (gold), unaged with allowable additions of colouring and flavouring; Reposado, aged in oak tanks or barrels from 60 days to one year and Anejo, which must be aged in government- sealed barrels for a minimum of one year.
Strict rules are applied by the Direccin General de Normas, the federal office controlling all production. Tequila is distilled from 100% agave leaves which are eight to 10 years old when harvested. No sugar may be added during fermentation.
In a land of much bootlegging, only a few Mexican distilleries produce true 100% agave tequila. These are usually the known brand names. It remains to be seen whether goodly Gawie and his tequila team from the Karoo will produce the tipple to match Mexicos best.
Mix a magical Margarita: pour into a shaker with cubed ice, a dash of Triple Sec, double dash of the best Blanco tequila and fill up with fresh lemon juice and a little sugar. Shake and pour into a lightly salted glass.