-Eric
Posted on 07/24/2007 4:30:58 AM PDT by laotzu
Tequila is key to a great margarita, but many farmers in Mexico are now ditching the blue agave plant used to make the liquor to cash in on corn and the demand for alternative fuel — and some say that could lead to the great tequila shortage.
In the highlands of Jalisco, workers known as jimadores harvest blue agave plants. They slash off the sharp leaves to get to the heart, which is used to make tequila.
The plants take at least six years to ripen, and patience can pay off when agave prices are high.
However, now some growers are bulldozing their fields to make way for corn. It's worth more, says one worker, thanks to the growing demand for ethanol.
At same time, agave prices have plummeted, as there's an overabundance of the plant.
One grower is so eager to clear his agave field that some of the workers are harvesting plants that are not quite mature. He and others in the region are eager to cash in on corn before the crop's prices peak.
People are hopeful it means more jobs in area known for heavy migration.
"I think this shift to corn is just a sign of desperation," said David Suro, who created his own premium tequila two years ago to appeal to increasing U.S. demand.
Suro timed the launch to ensure there was enough agave available.
"It's a casino business. It really is like, you walk into a casino, and you don't know if you're going to win or lose. Here, we're seeing the consequences," Suro said.
Now desperate farmers bet by turning their backs on blue agave and hope they'll hit the jackpot with corn.
Some farmers are even burning their agave fields to make way for corn.
Experts predict the shift will cause an agave shortage in a few years that will drive up the price of tequila.
OH, Good Lord - a shortage of the vilest tasting stuff on this planet! What next?
The price of tequila has definitely been up in the last few years. These things are cyclical though. Corn is up, then the blue agave will be up in a year or so.
so they will have to make Sour Mash instead....that sounds like a better deal all the way around...
....I Just dont picture my Jim Beam or Jack Daniels with a worm sitting on the bottom of the bottle.
Oh, the horror.
Just when I came up with a new summer drink that I have been enjoying very much:
Cuervo Gold, cranberry juice, squeeze in quarter of a lime, and salt on the rim. A great drink on a hot day -- refreshing and not too sweet.
Now I just need to think of a catchy name for it...
Let them drink vodka!
Let the market do it’s thing. Once the agave plant isn’t raised so widely, it’s value will go back up too. Then it will be attractive to farmers to raise again.
Not a ping.
-Eric
Ted Kennedy is deeply saddened.
You got that right...this is going way too far! (wink)
Call it a "Wet Back"
Wet cranberry bog, and CG Tequila.
Ged it?
Sounds good. Thanks for the recipe.
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Tequila® may not be right for everyone. Women who are pregnant or nursing should not use Tequila®. However, women who wouldn’t mind nursing or becoming pregnant are encouraged to try it. Side effects may include dizziness, nausea, vomiting, incarceration, erotic lustfulness, loss of motor control, loss of clothing, loss of money, loss of virginity, delusions of grandeur, table dancing, headache, dehydration, dry mouth, and a desire to sing Karaoke and play all-night rounds of Strip Poker, Truth Or Dare, and Naked Twister.
Well, Vodka and cran is a Cape Cod. I don’t know; a Baja California?
Tequila® may not be right for everyone. Women who are pregnant or nursing should not use Tequila®. However, women who wouldn’t mind nursing or becoming pregnant are encouraged to try it. Side effects may include dizziness, nausea, vomiting, incarceration, erotic lustfulness, loss of motor control, loss of clothing, loss of money, loss of virginity, delusions of grandeur, table dancing, headache, dehydration, dry mouth, and a desire to sing Karaoke and play all-night rounds of Strip Poker, Truth Or Dare, and Naked Twister.
Tequila is the happy drink, that's for sure.
Cranquila!.......Cranque! (Cranky!).......Que?.......
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