Celebrate Tequila Day – and Mexican History – with La Adelita Anytime

(Gerry furth-Sides, content from La Adelita and from wikipedia) La Adelita (80 proof/ 40% ABV)  is a portfolio of five extraordinary tequilas, made by a collaboration of generational distillers and cult wine & spirit artisans – is now available in the United States, nationwide.  Every bottle honors the name by being distilled by hand, “the old-fashioned way” in small copper pot stills made in the 1920’s in Cuba. The tequila uses the purest agave, hand-selected and harvested in the rich red soils of the plantations in the heart of the highlands of Jalisco.

The line was named in honor of Adelita, the fearless woman who led the female fighters in the Mexican Revolution, La Adelita is harvested and distilled from single estates located in the heart of the highlands of Jalisco, Mexico.

“La Adelita” is one of the most famous ballads of the Mexican Revolution, which in its many adaptations tells the story of the war.  The most famous was of a woman named Adelita, who was from Duranga.  Adelita  joined the Maderista movement in the early  stages of the Revolution and fell in love with Madero. She became a popular icon and the source who documented the role of women in the Mexican Revolution.  In time, the name Adelita grew to become synonymous with the term soldadera female soldiers who became a vital force in the Revolutionary War efforts due to their participation in the battles against Mexican government forces.

In fact, these female soldiers cooked for and washed up after the armies, cared for their wounded men, and fought bravely in battles alongside the soldiers.   In Spanish, this honored name has come to mean, “Of the nobility, noble; a diminutive form of Adela.” Today, Adelita came to be an archetype of a woman warrior in Mexico, and a symbol of action and inspiration.  The name is used to refer to any woman who struggles and fights for her rights.

Below is popular cocktail made from this golden beauty.  Tequila is only produced inside the Mexican state of Jalisco and in some municipalities in Guanajuato, Michoacan, Nayarit, and Tamaulipas.  A fun-fact is that any agave-based distilled spirit outside those regions are called “mezcal.”

Spicy Jalapeno Margarita 

Directions:  Muddle chilis and coriander/cilantro in a shaker, add other ingredients, shake with ice and fine strain into an ice filled glass. Serve in an old-fashioned glass and garnish with a slice of lime or chili pepper and salted rim.

• 1 slice – red jalapeno or chili pepper
• 3 sprig (inches) – cilantro leaves
• 2 fl oz – La Adelita Reposado tequila
• 1/2 fl oz – syrup (agave)
• 1 fl oz – lemon juice