Tequila
The friend of a guy I work with had wanted to make his own tequila, and somehow this diverged into a discussion on how it can only be called "tequila" if it's made in Mexico. So I got curious and did some research, and here's what I got.
Apparently, tequila is a specific type of mezcal.
Mezcal is a distillation of any various types of agave and other ingredients, whereas tequila is a distillation of only blue agave (agave azul tequilana weber).
"To qualify as tequila, the blue agave must be grown in one of five designated regions - the whole of Jalisco, parts of Nayarit, Michoacan, Guanajuato and, thanks to the efforts of Chinaco's Guillermo Gonzales, parts of Tamaulipas. Only here is the terroir correct for it to grow and thrive."
So, as far as I can tell, the only reason that tequila has to be Mexican is that it is distilled from a plant which is native only to Mexico, and which can apparently only grow properly in certain parts of Mexico.
It sounds like you could conceivably produce tequila anywhere else in the world as long as you were able to replicate the proper growing conditions for the blue agave. (This probably just isn't very viable economically for large-scale production.)
Other fun tequila history information for you:
In 1758, Don Jose Antonio Cuervo was granted land by the King of Spain in the Jalisco province, near the town of Tequila, with permission to farm agave. This was the first time that permission had been granted to plant crops (other than grapes) that could be turned into alcohol.
In 1795, Don Jose's son (Jose Maria Guadeloupe Cuervo) was granted a license to produce "mezcal wine" in his La Rojena distillery, which is still used by the firm.
Apparently, tequila is a specific type of mezcal.
Mezcal is a distillation of any various types of agave and other ingredients, whereas tequila is a distillation of only blue agave (agave azul tequilana weber).
"To qualify as tequila, the blue agave must be grown in one of five designated regions - the whole of Jalisco, parts of Nayarit, Michoacan, Guanajuato and, thanks to the efforts of Chinaco's Guillermo Gonzales, parts of Tamaulipas. Only here is the terroir correct for it to grow and thrive."
So, as far as I can tell, the only reason that tequila has to be Mexican is that it is distilled from a plant which is native only to Mexico, and which can apparently only grow properly in certain parts of Mexico.
It sounds like you could conceivably produce tequila anywhere else in the world as long as you were able to replicate the proper growing conditions for the blue agave. (This probably just isn't very viable economically for large-scale production.)
Other fun tequila history information for you:
In 1758, Don Jose Antonio Cuervo was granted land by the King of Spain in the Jalisco province, near the town of Tequila, with permission to farm agave. This was the first time that permission had been granted to plant crops (other than grapes) that could be turned into alcohol.
In 1795, Don Jose's son (Jose Maria Guadeloupe Cuervo) was granted a license to produce "mezcal wine" in his La Rojena distillery, which is still used by the firm.