It's sunrise for a hot Latin spirit

Tequila can be enjoyed in different cocktails.[Photo provided to China Daily]

There are more than 200 varieties of agave, but tequila is exclusively distilled from the sugary juices of the blue agave plant. The plant takes about eight years to mature. Its heart, the pina, is what is harvested by trimming the leaves from the plant.

The pina, which resembles a pineapple, can weigh up to 90 kilograms.

While the margarita remains the tequila cocktail of choice globally, tequila is often drunk differently in its native Mexico.

Moreno of the CNIT says that tequila is often enjoyed as the Paloma, a refreshing highball cocktail with grapefruit and soda, and also the country's national drink.

"Alternatively, a premium tequila is enjoyed neat, for a naked expression of agave, or paired with the savoury-spicy Sangrita - a non-alcoholic mix of tomato, lime, salt, pepper, chilli and, often, Worchester sauce and Tabasco. This way, it highlights the vegetal characters of the spirit."