Is Tequila Really the Healthiest Spirit? Exploring the Half-Truths of Agave Spirits Folklore
For some reason or another, the fastest-growing spirit in America is buried in half-truths and misunderstanding. Whether you’re taking shots in a dorm room or reading a scientific journal, it feels like there’s always a new tequila rumor to pique your alcoholic interest.
One of these rumors has caught a lot of traction over the past few months. As you’ve probably heard, tequila is apparently the healthiest of all spirits.
“Good tequila” has been linked variously to weight loss, lower cholesterol, improved skin health, better digestion and pain relief. Beyond that, related questions are aplenty: is tequila an upper? Will it make me strong? Possibly, can it act as a psychedelic?
Most of these claims are completely unfounded. Others, surprising as they may sound, contain a morsel of truth. To sort the wheat from the chaff, let’s take a look at the evidence.
Going Green
Ismael Gama Rodarte, an agave plant cutter, or “jimador” with 35 years of experience, cuts the tips off from agave branches at a Jose Cuervo “blue agave” field, Oct. 5, 2004. (AP Photo/Guillermo Arias)
Above all else, tequila’s health-conscious reputation hinges on the fact that it’s made from a giant green plant. But what, specifically, is so good about agave compared to potatoes, rye or sugar cane?
In scientific explanations, the reported benefits of tequila are usually traced back to agavins, a sweet prebiotic found within blue Weber agave. Since agavins are fibrous and non-digestible, they theoretically act as a healthy glucose alternative that won’t raise your blood sugar. In test trials with mice, agavins have been linked to weight loss and improved gastrointestinal health.
Were you to supplement your entire sugar intake with agavins, it’s possible that you might notice results. But that simply isn’t the case for anyone drinking tequila.
More importantly, those potential benefits would only apply to additive-free tequila, which can be shockingly few and far between. According to Taste Tequila’s Additive Free-Tequila Initiative, an estimated 70% of brands use additives like glycerin, oak extract, caramel coloring and sugar based-syrup in their formulas.
Add that to the mountain of margaritas, palomas and seltzers in which tequila is typically consumed and the outcome begins to look less promising. Though we’d absolutely recommend a quality confirmed additive-free tequila, the same could be said for additive-free gin, vodka, whiskey and more.
“The Only Spirit That’s an Upper”
Scientists and distillers can’t agree on whether tequila is a stimulant or depressant. (Photo: Photo by Mikhail Nilov/Pexels)
If you’ve ever sipped tequila with an overenthusiastic friend, you’ve likely heard the most enduring tidbit of folklore: tequila is the only spirit that’s a stimulant rather than a depressant.
For decades, the rumor had its roots in myth. Its origins are often traced back to the 1950s when mezcal, the spirit, was commonly confused for mescaline, the hallucinogenic drug. The sunken agave worm found at the bottom of many a mezcal bottle added flames to the fire. Agave worms that feed on peyote cactus can in fact imbibe psychedelic effects, but those aren’t the ones you’ll find in your spirit.
Still, the sentiment can’t be completely dismissed. Over the years, distillers have raised unanswered questions about the mysterious properties of agave’s chemical makeup.
(Photo: Los Muertos Crew/Pexels)
To put a long story short, lower alcohol-content molecules collect within the still at the beginning of tequila distillation. This is the inverse of virtually every other spirit, in which low-alcohol methanol develops last.
Researching the phenomenon, writer Chantal Martineau wondered: “Is it possible that the backward chemical behavior of agave spirits has a rather backward effect on those of us who drink them, imparting a high rather than a low?”
This explanation, if true, would apply only to 100% agave spirits that aren’t cut with additives or additional distillation runs. Scientists and distillers continue to debate the issue. For the time being, the mysterious effect technically exists only in anecdotes.
Get Swole?
Unexpectedly, there’s also developed a macho-man celebrity angle. According to a handful of high-profile stars, agave spirits (or at least, the ones that they’re promoting) are a miracle cure that can be chugged right alongside protein shakes and nutritional vitamins.
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson once told Men’s Journal Magazine that tequila — “preferably my own Teremana” — was the best recovery after a tough workout. A few months later, he spun a similar story to Men’s Health Magazine, saying that tequila helps him “go to bed with clarity” when he’s up late thinking about life.
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He’s not alone. Mark Wahlberg, famous for his elaborate 3 am workout routine, recently claimed: “Tequila is definitely the healthiest alternative. If you’re going to have any type of alcohol consumption, you’re better off having tequila […] as long as I’m just drinking my favorite Cristalino, my Flecha Azul, then I’m good to go the next day.”
There are many valid reasons to think that tequila might be healthy — but these aren’t the guys to be listening to. The vague implication that drinking The Rock’s tequila will make you as buff as The Rock is, of course, false.
Read More:
Tequila Ready-To-Drink Roundup: Reviewing Espresso Martinis, Juice Boxes, ‘Dad Water’ and More
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Founded by Dan Abrams, The Daily Pour is the ultimate drinking guide for the modern consumer, covering spirits, non-alcoholic and hemp beverages. With its unique combination of cross-category coverage and signature rating system that aggregates reviews from trusted critics across the internet, The Daily Pour sets the standard as the leading authority in helping consumers discover, compare and enjoy the best of today's evolving drinks landscape.
