
¡Tequila!: Distilling the Spirit of Mexico
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
$0.99/mo for the first 3 months

Buy for $19.95
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
Darren Roebuck
-
By:
-
Marie Gaytán
About this listen
Italy has grappa, Russia has vodka, Jamaica has rum. Around the world, certain drinks - especially those of the intoxicating kind - are synonymous with their peoples and cultures. For Mexico, this drink is tequila. For many, tequila can conjure up scenes of body shots on Cancún bars and coolly garnished margaritas on sandy beaches. Its power is equally strong within Mexico, though there the drink is more often sipped rather than shot, enjoyed casually among friends, and used to commemorate occasions from the everyday to the sacred. Despite these competing images, tequila is universally regarded as an enduring symbol of lo mexicano.
¡Tequila! Distilling the Spirit of Mexico traces how and why tequila became and remains Mexico's national drink and symbol. Starting in Mexico's colonial era and tracing the drink's rise through the present day, Marie Sarita Gaytán reveals the formative roles played by some unlikely characters.
Like all stories about national symbols, the rise of tequila forms a complicated, unexpected, and poignant tale.
The book is published by Stanford University Press.
©2014 Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University (P)2016 Redwood AudiobooksListeners also enjoyed...
-
The Mezcal Rush
- Explorations in Agave Country
- By: Granville Greene
- Narrated by: Kevin Free
- Length: 8 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Mezcal. In recent years, the oldest spirit in the Americas has been reinvented as a pricy positional good popular among booze connoisseurs and the mixologists who use it as a cocktail ingredient. Unlike most high-end distillates, most small-batch mezcal is typically produced by and for subsistence farming communities, often under challenging conditions.
-
-
Wow! Just Wow!
- By Si saben cómo me pongo ¿pa' qué me invitan? on 09-25-17
By: Granville Greene
-
Agave Spirits
- The Past, Present, and Future of Mezcals
- By: Gary Paul Nabhan, David Suro Pinera
- Narrated by: Adi Cabral
- Length: 9 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
All tequilas are mezcals; all mezcals are made from agaves; and every bottle of mezcal is the remarkable result of collaborations among agave entrepreneurs, botanists, distillers, beverage distributors, bartenders, and more. How these groups come together in this "spirits world" is the subject of this fascinating new book by the acclaimed ethnobotanist Gary Paul Nabhan and the pioneering restauranteur David Suro Piñera.
-
-
The Heart of Mezcal: Terroir in a Copita
- By AppleCedAR on 03-15-25
By: Gary Paul Nabhan, and others
-
Proof
- The Science of Booze
- By: Adam Rogers
- Narrated by: Sean Runnette
- Length: 8 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In Proof, Adam Rogers reveals alcohol as a miracle of science, going deep into the pleasures of making and drinking booze—and the effects of the latter. The people who make and sell alcohol may talk about history and tradition, but alcohol production is really powered by physics, molecular biology, organic chemistry, and a bit of metallurgy—and our taste for those products is a melding of psychology and neurobiology.
-
-
Great listening to all about booze
- By Atila on 08-02-14
By: Adam Rogers
-
Whiskey Master Class
- The Ultimate Guide to Understanding Scotch, Bourbon, Rye, and More
- By: Lew Bryson, Bill Lumsden - foreword
- Narrated by: Lew Bryson
- Length: 7 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Over the past three decades, Lew Bryson has been one of the most influential voices in whiskey. In Whiskey Master Class, Lew shares everything he's learned on his journey through the worlds of bourbon, Scotch, rye, Japanese whiskey, and more (yes, there are tasty Canadian and Irish whiskeys!).
-
-
lots of good info for a lover of whiskey
- By drowsee1 on 04-18-25
By: Lew Bryson, and others
-
Doctors and Distillers
- The Remarkable Medicinal History of Beer, Wine, Spirits, and Cocktails
- By: Camper English
- Narrated by: Joanna Carpenter
- Length: 9 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Alcohol and Medicine have an inextricably intertwined history, with innovations in each altering the path of the other. The story stretches back to ancient times, when beer and wine were used to provide nutrition and hydration, and were employed as solvents for healing botanicals. Over time, alchemists distilled elixirs designed to cure all diseases, monastic apothecaries developed mystical botanical liqueurs, traveling physicians concocted dubious intoxicating nostrums, and the drinks we’re familiar with today began to take form.
-
-
Informative and fun
- By Renee Walker on 06-09-24
By: Camper English
-
The Drunken Botanist
- The Plants That Create the World's Great Drinks
- By: Amy Stewart
- Narrated by: Coleen Marlo
- Length: 10 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Every great drink starts with a plant. Sake began with a grain of rice. Scotch emerged from barley. Gin was born from a conifer shrub when medieval physicians boiled juniper berries with wine to treat stomach pain. The Drunken Botanist uncovers the surprising botanical history and fascinating science and chemistry of over 150 plants, flowers, trees, and fruits (and even a few fungi).
-
-
No more cheap tequila!
- By Cynthia on 03-23-13
By: Amy Stewart
-
The Mezcal Rush
- Explorations in Agave Country
- By: Granville Greene
- Narrated by: Kevin Free
- Length: 8 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Mezcal. In recent years, the oldest spirit in the Americas has been reinvented as a pricy positional good popular among booze connoisseurs and the mixologists who use it as a cocktail ingredient. Unlike most high-end distillates, most small-batch mezcal is typically produced by and for subsistence farming communities, often under challenging conditions.
-
-
Wow! Just Wow!
- By Si saben cómo me pongo ¿pa' qué me invitan? on 09-25-17
By: Granville Greene
-
Agave Spirits
- The Past, Present, and Future of Mezcals
- By: Gary Paul Nabhan, David Suro Pinera
- Narrated by: Adi Cabral
- Length: 9 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
All tequilas are mezcals; all mezcals are made from agaves; and every bottle of mezcal is the remarkable result of collaborations among agave entrepreneurs, botanists, distillers, beverage distributors, bartenders, and more. How these groups come together in this "spirits world" is the subject of this fascinating new book by the acclaimed ethnobotanist Gary Paul Nabhan and the pioneering restauranteur David Suro Piñera.
-
-
The Heart of Mezcal: Terroir in a Copita
- By AppleCedAR on 03-15-25
By: Gary Paul Nabhan, and others
-
Proof
- The Science of Booze
- By: Adam Rogers
- Narrated by: Sean Runnette
- Length: 8 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In Proof, Adam Rogers reveals alcohol as a miracle of science, going deep into the pleasures of making and drinking booze—and the effects of the latter. The people who make and sell alcohol may talk about history and tradition, but alcohol production is really powered by physics, molecular biology, organic chemistry, and a bit of metallurgy—and our taste for those products is a melding of psychology and neurobiology.
-
-
Great listening to all about booze
- By Atila on 08-02-14
By: Adam Rogers
-
Whiskey Master Class
- The Ultimate Guide to Understanding Scotch, Bourbon, Rye, and More
- By: Lew Bryson, Bill Lumsden - foreword
- Narrated by: Lew Bryson
- Length: 7 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Over the past three decades, Lew Bryson has been one of the most influential voices in whiskey. In Whiskey Master Class, Lew shares everything he's learned on his journey through the worlds of bourbon, Scotch, rye, Japanese whiskey, and more (yes, there are tasty Canadian and Irish whiskeys!).
-
-
lots of good info for a lover of whiskey
- By drowsee1 on 04-18-25
By: Lew Bryson, and others
-
Doctors and Distillers
- The Remarkable Medicinal History of Beer, Wine, Spirits, and Cocktails
- By: Camper English
- Narrated by: Joanna Carpenter
- Length: 9 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Alcohol and Medicine have an inextricably intertwined history, with innovations in each altering the path of the other. The story stretches back to ancient times, when beer and wine were used to provide nutrition and hydration, and were employed as solvents for healing botanicals. Over time, alchemists distilled elixirs designed to cure all diseases, monastic apothecaries developed mystical botanical liqueurs, traveling physicians concocted dubious intoxicating nostrums, and the drinks we’re familiar with today began to take form.
-
-
Informative and fun
- By Renee Walker on 06-09-24
By: Camper English
-
The Drunken Botanist
- The Plants That Create the World's Great Drinks
- By: Amy Stewart
- Narrated by: Coleen Marlo
- Length: 10 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Every great drink starts with a plant. Sake began with a grain of rice. Scotch emerged from barley. Gin was born from a conifer shrub when medieval physicians boiled juniper berries with wine to treat stomach pain. The Drunken Botanist uncovers the surprising botanical history and fascinating science and chemistry of over 150 plants, flowers, trees, and fruits (and even a few fungi).
-
-
No more cheap tequila!
- By Cynthia on 03-23-13
By: Amy Stewart
-
Wine for Normal People
- A Guide for Real People Who Like Wine, But Not the Snobbery That Goes with It
- By: Elizabeth Schneider
- Narrated by: Elizabeth Schneider
- Length: 14 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
This is a fun but respectful (and very comprehensive) guide to everything you ever wanted to know about wine from the creator and host of the popular podcast Wine for Normal People, described by Imbibe magazine as "a wine podcast for the people". More than 60,000 listeners tune in every month to learn a not-snobby wine vocabulary, how and where to buy wine, how to read a wine label, how to smell, swirl, and taste wine, and so much more!
-
-
When they want 5 star wine knowledge but ur 22 y/o
- By Alexia L. on 05-06-21
-
The Brewer's Tale
- A History of the World According to Beer
- By: William Bostwick
- Narrated by: Christopher Sutton
- Length: 8 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Brewer's Tale is a beer-filled journey into the past: the story of brewers gone by and one brave writer's quest to bring them - and their ancient, forgotten beers - back to life, one taste at a time. This is the story of the world according to beer, a toast to flavors born of necessity and place - in Belgian monasteries, rundown farmhouses, and the basement nanobrewery next door. So pull up a barstool and raise a glass to 5,000 years of fermented magic.
-
-
Good insights!
- By Michael on 03-08-16
By: William Bostwick
-
And a Bottle of Rum
- A History of the New World in Ten Cocktails
- By: Wayne Curtis
- Narrated by: Mike Chamberlain
- Length: 10 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
And a Bottle of Rum tells the raucously entertaining story of America as seen through the bottom of a drinking glass. With a chapter for each of 10 cocktails, Wayne Curtis reveals that the homely spirit once distilled from the industrial waste of the exploding sugar trade has managed to infiltrate every stratum of New World society. Curtis takes us from the taverns of the American colonies, to the plundering pirate ships off the coast of Central America, to the watering holes of pre-Castro Cuba, and to the kitsch-laden tiki bars of 1950s America.
-
-
A nice intersection of history and rum
- By Garshom L. Arkoff on 05-10-23
By: Wayne Curtis
-
The Viking Spirit
- An Introduction to Norse Mythology and Religion
- By: Daniel McCoy
- Narrated by: Andrew Tell
- Length: 10 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Viking Spirit is an introduction to Norse mythology like no other. As you’d expect from Daniel McCoy, the creator of the endearingly popular website "Norse Mythology for Smart People", it’s written to scholarly standards, but in a simple, clear, and entertaining style that’s easy to understand and a pleasure to listen to. It includes gripping retellings of no less than 34 epic Norse myths - more than any other book in the field - while also providing an equally comprehensive overview of the fascinating viking religion of which Norse mythology was a part.
-
-
Christo-centric revisionist
- By Megan List on 12-03-19
By: Daniel McCoy
-
A History of Magic, Witchcraft, and the Occult
- By: DK
- Narrated by: Susie Riddell
- Length: 8 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A History of Magic, Witchcraft and the Occult charts the extraordinary narrative of one of the most interesting and often controversial subjects in the world - from ancient animal worship and shamanism, through alchemy and divination to modern Wicca and the resurgence of the occult in 21st-century literature, cinema, and television.
-
-
Decent Primer on Magical Traditions
- By Albert Williams on 04-28-21
By: DK
-
Setting the Table
- The Transforming Power of Hospitality in Business
- By: Danny Meyer
- Narrated by: Danny Meyer
- Length: 5 hrs and 33 mins
- Abridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Danny Meyer started Union Square Cafe when he was 27, with a good idea and scant experience. He is now the CEO of one of the world's most dynamic restaurant organizations, one that includes 11 unique dining establishments, each at the top of its game. How did he do it? How has he consistently beaten the odds in one of the toughest trades around?
-
-
ABRIDGED VERSION!?
- By Gregg Strader on 02-19-18
By: Danny Meyer
-
Understanding the World of Wine
- By: Brian Wheaton
- Narrated by: Brian Wheaton
- Length: 14 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Gain the wine know-how you’ve always wanted in this comprehensive course. With thousands of wines on sale in the US today, choosing just the right one for each occasion can be a challenge even for the experienced. To help you master that challenge and deepen your appreciation of wine and its inexpressibly rich lore, Master of Wine Brian Wheaton recorded Understanding the World of Wine. Whether you're a seasoned oenophile or a beginner, you will discover new insights in this set of 36 easy-to-use audio lectures.
-
-
A brief history of wine
- By Steve C on 08-06-18
By: Brian Wheaton
-
The World of Robert Jordan's The Wheel of Time
- By: Robert Jordan, Teresa Patterson
- Narrated by: Paul Woodson
- Length: 10 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Since its debut in 1990, The Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan has captivated millions around the globe with its scope, originality, and compelling characters. In this series companion book, the listener will learn about the exotic beasts used by the Seanchan and hear of the rise and fall of Artur Hawking, and peruse the deeper story of the War of the Shadow. Here is the tale of the founding of the White Tower, and the creation of the Ajahs. The inner workings of the closed country, Shara, are revealed, as is the existence of a hitherto unknown continent, The Land of the Madmen.
-
-
I'm not really sure who this book is meant for
- By MR on 07-08-20
By: Robert Jordan, and others
-
How Much of These Hills Is Gold
- A Novel
- By: C Pam Zhang
- Narrated by: Catherine Ho, Joel de la Fuente
- Length: 9 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Ba dies in the night; Ma is already gone. Newly orphaned children of immigrants, Lucy and Sam are suddenly alone in a land that refutes their existence. Fleeing the threats of their Western mining town, they set off to bury their father in the only way that will set them free from their past. Along the way, they encounter giant buffalo bones, tiger paw prints, and the specters of a ravaged landscape as well as family secrets, sibling rivalry, and glimpses of a different kind of future.
-
-
Artistically written
- By Sherry Novak on 08-15-20
By: C Pam Zhang
-
The Habsburgs
- To Rule the World
- By: Martyn Rady
- Narrated by: Simon Boughey
- Length: 14 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The definitive history of a powerful family dynasty who dominated Europe for centuries - from their rise to power to their eventual downfall.
-
-
An Excellent and Interesting History
- By Darrel Bishop on 09-14-20
By: Martyn Rady
-
The Book of Gin
- A Spirited World History from Alchemists' Stills and Colonial Outposts to Gin Palaces, Bathtub Gin, and Artisanal Cocktails
- By: Richard Barnett
- Narrated by: Richard Shelton
- Length: 7 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In The Book of Gin, Richard Barnett traces the life of this beguiling spirit, once believed to cause a new kind of drunkenness. In the 18th century, gin-craze debauchery (and class conflict) inspired Hogarth's satirical masterpieces "Gin Lane" and "Beer Street". In the 19th century, gin was drunk by Napoleonic War naval heroes, at lavish gin palaces, and by homesick colonials, who mixed it with their bitter anti-malarial tonics.
-
-
Great history on my favorite drink
- By Lucas Samples on 10-18-20
By: Richard Barnett
-
The Vanished Series, Books 1-3
- By: B. B. Griffith
- Narrated by: Ryan Jordan McCarthy, Paul L. Coffey, Kirsten Leigh, and others
- Length: 24 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When the crows gather over a remote Navajo Reservation in the deep Southwest, it is a sign that the thin veil that separates our world from the one beyond is about to open. Without a barrier between life and death, things pass between both worlds. Some of them are good. Most of them are not.
-
-
Going to slog through to the end
- By KatieReviewsStuff on 04-28-21
By: B. B. Griffith
What listeners say about ¡Tequila!: Distilling the Spirit of Mexico
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Woolly
- 03-28-18
A great social history of Taquila!
this book was fantastic for trying to understand to kill his role in Mexican culture.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Wilsonator
- 04-21-20
Read it instead!
The book and subject matter are great, highly insightful and accurate. The guy who is reading it mispronounces just about every Spanish word which is irritating and jarring to anyone who knows the Tequila world. Probably better to just read in print.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Adam Rains
- 05-10-20
Great book -dictation not-good
The narrator did not research prior to reading. He missed pronounced all of the Spanish words with a combination of Anglo and French pronunciation. This was very of putting and distracting for the content.It is imperative in a book that covers a lot of cultural content for the narrator to be at least minimally versed and open to proper pronunciation.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- S. O.
- 06-17-23
Solid Book!
I enjoyed the book. It gives you a broad view on Tequila and it’s history. If you want to gain some understanding of this complex spirit this book is a good place to start.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Jordan McBride
- 09-17-21
Maybe a different title
It would have been more appropriate under a more fitting title. It almost struck me as a research paper that a college kid was required to write about tequila as the main subject, but the writer really had more of an interest in feminism, sociology, etc. Whereas it does have very interesting history on tequila, it felt to (at bare minimum) 1/3 to 1/5 of the book was about topics other than tequila, but the writer felt like if they kept interjecting the word "tequila" periodically then they were still remaining close enough to the intended topic for it to be relevant. Honestly, after the 1/3 of the book it felt like a chore to finish the rest.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Zachary
- 01-09-23
Maybe a little Preachy
Maybe a little Preachy. Seemed like she wanted to get a point across, I wish it was more simple fact and history.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Scott Goebl
- 03-19-19
Academic. Not Really a Party
If you are looking for an academic discussion of the history and sociology of tequila, then this is your book. If you’re looking for a fun book about tequila, look somewhere else.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Alfonso R. Leon
- 08-12-21
Great Educational Book
Loved the read, very in-depth analysis of the cultural and political influence of tequila. If you're a history buff, it's a must read.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Karalee
- 01-18-20
Just a hint of Tequila
This book has some interesting information about tequila but strayed a little too far from the topic at hand for me. It felt a little like the writer wasn't that interested in tequila but felt relating it to their other passions would help the story appeal to more people. Still in the market for a good audio book on tequila.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Raul
- 12-30-22
Potential for being a good book
It started about tequila. It should be titled differently. Also, narrator can’t pronounce most of the tequila or other Spanish words used in the book. Normally it doesn’t bother me but it is so bad that it gets kinda annoying actually.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!