The origin of the word Tequila is lost in time, but many believe it came from a Nahuatl term or phrase that alternately meant “the place where they cut,” “the place of work,” “the place of wild herbs,” and “the place of tricks.”

Tequila is also the name of a town in the state of Jalisco that was officially established in 1666.

Although there is some dispute, most sources point to Don Pedro Sánchez de Tagle, the Marquis of Altamira, as the first person to mass produce tequila, beginning about 1600. However, it was not until 1795 that Don José Maria Guadalupe de Cuervo was the first to receive a licence to make it from King Ferdinand IV of Spain.

Don Cenobio Sauza was the first to export to tequila to the United States in 1873 when he shipped 3 barrels of it to El Paso, Texas. This was soon followed by a shipment from Don Cuervo, as well.

Tequila became much more popular in the US during World War II, when importing whiskey from Europe became very difficult. In fact, the 6,000 gallons of tequila imported in 1940 had grown to 1.2 million gallons by 1945.

Today, many credit Jimmy Buffet and his song “Margaritaville” with ensuring tequila’s place in the pantheon of America’s most beloved spirits.