Tequila

[Felidae]

Does anyone know if Zapata Blanco tequila is gluten-free? I was given a bottle of it and I wanted to check before drinking it. I have been drinking Cuervo Gold, but apparently there may be caramel colouring in it. Man, does that suck.

[psawyer]

According to both the Canadian Celiac Association, and Shelley Case's book, "Gluten Free Diet," caramel colouring is gluten free. I have never found any credible evidence to the contrary.

[Felidae]

I'm pretty sure that I would have got sick from it, since I am very sensitive. There are so many unknowns when it comes to ingredients.

[Riclet]

Does anyone know if Zapata Blanco tequila is gluten-free? I was given a bottle of it and I wanted to check before drinking it. I have been drinking Cuervo Gold, but apparently there may be caramel colouring in it. Man, does that suck.

Try Patrone Silver - Yum! Yum!

[gfp]

Try Patrone Silver - Yum! Yum!

LOL doesn't help though when its a present ....

Lots of caramel coloring in the UK, Europe and Austrialia is not gluten-free ... there is a particualr case involving cider where the manufacturers keep changing their minds as to if its gluten-free or not...

The letter states strongbow cider is gluten-free.

so I sent a letter and asked if the caramel coloring is gluten-free...

answer no....

Because the caramel coloring is (or can be) >200 ppm but when its in the cider its far less so they can say its gluten-free according to the codex.

In reality caramel color is a commodity like pork bellies or oil .. people buy 100 tonnes here and there according to what is cheapest so when there is a glut of wheat the price from wheat drops etc. so the manufacturers just take what their suppliers source.

[Felidae]

LOL doesn't help though when its a present ....

Lots of caramel coloring in the UK, Europe and Austrialia is not gluten-free ... there is a particualr case involving cider where the manufacturers keep changing their minds as to if its gluten-free or not...

The letter states strongbow cider is gluten-free.

so I sent a letter and asked if the caramel coloring is gluten-free...

answer no....

Because the caramel coloring is (or can be) >200 ppm but when its in the cider its far less so they can say its gluten-free according to the codex.

In reality caramel color is a commodity like pork bellies or oil .. people buy 100 tonnes here and there according to what is cheapest so when there is a glut of wheat the price from wheat drops etc. so the manufacturers just take what their suppliers source.

I've been drinking Strongbow also. I hate caramel colouring.

[sasha1234]

I drink both Cuervo Gold Tequila and Strongbow and have never had any problems. Does this mean we can't have either???????

[gfp]

I drink both Cuervo Gold Tequila and Strongbow and have never had any problems. Does this mean we can't have either???????

Its hard to say....

In europe its common for dextrines and deriviatives to be wheat derived wheras In N. America its very very rare but its only based on economics. Europe has a wheat surplus but not corn wheras the US has corn and wheat ...

No legislation prevents them using wheat so it must just be economics... but based on the dextrine history I would guess the caramel color is the same .... if you want to be certain then write to the US distributer and ask if the ingredients are all gluten free not the cider since this gives them the escape of measuring the whole thing ...

[StrongerToday]

I've been drinking the pre-made Cuervo margaritas this summer - yum But when I saw this I was a bit worried, so I went to the their website and hooray...

Q: Which Jose Cuervo products are gluten-free?

A: All Jose Cuervo tequilas, Authentic Cuervo Margaritas, Margarita Minis, and Golden Margaritas are gluten-free.

[BRUMI1968]

I don't drink...but you keep saying European rules for caramel coloring...shouldn't tequila come from Mexico?

[gfp]

I don't drink...but you keep saying European rules for caramel coloring...shouldn't tequila come from Mexico?

Yes but that doesn't mean they buy the caramel coloring from Mexico .... however I'd expect they buy it from the US due to shipping costs but .....you never know, it might come from East Asia if they can provide it cheaper.

[BRUMI1968]

Ah, globalization. Why the caramel coloring anyway? That goes against all things tequila, as far as I can tell.

[tommchale]

Does anyone know if Zapata Blanco tequila is gluten-free? I was given a bottle of it and I wanted to check before drinking it. I have been drinking Cuervo Gold, but apparently there may be caramel colouring in it. Man, does that suck.

There is a lot of question about Cuervo Gold, so I finally got around to checking out their website. Here is the info and URL as of 4/19/2008:

Q: Which Jose Cuervo products are gluten-free?

A: All Jose Cuervo tequilas, Authentic Cuervo Margaritas, Margarita Minis, and Golden Margaritas are gluten-free.

Open Original Shared Link

Thanks,

Tom

[larry mac]

There are worse tequilas than Cuervo Gold, but not many. Stick to 100% agave tequila and you won't have to worry about additives such as caramel. 100% agave tequila aquires it's color from being aged in wooden barrels. Cuervo makes one called Cuervo Traditional. It's not that great, but much better than Cuervo Gold. Here in the Dallas/ Fort Worth area there are dozens of quality 100% agave tequilas available.

If it doesn't say "100% agave" on the label it means that 49% cane sugar has been added, instead of all agave. Yes, that's right, 51% agave and 49% sugar. There are strict laws governing the production of Tequila in Mexico. It's only allowed in certain regions. It must be the blue agave plant (there are many other kinds). 100% agave tequila must be bottled in these regions, Mixtos (non-100% agave tequila) can be bulk shipped to the US where further modifications can be made and then bottled here.

Patron is highly overpriced. It's a fad thing, a marketing success story. Any knowledgeable tequila lover will tell you there are many tequilas of equal, or better quality at less cost. And there are many better tequilas for the same or less price. Good tequila is for sipping, not shooting. There's no worm in tequila. I recommend doing some internet research on the history of Tequila. There's no gluten in Tequila. If you like margaritas, like me, you will be amazed how tasty one is with quality ingredients.

best regards, lm

p.s., btw, this thread is almost two years old!

[ksymonds84]

[p.s., btw, this thread is almost two years old!

[Generic]

Mezcal has the worm as you pointed out not tequilla. They are two different things.

By the way not all tequillas are made in Mexico. Tarantula tequilla is "made" in Italy. It says right on the bottle in tiny print product of Italy. I'm sure they import it to Italy then work their magic of adding the "citrus".

[larry mac]

Mezcal has the worm as you pointed out not tequilla. They are two different things.

By the way not all tequillas are made in Mexico. Tarantula tequilla is "made" in Italy. It says right on the bottle in tiny print product of Italy. I'm sure they import it to Italy then work their magic of adding the "citrus".

I beg to differ. All "tequilas" are indeed made in Mexico. If a tequila is not made in Mexico, it is not allowed to be called tequila. It is an agreed upon international law. Same as Champagne, or rougeford cheese. You may be referring to the blue Tarantula product. But, I'm looking at a bottle of Original Tarantula Reposado, Fine Agave Tequila (which may be stretching the truth just a little bit), Product of Mexico, Destileria Leyros, S.A. de C.V., APDO. No. 42 Tequilia, Jalisco, Mexico.

best regards, lm

[tom]

Patron is highly overpriced.

Hi Larry!

I'm trying to find a fav budget-conscious 100% agave tequila. Any recommendations?

[larry mac]

After further googling, I discovered that Tarantula "blue" Tequila was produced in Italy in the past, but no longer. As I posted earlier, 100% agave tequilas can only be produced and bottled in Mexico, and are subject to strict regulatuions regarding additives. Mixtos, such as Tarantula, can be bulk exported to other countries, adulterated, and bottled there.

best regards, lm