Can I use the Century plant (agave) in my yard to make tequila?

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Question Can I use the Century plant (agave) in my yard to make tequila?

Answer No, you cannot make tequila from a Century plant for several reasons. First, the scientific name for Century plant is Agave americana. The scientific name for a Tequila plant is Agave tequilana 'Weber Azul'. Close, but no cigar. Century and Tequila plants are both called “blue agave.” They even look a lot alike, but they are different. Century plants will grow in North Carolina. Tequila plants won’t tolerate temperatures below 25 degrees F. Using a Century plant would be like using a Japanese camellia to make tea. While tea is made from a camellia (Camellia sinensis), it is not a Japanese camellia (Camellia japonica).

The second reason this will not work is more of a technicality. Tequila can only be produced in Tequila, Mexico. It’s like bourbon whiskey production. Bourbon whiskey can only be legally produced in the United States. Most whiskey drinkers think bourbon can only be produced in Kentucky, but they are wrong. It can be produced anywhere in the US (of course 95% of bourbon whiskey is produced in Kentucky).

However, there is a solution for xeriscape bootleggers. It is called mescal (or mezcal). Tequila is a type of mescal like bourbon is a type of whiskey. Basically, mescal is any type of distilled product from an agave plant. Mescal can be made from a Century plant. Don’t ask me how many plants it takes to make a kettle of mescal. The plant is typically around 8 years old when they start cooking it down. That is the extent of my agave bootlegging knowledge.

Mexicans have a saying about mescal. "Para todo mal, mezcal y para todo bien también" (for everything bad, mezcal, and for everything good, too.) Not to be outspoken, Kentuckians also have a saying. “Always carry a flask of whiskey in case of snakebite, and furthermore always carry a small snake.”

A more legal approach would be pulque or white wine. This concoction is made from fermenting agave sap. It looks like milk and kicks like beer. Pulque consumers are easily recognized. They will be singing, swaying and wearing a milk mustache.

For information about growing agave, visit http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ep419 If you have questions or don’t have internet access, then call me at 910-893-7530 or email me at gpierce@harnett.org

Warning - Agave sap can cause acute contact dermatitis. It will produce reddening and blistering lasting one to two weeks. Episodes of itching may recur up to a year thereafter, even though there is no longer a visible rash. Distilled agave sap may make your clothes fall off. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nj2700em-JQ

Gary L. Pierce

Horticulture Extension Agent

Harnett County