July 19, 2025

WEEKLY MENU 07.20.25

If there was ever a reason to celebrate, it’s during the Weekly Menu 07.20.25 ~

What is the big celebration during the Weekly Menu 07.20.25? Drum roll, please…

Thursday is National Tequila Day!

I told you it was huge! I’m just going to say it one more time: I love tequila. And I am really not alone:

It’s not news that tequila is near the top of spirits sales in the U.S. right now, outselling even red-hot American whiskey and just a few paces behind longtime leader vodka, according to the Distilled Spirits Council (DISCUS). Last year, tequila sales totaled 31.6 million cases, a rise of 5.7 percent over 2022. Revenue-wise, the category’s growth was even stronger, increasing 7.9 percent, equivalent to $476 million in additional sales.

Vibrant across the board, tequila is strongest in the premium-and-above tiers, where 100-percent agave brands dominate, accounting for at least 70 percent of U.S. tequila sales, according to Impact Databank. New offerings launch seemingly every week, often backed by celebrities or packaged in eye-catching bottles, and consumers are increasingly interested in the finer points of production and mixology. To support all this growth, tequila producers are investing heavily: planting agave, expanding distilleries, and working to continuously educate consumers about the category.

At this point, more tequila is sold in the United States than in any other country, including tequila’s homeland of Mexico. But with such extensive growth, producers are looking beyond North America at tequila’s global prospects. And there’s a lot of untapped territory.
Vinepair March 4, 2024

And I’m not being a bandwagon jumper here – I’ve been a huge fan since college. Hell, I played dimes with tequila when we were snowed in and ran out of beer. That might not have been my best idea, but I managed to make it through. I don’t usually drink tequila straight anymore, but that was the only casualty.

I’ve extolled the virtues of tequila before – this stuff is actually good for you.

7 Health Benefits of Tequila That Are Worth Another Shot (teehee)

1. Diabetics can drink it. The agavins, natural sugars in agave, are non-digestible so blood sugar levels won’t spike. In fact, it can lower glucose levels and increase insulin production.

2. It cleanses the colon. Tequila is made from the blue agave plant. This plant contains fructans which aren’t digestible. This is good news for fighting colon disease. Researchers have used fructans to help deliver drugs to the colon to fight diseases such as Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, and irritable bowel syndrome.

3. It can aid in weight loss. A report, which was part of the 247^th National Meeting of the American Chemical Society, found that the same agavins that help diabetes are also good for obesity. The reason is those agavins act like dietary fiber, which if you have ever tried to slim down your waistline know that fiber promotes weight loss. Get your metabolism right!

4. It helps fight dementia. Studies have shown that drinking alcohol like tequila in moderation may aid in the fight against dementia. Too much though, and you’ll be back on stage next Friday night singing who knows what.

5. It aids digesti on. A drink before a meal has been known to stimulate the appetite. And a drink after can help digest said meal.

6. It’s probiotic. Probiotics found in foods like yogurt and kimchi are praised for restoring good bacteria in the digestive system. And like yogurt and kimchi, tequila contains probiotics thanks to its fructans. But remember, in order to benefit from these probiotics, you will have to drink in moderation.

7. It’s a cold-buster. Tequila was prescribed by doctors in Mexico as a cure for the common cold during the 30s. While their version didn’t include Emergen-C, it did include tequila blanco, agave nectar, and lime. Voila, a great immune system. The idea here is that the agave would soothe a sore throat, the lime would add vitamin C, and the tequila, well, alcohol kills bacteria right?
Wide Open Country Health Benefits of Tequila

Okay. The last one might be a little bit of a stretch, but you have to admit it’s worth a shot. (LOL)

Tequila is a little problematic for the environment.

To make tequila and mezcal, brewers harvest the whole agave plant once it reaches maturity (usually seven to 12 years, though some varieties can be harvested earlier), strip off the sword-like leaves and steam or roast the pina, or heart, until it releases a sugar-rich nectar that is then fermented and distilled. That processing generates a lot of waste: for every liter of tequila produced, about 5 kg (or 11 lbs.) of pulp and 10-15 liters of vinasse, an acidic liquid, are left behind. If disposed of improperly, the vinasse contaminates both soil and water supplies, leading to ecological dead zones.
Time

**All pictures from the process are attributable to Photo by Mary West on Unsplash**

Lord. I hope somebody figures this out! Meanwhile, I’m going to continue drinking my Palomas, Margaritas and Tequila & Sodas. (Try this last one with white Casamigos Tequila. It’s pricy but so worth it. And we’re drinking it in moderation, so it will last and last.)

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One other note: part of the reason I like tequila so much is probably because of the glassware that it’s often presented in. Margarita glasses, especially, are so versatile. Ice cream doesn’t ever look better than in a Marg glass. Try some lemon sorbet (lime, if you could find it) with a shot of tequila over it in one of these:

Where is Tequila popping up in the Weekly Menu 07.20.25?

We’re having Palomas and Margarita Pork Chops. Yippee! Alas, not until Thursday.

We’re starting off the Weekly Menu 07.20.25 with a nice grilled steak dinner on Sunday, topped with a beautiful Ice Cream Pie for dessert. We’re going old school for the appetizer – port wine cheese always has a place at our table.

We’re going meatless on Monday, and making an easy skillet dinner on Tuesday instead of Mexican. (That’s coming on Thursday.) Wednesday is easy meatball subs using balls from the freezer and plenty of mozzarella cheese. I’m going to warm them in the crockpot on high for a couple of hours with some marinara. We’re avoiding warming up the kitchen any way we can.