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Once upon a time there were literally hundreds of tequila producers, but a shortage of blue agave has closed down many small operations. A fungal and bacterial blight of epic proportions hit the fields in the late 1990s, and many farmers chose to replace their agave yield with crops with a more immediate cash return. Both factors have driven up the price of tequila.

Still, many excellent brands are available both in Mexico and the United States. Price is not always the best indicator of quality. Cost of advertising, designer bottles, and status all figure. Perhaps the most critical difference is between 100 percent blue agave tequilas and mixtos. Another factor to consider is the individual distiller's production process: how he bakes the agave, ferments the juice, ages, and blends the final product.

Once you have found tequila you favor, check the bottle for the NOM number, which is issued by the Mexican government, and you can discover other tequilas from the same source. One distillery may produce a variety of tequilas under different labels, but their NOM is always the same. Cuervo and Sauza are the two largest producers, but smaller distilleries like Don Julio, Hornitos, and Herradura remain popular. Although Mexicans are more sophisticated in their tequila choices, norteamericanos are learning. Tequila bars have opened in some major U.S. cities.

Tequila is traditionally served in a small narrow shot glass called a caballito, and premium tequilas should be sipped like cognac. Forget the ice, salt, and lime. They're to cut the bite of less exalted brews. Tequila experts look for the pearl, a bubble that remains on surface of fine tequilas when the bottle is agitated or the individual glass stirred.

When you've learned to appreciate the earthy, vegetal taste, you might want to venture into other areas -- margaritas, for example. Legend goes that this popular drink was created for the actress Margarita King at the Rancho La Gloria bar in Tijuana in the 1940s by barkeep Carlos "Danny" Herrera. Another story says a Texas socialite, Margarita Sames, concocted the drink at her Acapulco villa. One tale says Danny Negrete, manager of the Crespo Hotel in Puebla, named it for his girlfriend.

Whoever is responsible, the margarita has risen to be one of the world's most popular drinks. Its basic ingredients are one part tequila, one part lime juice, and one-half part orange liquor such as Cointreau, Triple Sec, or Grand Marnier. If you are unable to get the sweeter tropical or key limes and have to substitute Persian limes, sugar is sometimes necessary to cut the sourness. Margaritas are usually served in a stemmed, wide mouthed, shallow glass with the rim wiped with lime and crusted with kosher or sea salt. They may be served frozen or blended with ice.

There are as many recipes for margaritas as there are bartenders, with some mixologists concocting sweet slushy drinks like frozen peach, strawberry, or banana margaritas. However, these aberrations do not find favor with true tequila lovers.

Sipping your tequila with a chaser of sangrita (not sangria) is popular in Mexico but relatively unknown in the United States. Sangrita is Spanish for "little blood," and it is a spicy mixture of tomato and orange juice in equal proportions. Additions may include sweet onion, Worcestershire sauce, black pepper, and more.

Another popular Mexican drink is the bandera, named for the colors of the national flag. It consists a shot of sangrita (red), a shot of tequila (white) and a shot of lime juice (green).

If you had previous prejudices about tequila quality, take heart and enjoy the drink, which poet's have compared to the essence of the Mexican soul. Mexican bottled, 100 percent blue agave tequila ranks as one of world's finest liquors. It is a beverage anyone can enjoy. Even my husband, who avoided tequila for years due to his experiences with Matamoras lightening, has changed his mind.