Michael Prentice, Author at SpiritedAgave.com

Agave cupreata before flowering: a broad green rosette with scalloped edges and copper-colored spines, beside a standing person’s outline labeled 1.7 meters and a one meter bar. Illustrated leaf-tip span 1.10 meters and rosette width about 1.64 meters; plant, person and bar use one linear scale.

Agave cupreata: Papalote in Guerrero, Chino in Michoacán

Recognize Cupreata agave, learn where it is called Papalote and Chino, and compare how Guerrero and Michoacán makers produce it.

Is tequila kosher?

by Michael Prentice

Tequila can be kosher. Check the exact bottle, its certification and any aging or Passover conditions before choosing a release.

Kosher tequila list

by Michael Prentice

Search 924 tequila product listings by brand, certifier and use. Check required bottle marks, source conditions and Passover details.

Agave potatorum rosette showing layered broad leaves, raised toothed margins and brown terminal spines.

Tobalá: the small agave grown for mezcal

by Michael Prentice

Recognize Tobalá agave, understand its local names and cultivation, and learn how different makers produce Tobalá mezcal.

Mezcal by state: twelve regional guides

by Michael Prentice

Explore the agaves, makers and production traditions of twelve Mexican states, with a comparison table and links to their regional guides.

How tequila is made: from agave to bottle

by Michael Prentice

Tequila starts with the piña, the harvested heart of blue agave. Producers release its stored carbohydrates, turn them into sugars that yeast can ferment, and distill the fermented liquid into a spirit. Some tequila goes into bottles as blanco; some spends months or years in oak before bottling.

US menu prices, October 2026. Espolòn Blanco: median $12, range $5–$15, 9 menus; Patrón Silver: median $15, range $9–$27, 14 menus; Casamigos Reposado: median $18, range $11–$41, 18 menus; Fortaleza Blanco: median $21, range $17–$28, 5 menus; Don Julio 1942: median $36, range $21–$74, 19 menus; Clase Azul Reposado: median $36, range $21–$85, 18 menus. Dots show exact medians; labels round to whole dollars. Actual offered pours vary in size; prices are not adjusted to 1.5 US fl oz.

How much is a shot of tequila? US bar prices by bottle

by Michael Prentice

Compare October 2026 US menu prices for 18 familiar tequila bottles, with original menus, serving sizes and matched comparisons between blanco, reposado and añejo.

Large intact salmiana rosette, selected at 2 meters high and about 3 meters across, beside a neutral standing 1.7-meter human outline and one-meter bar on the same ground line and linear scale.

Salmiana: the large maguey behind pulque and plateau mezcal

by Michael Prentice

Recognize salmiana agave, explore its regional names, and learn how mature plants provide aguamiel for pulque and piñas for mezcal.

Mature Espadín illustrated at 1.5 m high and 1.8 m wide beside the shared standing 1.7 m human outline and a 1 m scale bar.

Espadín: the agave behind most mezcal

by Michael Prentice

Recognize Espadín, compare it with Azul and learn how growers and mezcal makers use the agave behind most certified mezcal.

LALO High Proof: check the year and the proof.

by Michael Prentice

Compare LALO High Proof 2024 at 54% ABV, 2025 at 50%, and core Blanco at 40%, with exact launch dates, edition identity and serving arithmetic.