17 Great Reasons To Drink Tequila More Often

It's a purely Mexican product, so by drinking it you're helping boost your neighbors' economy.

Tequila -- originally known to Americans as mescal brandy -- first made its way into the United States in the late 19th century, as railroad transportation expanded. In the 20th century, tequila helped the United States weather its two great alcohol crises. With Mexico just across the border, tequila became the drink of choice in the Southwest during Prohibition, according to spirits writer Anthony Dias Blue. When distilleries turned to industrial production during World War II, Mexico again helped fill the void. Tequila exports to the United STates skyrocketed to 1.2 million gallons in 1945, compared to just 6,000 gallons before the war.

A light drinker by D.C. political standards, President Barack Obama enjoys a margarita every now and then, according to Politico.

Not exactly, but sort of. Tequila is made from the blue agave, which, when its leaves are sheared, leave a massive pit referred to in Spanish as the "piña," or pineapple. The agave juice that will be fermented and distilled into tequila comes from heating and crushing the piña.

The word "tequila" most likely originated as a corruption of "Tecuilo," an indigenous group of Central Mexico.

The agave that tequila is made from helps promote calcium absorption, the regulation of lipid absorption and facilitates the growth of intestinal flora, according to the American Chemical Society.

There's some classics, like tequila wings, and then there's more sophisticated creations, like tequila-lime cheesecake. Either way, that bottle of tequila can come in handy in the kitchen.

Learning to appreciate this historic spirit and the Mexican ingenuity that brought it into existence will make you less inclined to support border walls.

Unlike Scotch or brandy, which can sit around aging for decades while their prices rise into the stratosphere, tequila stops improving after around four years in the barrel.

The budget-conscious need not worry. There's plenty of bottles -- el Jimador, Espolón, and 1800 among them -- that you can pick up for less than $25. The main rule of thumb to remember when shopping around is to avoid anything less than 100 percent blue agave. Such products tend to add sweeteners to aid the fermentation process, leading to an inferior beverage and, possibly, an unnecessarily painful hangover.

Because all those health benefits go out the window when you start chugging from the bottle.