Caballito
Tequila is traditionally drunk out of a small, cylindrical glass with a wider mouth than base, known as a caballito (“little horse” in Spanish). Its origins are unclear, but it appears to be a direct descendant of the hollowed-out bull’s horns used in tequila factories in the past to taste the liquor right out of the still. The caballito is a simplified glass version of a horn with a sawed-off tip that allowed it to be set on a bar or table.
The Consejo Regulador del Tequila (Tequila Regulatory Council) approved an “official tequila glass” in 2002 called the Ouverture Tequila glass, made by Riedel.
More recently, the Swiss glassware manufacturer Riedel brought together a group of tequila distillers to develop a glass that would allow the tequila to be savored without losing any of its robust flavor or aromatic qualities. These meetings resulted in the so-called Riedel glass, which enhances the subtle notes of this fine spirit.
About the Ouverture tequila glass:
There is an “official tequila glass” made by Riedel Crystal in Austria. This glass, designated the Official Tequila Glass by the Consejo Regulador del Tequila in 2001, was introduced simultaneously to the U.S. and Mexico in March of 2002. The Riedel Ouverture (Ouverture Tequila 408/18) is an elegant slender glass 8¼ inches tall with a capacity of 6¾ ounces designed to enhance Mexico’s finest tequilas. The glass has a tall stem, meant to lift fine Tequila to the level it deserves, to accord it the appreciation and respect of which it is worthy. The glass was selected by tequila experts who eliminated the competition during four rounds of taste-testing at two different workshops (first workshop held on July 9, 2001 Tequila, Jalisco, Mexico; second workshop held November 4, 2001 Reidel Glassworks in Kufstein, Austria).
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