Tequila

A potential crisis in Margaritaville was averted Tuesday when U.S. and Mexican trade officials signed an agreement ensuring the continued northward flow of tequila. Mexico agreed to drop a proposed ban on bulk sales of the liquor to American bottlers in exchange for guarantees that the U.S. would better police its neighbor's national spirit after it leaves Mexican soil. Tuesday's agreement was signed in Washington by U.S.

I haven't seen the Chargers yet, but I just love them. I watched USC quarterback Matt Barkley on Saturday but don't understand why everyone is gushing. FIRST, THE Chargers, and maybe someone can explain to me why the Raiders are still considered a part of the NFL. The Chargers begin the season needing only two wins to represent the AFC in Super Bowl XLIV on Feb. 7 in Miami. They have already clinched the AFC West Division title, certainly no argument coming from Denver, Kansas City and Oakland, and with such a huge advantage playing so many lousy teams, the Chargers will have the best record in the AFC at season's end. That will earn them a first-round bye, while securing home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.

A man who cracked the knuckles of one hand -- but not the other -- for six decades, scientists who figured out why pregnant women don't topple over and chemists who made diamonds from tequila were honored Thursday at the annual Ig Nobel prize ceremony -- a tongue-in-cheek parody of the famous and august Nobels, which are due to be announced next week. Produced by a science humor magazine, the Annals of Improbable Research, the event was celebrated at a raucous event at Harvard University, during which each recipient received his or her prize from a genuine Nobel laureate.

As trade squabbles go, it's a tempest in a margarita glass. But for Temecula resident John B. Wagoner, the cross-border quarrel over his homegrown liquor business is turning into a major headache. In October, when the 44-year-old finally perfected his recipe for an alcoholic beverage distilled from the pina, or core, of blue agave plants, he knew he faced a potential legal problem.

About five years ago, tequila's titans found themselves caught short. International consumption had risen so precipitously that there wasn't enough supply to meet the demand. Even worse, the shortage couldn't be quickly corrected. The blue agave, the plant from which tequila is produced, takes eight to 12 years to mature. It didn't matter that many were planted quickly, they couldn't be harvested quickly enough.

First, there was the art; now, there is the tequila. The heirs of Mexican artist Frida Kahlo have launched a line of high-end spirits using the name and likeness of the style icon, hoping to capitalize on the growing popularity of expensive liquor in fancy packaging. "Tequila was her favorite drink and she drank a lot of it," said Mara Romeo Pinedo Kahlo, a grandniece who was an infant when Kahlo died in 1954.

Tequila used to be the bad boy of spirits, a rough tipple to be indulged in indiscriminately and regretted the morning after. Today, tequila has gone into rehab and emerged as a suave, cultivated customer, wearing some pretty fancy packaging and at ease in our finest watering holes. Restaurant bars and liquor store shelves are crowded with dozens of gleaming bottles of fine tequila, many bearing the coveted "100% agave" designation and prices ascending through the ozone layer.

Plunk yourself down at the bar at L.A.'s El Carmen, and order up a couple of shots--one tequila, one mescal. Well-known as a repository of tequila, El Carmen also has the best selection in town of mescal, a similar liquor from a different part of Mexico. Mescal's the stuff that sometimes comes with a worm in the bottle--but that's the type to avoid.