Tequila
Read the label before the price. Tequila only has to be 51% agave sugars, and no bottle is ever labelled mixto, so the words 100% agave are the only thing separating a spirit made from the plant from one made half from cane or corn.
Quick Facts
Flavour Profile
Primary Flavours
Tasting Notes
Bright cooked agave character with herbal and citrus notes, light peppery spice, and a clean, warming finish. Oak-aged styles add vanilla and soft spice.
Recommended Brands
Budget Choice
Olmeca Altos Plata: 100% agave at a mixing price, which is the bar to clear
Premium Choice
Fortaleza Blanco: tahona-crushed and oily, and largely wasted in anything long
Storage & Handling
Store upright in a cool, dark place away from direct sunlight. Reseal tightly after use to preserve aroma.
Shelf Life
Indefinite when stored sealed and upright
Usage
50ml in a Margarita or a Paloma, where blanco is the assumed pour. Reposado suits stirred and spirit-forward builds where a little oak helps, and añejo generally belongs in a glass on its own rather than in a mixed drink.
The Label Is the Whole Decision
Mexican standards require tequila to be made from a minimum of 51% Blue Weber agave sugars. The rest, up to 49%, may come from cane or corn. A spirit made that way is called a mixto in the trade, and it will never say so on the bottle.
That makes the absence of a phrase the thing to look for. A tequila made entirely from agave carries the words 100% agave, and one that does not is telling you what it is by omission. It is the rare case where what a label leaves out tells you more than what it prints.
One Plant, One Place
Only Agave tequilana Weber, blue variety, may be used, and only within the denomination of origin: the whole of Jalisco plus designated municipalities in Guanajuato, Michoacán, Nayarit and Tamaulipas.
That is a narrower rule than most spirits live under, and it is why tequila and mezcal are separate categories rather than styles of one thing. Mezcal covers a far wider range of agave species and a far wider area, and the pit-roasting that gives it smoke is a different process from the steam-cooking most tequila uses.
Blanco, Reposado, Añejo
Blanco is unaged or barely rested, and it is where the agave is most audible: bright, peppery and vegetal. It is the Margarita pour and the one a recipe assumes unless it says otherwise.
Reposado rests up to a year in oak and rounds out, which suits stirred drinks. Añejo runs one to three years and moves toward the register of an aged spirit, at which point putting it under lime stops making sense. Buy it to drink rather than to mix.
Buying It
Start with 100% agave blanco from a producer you can look up. The NOM number on the back identifies the distillery rather than the brand, and several familiar labels share one, which is worth knowing before paying for the bottle rather than the liquid.
Price above that point buys age more often than it buys quality, and age is the thing a Margarita has least use for. A good blanco under a fresh lime will beat an expensive añejo in the same glass every time.
Pro Tip
If the label doesn’t say “100% agave”, it’s not worth mixing with.
Top Tips
- Look for the words 100% agave and nothing else. Their absence is the only signal you get that up to 49% of the bottle came from somewhere other than the plant.
- Buy blanco for mixing. Oak in a Margarita fights the lime, and the money spent on ageing is money you cannot taste under citrus.
- Check the NOM number if you are curious who made it. Several brands share a distillery, and the four digits will tell you which.
Possible Substitutions
- Mezcal (smokier, more rustic)
- Cachaça (different base and profile)
Production Method
Produced by harvesting mature blue Weber agave, cooking the piñas, extracting sugars, fermenting, and distilling. Some styles are aged in oak barrels (reposado, añejo).
History & Context
Tequila has been produced in Mexico for centuries and became globally recognised in the 20th century. Modern tequila culture emphasises quality, terroir, and 100% agave production.
Common Questions
What does 100% agave mean?
That every fermentable sugar came from Blue Weber agave. Without the phrase, the law permits up to 49% from cane or corn, and no bottle is ever labelled mixto, so the missing words are the only warning you get. Read for them first.
Blanco, reposado or añejo?
Blanco is unaged and vegetal-bright, and it is the Margarita choice. Reposado rests up to a year in oak and rounds out for stirred drinks. Añejo runs one to three years and belongs in a sipping glass rather than under lime juice.
Tequila versus mezcal?
Tequila is the narrow branch: Blue Weber agave only, within a defined region, and usually steam-cooked. Mezcal covers many agave species across a wider area and is traditionally pit-roasted, which is where the smoke people associate with it comes from.
Why do Margaritas demand fresh lime?
Because the drink is three ingredients and lime is roughly a third of it, so there is nothing to hide a tired bottle behind. A citrus press takes ten seconds and removes the only real excuse for a flat Margarita.