A TASTE OF MEXICO AT YOUR LOCAL LEGENDS
DISCOVER THE SPIRIT TAKING OVER THE PREMIUM SPACE
What Makes Tequila So Popular?
Celebrity influence has played a key part in the recent tequila boom with George Clooney kicking it all off in 2013 in shared brand 'Casamigos'. 2019-2021 saw the 'Clooney effect' coming in hot with numerous big names getting in on the action, as well as the premiumisation trend within alcohol making waves and celebrities (or their agents at least) were noticing the profitability. Michael Jordan and four other NBA hall of fame residents partnered with 'Cincoro' Tequila, Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson released 'Teremana' and Kendall Jenner brought '818' onto the market - just to name a few. The certain 'Instagrammable' factor celebrities exude further adds this elevated layer of personality to both the tequila and those endorsing it, making it more desirable to the consumer. This intense influence within the last few years has transformed tequila's place within the market from shotting to premium sipping, all the while keeping its 'youthful' connotations as a spirit.
Premium Tequila vs Mixto
Tequila is regarded as a more complex spirit given its strict production process. Alike with Champagne in France, Tequila can only be labelled as such if produced within a select area in Mexico. Pure Tequila is produced with 100% blue agave as the base for its sugared content, anything less than 50% is labelled a 'Mixto'. Tequila ingredients as well as its production process are both natural and heavily organic when 100% agave is used. Although more expensive to produce, this leads to a cleaner spirit and therefore a premium finished product. Tequila is shown to be consistently growing as a spirit category and globally most of this is being driven by high end and luxury lines.
More Than Just Gold and Silver
There are four main varietals of tequila depending on the process and ingredients used:
Blanco: A tequila bottled immediately after the distilling process to maintain the sweetness from the agave.
Reposado: A tequila aged from two months to a year in wooden barrels to infuse woody tasting notes.
Anejo: A tequila aged over a year in a wooden barrel.
Extra Anejo: A tequila aged for three years or more in a wooden barrel.
So Is Expensive Tequila Worth It?
Consider it this way - Tequila only needs to be 51% agave to be classified as a tequila, meaning cheaper products generally use low-cost additives as fillers to make up the other 49% of sugars. This can be anything from sugar cane to high fructose corn syrup - generally the cheapest syrup available. Premium tequilas also remove all non-desired alcohol during the distilling process to leave only pure tequila liquor as the finished product. As this is a further expense, cheaper tequila brands generally only eliminate the essential nasties during distilling. So if you've ever wondered why you have a pounding headache after a night with a $30 bottle, these two steps in the production line are key indicators. When it comes to tequila, you get what you pay for - in saying this, a good rule of thumb is premium tequila for sipping, but budget-friendly suffices when making cocktails.
Put Your New-Found Tequila Knowledge To Use With Our Legendary Margarita Recipes!
