If you still think tequila is only good as a shooter with lime or a building block for your college game day margaritas, you’re living in 1997. The agave-based spirit from Mexico has blown up commercially for more than a decade now and what’s on the shelf here in the US is increasingly refined (and pricey). Sure, it can be great for shots and mixing, but more and more sipping tequilas have hit the mainstream, too.
Long lede short, there are countless high-quality, flavorful, and delicious tequilas (aged and unaged) on the shelves and behind bars these days. Which begs a question: which tequilas are actually being ordered from those bars?
“The number one requested tequila shot is, and maybe always will be, Patrón,” Heather Buelna, head bartender at Sun Outdoors San Diego Bay, tells us. “And while this is a very solid pick for a shot of tequila with a very nice balance of agave, caramel, and spice, the biggest reason it’s the most popular request in the category is because of branding and marketing more than anything else.”
Popularity contest or not, asking your favorite bartender is generally the best way to learn more about what people are drinking right now. So we hit up a handful of notable bartenders and had them tell us the one tequila (as a sipper or shot) that guests order the most. While this might not reveal the best options (since hype is big in the tequila world), it’s an interesting launch pad as you enter the wider world of tequila drinking.
Avión Reposado
Kristan Arnold, bartender at Elgin Public House in Chicago
ABV: 40%
Average Price: $47
Why This Tequila?
Avión Reposado is a big hit with customers neat, on the rocks, or mixed into a cocktail. It’s also great as a base for our margaritas. This tequila blends perfectly with our homemade sour mix. It’s sweet, vegetal, and has nice vanilla notes.
Tequila Ocho Plata
Nicholas Webster, bar manager at Fulton Market Kitchen in Chicago
ABV: 40%
Average Price: $49
Why This Tequila?
I always get guests who ask for Tequila Ocho Plata. Few tequilas can be enjoyed neat while also being versatile in cocktails. It embodies everything you want in tequila — fresh vegetal notes of agave, a smooth finish, and enough complexity to complement just about any cocktail.
Casamigos Reposado
Jillian Cooper, restaurant and bar general manager at Baker & Able in Huntsville, Alabama
ABV: 40%
Average Price: $47
Why This Tequila?
Casamigos Reposado is a popular tequila with our guests. It’s a great choice for those who love tequila. The hint of caramel on the nose from aging in oak barrels balances nicely with the dried fruits and sweetness from the agave.
Don Julio Blanco
Evan Hosaka, lead bartender at The Dorsey Cocktail Bar in Las Vegas
ABV: 40%
Average Price: $45
Why This Tequila?
Don Julio Blanco is a big hit with our guests because of the great brand recognition they have built for themselves over the years. Flavors aren’t nearly as prominent when compared with other smaller producers in the tequila world, but great marketing and brand recognition do a great deal in the spirits business.
Patrón Silver
Amanda Phelps, beverage operations supervisor at Frannie & The Fox in Charleston, South Carolina
ABV: 40%
Average Price: $43
Why This Tequila?
Patrón is a big seller. We talk to our guests about how Patrón is 100 percent tequila with no additives and has smooth flavors for sipping alone. There’s a reason it’s such a big name in the tequila world.
Fortaleza Blanco
Leighton Bagley, bar manager at Little Palm in Charleston, South Carolina
ABV: 40%
Average Price: $45
Why This Tequila?
Fortaleza Tequila has grown in popularity over the past few years with newer agave fans. It makes sense that it’s a popular choice for guests. Fortaleza has insanely smooth tasting notes of citrus, vanilla, and cooked agave. It comes in at a great price point for either on the rocks or in a cocktail.
Clase Azul Reposado
Lily Van Duyn, food and beverage manager at The Vinoy Renaissance in St. Petersburg, Florida
ABV: 40%
Average Price: $160
Why This Tequila?
Clase Azul Reposado is aged for eight months in American whiskey barrels, creating a very smooth tequila that’s easy to enjoy over rocks with a slice of lime. With subtle hints of vanilla and cloves, plus an eye-catching blue and white bottle, guests are always requesting Clase Azul Reposado at The Vinoy.
Don Fulano Blanco
Claire Sexton, bar manager at Kettner Exchange in San Diego
ABV: 40%
Average Price: $45
Why This Tequila?
Don Fulano Blanco is a popular choice. The fruit of five generations of agave farmers and a singular tequila-making heritage, Don Fulano brings together the highlands of Jalisco and the valleys of Tequila. The brand relies on three key elements to make the best possible Tequila, mature estate-grown agave, proprietary yeast, and volcanic spring water. It’s filled with flavors like citrus, vanilla, and subtle spices.
Espolon Blanco
Samantha Seltzer, beverage and service manager at Royal Boucherie in Philadelphia
ABV: 40%
Average Price: $25
Why This Tequila?
Espolon Blanco is the most often requested tequila. You can’t beat the quality and price point. Drinkers know they are getting a quality 100 percent blue agave tequila with no harsh bite. It’s smooth, sweet, with tropical fruit flavors and slight cracked black pepper.
Don Julio 1942
Subhash Sankar, head mixologist at Alaia Belize in San Pedro Town, Belize
ABV: 40%
Average Price: $180
Why This Tequila?
Don Julio 1942 Añejo is a big seller for the sipping crowd. 1942 Añejo is exclusively distilled in the brand’s smallest still, pot still six, which produces three barrels per cycle. The aromatics of the 1942 are more complex than any other tequila. The fruit/pepper/menthol finish of the 1942 is reminiscent of an actual cigar finish. This tequila is best enjoyed neat. Its complex unctuous fruit note also lends it to creativity in cocktails.