National Tequila Day: Deals plus why more women are taking a shot at the industry
Tequila remains a spirit on the rise. Could women's taste for tequila be helping continue its two-decade climb?
Of course, women aren't strangers to tequila. Some well-known examples: Miranda Lambert sang its praises in her 2019 song "Tequila Does" and Kendall Jenner launched her 818 Tequila brand in 2021.
While there's no new survey suggesting more women are drinking tequila – as we prepare to sip and celebrate National Tequila Day on Thursday, July 24 – there's plenty of evidence to support the claim, especially with a woman's touch coming to more tequila brands.
"Every woman we know drinks tequila," Shivam Mallick Shah and Lindsey Davis Stover, two of the three co-founders of 1953 Tequila, told USA TODAY. They started 1953 Tequila in winter 2020 and in October 2023 launched their first product, an ultra-premium añejo tequila crafted by a female distiller at a woman-owned distillery with agave sourced from a women-owned farm.
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"Tequila is the number one spirit for women, yet if you look at the market, so many brands are marketed towards men," said actress Eva Longoria, who in addition to directing the film "Flamin' Hot," is co-founder of Casa Del Sol tequila, in a recent interview with luxury lifestyle and travel blog The Pursuitist.
The women-run brand, launched in 2021, is about "more than just selling tequila," Longoria said. "I want to uplift the women behind it and disrupt the industry with a fresh perspective."
Tequila sales outpacing other spirits
A thirst for tequila continues to drive ever-higher sales and volumes in the U.S. Tequila sales have risen about 6% over the past 12 months, according to research firm NIQ, based on its sales tracking in U.S. supermarkets, drug stores, mass-merchandise stores, convenience stores and liquor stores for the 52-week period ending July 12, 2025.
Meanwhile, sales of all other spirits including whiskey, vodka and gin, have been declining. Beyond tequila, the only other spirits category to see steady increases has been spirits-based ready-to-drink cocktails, up nearly 18% the first half of 2025, according to NIQ.
Women's uptick in tequila consumption is a factor "that I have heard cited as a driving factor for the widespread and consistent growth that the category has experienced," said Dave Williams, president of Bump Williams Consulting of Shelton, Connecticut, which services the alcoholic beverage industry.
What is happening is that some consumers are shifting from other spirits to tequila at times, Williams said, "which is keeping that category on an upward/stable trajectory in the short-term, but I do wonder about the long-term momentum once the shifting aspect of the growth runs out of steam."
Tequila is also the only spirit – other than ready-to-drink cocktails – to see an increase in volume (6.2%) sold over the past year, according to NIQ. In comparison, vodka declined 2.8% and whiskey fell 3.2% (those two spirits accounted for 19% and 18% of the spirits market share, while tequila grew to 17%).
National Tequila Day deals
Need a reason for a tequila tasting? Here are some specials for National Tequila Day on Thursday, July 24. Remember to check the social media accounts of your favorite local restaurants and bars for more deals.
Women in tequila: A refined taste
Consumers have been willing to migrate to higher-end tequila purchases, Williams said. That's good news for 1953 Tequila because they think women will be willing to pay for quality.
Their initial tequila, ultra-premium priced at about $200 per bottle, is aged for 15 months in vintage American oak barrels previously used for bourbon. "We chose to focus on añejo and the idea of an additive-free sipping tequila because we wanted to present an elevated spirit that truly reflects the history, elegance, and authenticity of Mexico," Mallick Shah and Davis Stover said.
Along with fellow co-founder Alison Kiehl Friedman, the trio of Washington, D.C. area women bonded over tequila and – after Davis Stover read a Texas Monthly article about tequila – set out to create a women-focused company with a woman distiller and an agave farm run by four sisters.
"There wasn't a single woman mentioned (in the article)," they said. "Through our initial research, it became clear that tequila is indeed a male-dominated industry that simply doesn't reflect the diversity of the people who make or consume the product – we decided to change that."
1953 Tequila was included in a March 2024 Forbes story documenting the rise of "more women launching tequila brands" highlighting nine that are "not only owned and operated by women, but also prioritize the employment of women throughout the tequila-making process," wrote contributor Jillian Dara.
Other women in tequila include Tequila Casa Dragones founder and CEO Bertha González Nieves, who is also the first woman to be certified as a Maestra Tequilera by the Mexican Academy of Tequila Tasters, and Valor Bebidas founder and CEO Christiane Maertens.
In addition to Jenner and Longoria, other women celebrities with tequila brands include actress Shay Mitchell, a co-founder of tequila cocktail brand Onda, singer and actress Rita Ora, who is chief creative officer for Próspero tequila.
Other women involved in tequila include Camila Alves McConaughey and Behati Prinsloo, who have each launched tequila brands with their husbands Matthew McConaughey (Pantalones Organic Tequila) and Adam Levine (Calirosa tequilas,), respectively.
Tips on trying tequila
If you are interested in trying tequila, the pioneers at 1953 Tequila have some advice. "Today's premium, additive- free tequila is not the same as your college tequila," they said. Instead, it's meant to be "sipped like a bourbon or other fine spirit."
Some pointers:
Mike Snider is a national trending news reporter for USA TODAY. You can follow him on Threads, Bluesky, X and email him at mikegsnider & @mikegsnider.bsky.social & @mikesnider & msnider@usatoday.com
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Axios
2 hours ago
- Axios
National Tequila Day brings specials to the Phoenix area
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Buzz Feed
6 hours ago
- Buzz Feed
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Forbes
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- Forbes
Chris Stapleton Hits No. 1 With One Of Country Music's Most Successful Women
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