02-05-2025
What are the best tequilas for Cinco de Mayo? Our favorites, from cheap to stupid expensive
What are the best tequilas for Cinco de Mayo? Our favorites, from cheap to stupid expensive
Cinco de Mayo is on the horizon. That means its time to celebrate with Mexico's most cherished spirit: tequila.
Centuries of experience have turned agave into an art form. Like all art, it exists on a spectrum. There are the plastic bottles dumped into rotating barrels of margarita mix or ripped as lessons in regret one shot at a time. There displays of precisions and wealth expensive enough to be a recurring plot point across the Breaking Bad extended universe. Somewhere in the middle lies my sweet spot.
With Cinco approaching, let's talk about some of the favorite tequilas I've had the chance to drink over the past year. Since that was a whole bunch, let's break this into two articles. Here's FTW's Cinco de Mayo tequila guide, part one.
Looking for a non-traditional May 5 and want THC drinks and gummies instead? We've got you covered.
If you're looking to impress some rich folks (with rich, explosive flavor in a big, expensive bottle): Fuenteseca
Look, the cheapest bottle of Fuenteseca is its seven-year extra anejo. It is wonderful. It is also costs around $200 to $300, depending on where you buy it. The 18- and 21-year offerings are better, but significantly pricier. You want the most bang for your buck? The seven-year gets the message across with dynamic flavors that hit unlike any other tequila I've had. From April's series of 'A' grades:
It smells like a typical añejo. A very nice añejo with warm agave and those sweet notes you'd expect from a tequila that got all the way to second grade inside a barrel. But there's also a minor spice; a little cinnamon and clove that gets me pretty excited about the whole deal.
The first sip is extremely mellow up front. You're left wondering where the flavor went when, whoosh, it all clocks in toward the end. This is a *dense* finish, one that rushes through cinnamon and sugar and vanilla and maybe even a little wintergreen. That all works against a backdrop of agave and oak -- that's the low-key start and the foundation that carries everything along.
It's a great sipper and undoubtedly unlike anything I've had before. The flavors are familiar, but the sudden rush at the end is not. At $300ish (I saw it as low as $177 online) it's not cheap by a long shot. But it brings an extra layer to your anejo that makes it more than a conversation piece. Is that worth the price? Man, I dunno, probably not for me -- but if you've got the cash and you love tequila, absolutely go for it.
If you're looking for something expensive, but not $700 expensive: Tequila Partida Roble Fino
Tequila Partida's Roble Fino isn't cheap. The bottle reflects this; it's big, wears a scarf and is heavy as hell. At more than $100 for the sherry oak finished reposado, you're making an investment here.
It pours with a pleasant rich amber color that suggests a fair amount of time in the sherry casks advertised on the label. It smells floral and fruity with a little bit of cinnamon heat at the end. There's a little boozy harshness, however, that gives you fair warning you're dealing with a full bodied spirit.
Despite that, it's smooth up front, giving off hints of agave and sweetness before, boooooom. There's a wave of spice and sugar and pepper and cinnamon and, friends, it is a lot all at once. I mean this is a good way. It hits the tip of your tongue as a pleasant little tequila and leaves as a complex beast.
You get some of the oak and the vanilla that comes with it from the barrel it was aged in, along with the stone fruits you'd associate with sherry. But the main course is an almost chewy roasted agave that brings out spices that range from what you'd find in mulled wine to a sumptuous dessert.
It starts with that agave, then at some point it feels like a small tremor rolls across your tongue to introduce that cinnamon, vanilla and pepper. It's like it's giving you something to think about at the end of each sip.
If you're looking for a funky tequila that brings a little lactose vibe to the table: Volteo
First, the bottle is gorgeous. Second, this tequila has a definite funk to it. There's a certain lactose smell wafting off the top that mingles with the agave. It smells, in all seriousness, cheesy. Like there's a lil' blue cheese olive waiting in the bottom of my cocktail. Expect, nope, this is tequila and ice and that's it.
That's interesting, for sure. It pours a crystal clear but mostly you notice that smell; agave up front, lactose in the back. The first sip is incredibly gentle at first. That gives way to some very nice flavors; cinnamon, vanilla, allspice and that baked agave. The cheese you smell off the top? Nowhere to be found.
You go from a subtle opening to mellow, lingering spice that finishes each sip. It's not dry or acidic, which gives it a chance to stick around on your lips. That's a bug for bad spirits and a feature for good ones. It's a feature here.
In the middle, on that trip from nondescript to spice, you get a lot of flavor in a tiny window. If you can get past the funk, Volteo rewards you. Oh, and I'm just now learning this is Dak Prescott's tequila, which means nothing but at least makes it a bit more germane to my job writing about the NFL.
If you're looking for something new from one of the most reliable brands out there: Milagro Cristalino
Milagro has long been my go-to fancy-looking, relatively inexpensive tequila. But that's the silver. Now the distiller is taking a hard turn into one of the more upscale expressions of the spirit.
It pours the expected clear. It smells like sweet, clean agave.
The first sip backs that up. It's gentle and sweet, with vanilla weaving through that roasted, warm agave. There's no harshness here; just some minor spice that lingers toward the end of a sip that needs no chaser.
Granted, you're paying about twice as much per bottle that you would for the silver, but the outcome is outstanding. This is an all-night sipper that distills all the best things about tequila down to a smooth, sweet and slightly simple dram. While it lacks some of the complexity of bigger, bolder tequilas, it's still a proper middle ground between good and luxe.
If you like your tequila with hints of cake batter lip balm: 818 reposado
818, famously part of Kendall Jenner's portfolio, makes a pretty great flagship product. The Eight Reserve, adorned with a lovely-if-somewhat-weird ceramic "8" bottle, opened my eyes with floral sweet and spicy flavors. The rest of 818's less expensive portfolio understandably fails to hit those heights. Still, there are some interesting notes to uncover across the rest of the lineup.
Here's how the reposado -- unique and sweet -- tastes.
It pours a light golden yellow. It smells like roasted agave with a little vanilla and a hint of pepper.
It holds the cinnamon and vanilla notes of the 8, albeit a bit rougher than the premium expression. It runs through a few permutations before ending with that sweet vanilla and just a bit of spice. You get a little spice, some caramel and some minor agave with a tiny amount of astringent burn.
Ultimately, there's a lot of lip balm flavors going on here. I like it, but it's not the tequila I'm used to. It's not a dry sip, so the aftertaste lingers.
If you want a shortcut to a spicy (well, kinda) margarita: Jose Cuervo's Devil's Reserve
Devil's Reserve is a pretty standard extension from a longstanding brand. It's Jose Cuervo, with a spicy twist. The twist, however, is that it's not especially spicy. Instead, there's a sweetness that opens each sip before finishing with a bit of pepper -- making it a useful enough sipper but a very interesting mixer.
From an upcoming B+ review:
Whoa. The pepper smell is potent the moment you crack the bottle. It's about half fresh cut jalapenos and half Limon Flamin' Hot Cheetos. That's not a bad thing, mind you, just not something I was expecting despite the promise of spice on the bottle. Stick your nose in the glass and it gets much milder, with a citrus sweetness kicking in toward the end to temper everything.
The first sip starts off sugary sweet on your tongue. It almost doesn't taste like alcohol. Indeed, you get big cantaloupe flavors and mild agave before a very minor pepper kicks in toward the end. It's all very pleasant and none of it entirely jibes with the devil on the label. You get sweet and almost creamy fruit up front and a very gentle heat to finish.
That fulfills Cuervo's promise of a sweet heat. The end result is mild and not especially boozy, giving you a spirit you can sip throughout the night, at least in terms of holding back any astringent burn. You may overload on that sweetness, but the end result is almost a one-step cocktail to itself. For a booze called "Devil's Reserve," it's very gentle. That makes it a cheat code as a tequila shot and a simple sipper over ice.
If you're looking for something unique (but a little harsh): Don Ramon Plata Platinum
The bottle, a cube of precisely cut glass, is lovely. The spirit pours crystal clear. I'm taking it over ice, because that's how I drink tequila. It smells light and fruity. That isn't what I expected from a tequila, but it's got a minor pastry vibe -- a little sweet, a little buttery and just a little fruit filling to tie everything together. For me, that's some minor melon vibes.
Weird, right?
The first sip is unlike any tequila I've ever had. That fruit is up front, with a little sugar and some modest boozy warmth. Then, a quick organic rush of earthy, veggie flavor before the agave kicks in.
It's that flip from melon to agave where Plata Platinum loses me. It's hollow and a bit astringent, bringing back the olfactory memory of a whiff of rubbing alcohol. That creates a notable valley in an otherwise interesting drink. It's light and has little in the way of burn, but the complexity here is maybe one twist too much for me.
Hey, if you're looking for something different, however, I can honestly say I've never had anything like it.
If you're looking for simple, clean and a liiiiitle bit dangerous: Lalo
It pours crystal clear with a slightly peppery scent. Dig deep and you get a little pale fruit in there as well.
The first sip is smooth and a little basic before a warm agave and cinnamon clocks in to clear it off your palate. It's very easy to drink; that warmth is the closest thing you'll get to a burn. There's a little citrus inside, though it's not especially noticeable.
What Lalo is missing in complexity it makes up for in simple quality. Lalo's clean, minimalistic bottle gives way to a clean, minimalistic tequila. Subtlety is key, so while you may not get a massive rush of flavor, Lalo will reward you for being patient and figuring out what's inside. A little ice and this goes down dangerously smoothly.
If you're looking for the Cuban cigar variant of tequila: Alto Canto's high-altitude blancos
There's something about Alto Canto that hits differently. The tequila from Mexico's mountainous terrain has a lighter, airy-er taste. The closest I can compare it to is how the soil in Cuba affects their cigars. Granted, that's a comparison I've gotten to make maybe thrice in my life, but still. That's what Alto Canto reminded me of.
Admittedly, the reposado left me a bit disappointed. Let's talk about its best two expressions instead.
Blanco: B+
This smells much better out of the bottle. Clean and crisp but with a little bit of that buttery, oaky, sour undercurrent that was inescapable in the reposado.
The first sip begins sweet -- slightly creamy and a little vanilla -- and ends floral and a little bitter. The agave is a mellowing influence throughout, leaving that mild buttery airy feel to linger as a part of the signature taste. It feels a little bit like the difference between a typical and a Cuban cigar; a little lighter with a premium charge for the experience.
In this case, however, it weaves through the sweetness of the blanco to create a smooth but complex tequila that's easy to sip. There's no boozy burn, just a little floral bitterness that settles in toward the end. The sweetness and the sour seemingly built into Alto Canto is a lovely braid, especially tempered by a little ice.
This makes it significantly better than the reposado and assuages my concerns about high altitude tequila. A lighter tequila works well with Alto Canto's vibe and tempers the almost lactic current that rings each sip in an interesting and, ultimately, tasty way.
Blanco High Proof: B+
Like the lower proof blanco, it pours with a crisp clean agave smell and a little earthy, acidic sourness trending underneath. There's a stiff sweetness that's inviting and cautious at the same time.
Like the regular blanco, the first sip opens sweet on your tongue. It transitions to a slighter bitterness than the other two, instead replaced by a slight spice that snaps off each sip. It's not a boozy heat, despite the higher alcohol content (96 proof). Instead it's a minor pepper, citrus and salt that keeps the spirit dry and ups the replay value.
That makes it an easy fit for a twist of lime, but also ensures it doesn't need it. It's sweet and fruity, dry and spicy. There's a lot going on but you don't taste the high proof. Given how Alto Canto started, the blancos are a remarkable turnaround. Light and complex. Sweet and bitter. Slightly airy. It's an interesting progression and one that rewards you for sticking with it.
