It's Tequila Time - 5 Must Try Brands To Add To Your At-Home Bar Right Now

Tequila, like Marmite, is a love it or hate it kind of drink, and here at Consommé we too are split with some ordering it up by the double and others ordering anything but. But tequila has come a long way since the dive bars of our college days - with enhanced distilling processes, Independent brands creating smooth finishes and infused flavoured bottles. Tequila has had an upgrade and we expect it to turn everyone into a lover rather than a hater by next year. But, if like Consommé writer Ryan - you are a tequila lover right now - this is the post for you. Ryan has dug deep into the T-world to find 5 of the best bottles that you just have to try ASAP.

Tequila, like me, is the life and soul of the party. We’ve all had a night where we’ve had one too many of Mexico’s finest and ended up asleep on the grass verge 17 metres from your front door, only to be woken up the next morning by your neighbours mowing their grass, haven’t we? (or maybe that’s just me. Sorry Mum)

You could say that tequila has got a slightly bad name for itself in the past for its no nonsense approach to partying, but it doesn’t have to be a one way ticket to blackout station before you call your Uber. Like the Gin revolution some years ago, Tequila brands are looking to change the game by influencing your tastes with amazing pairings and different flavours to make your night out a little out of the ordinary.

So we present to you 5 of the quirkiest Tequilas and Mezcal on the market. For those of you that need a little persuading on whether now is the time to ditch your Malibu and Coke and finish the summer with some new, exciting and sophisticated drinks, one of these might just be the product for you.

El Rayo Tequila

El Rayo Tequila

El Rayo Tequila, created by two Brits has been cooking up quite a storm in the past few months, hoping to give the Gin revolution a run for its money. We’re so used to seeing Tequila as a shortcut to getting woozy that we forget it mixes brilliantly. The folks over at El Rayo are using this as their Niche market. Their two types of Tequila, Reposado and Plata have very different tastes but appeal to anyone who likes Tequila and even to those of you that don’t!

If you’re fond of a G&T then El Rayo’s Plata is the way to go. With notes of fruit and floral undertones this Tequila is perfect for the skeptics among us, that haven’t got the Bottle to try 100% Agave instead of Gin! However, for the more adventurous the Reposado might be something to tickle your fancy. With richer Caramel notes and undertones of Almond it packs more of a punch than the Plata, I felt it stood out more against its mixer!

Like all spirits it’s important to use a good tonic, it also helps if it enhances your spirits flavour. El Rayo suggest serving their T&T with a generous wedge of Grapefruit and tonic water by Double Dutch, a London based company who substitute some Quinine for Grapefruit juice.

El Rayo Plata - £34.95 / El Rayo Reposado - £36.95

Both are available to buy on their website, Amazon and varied retailers across London.

Gem & Bolt Mezcal

Gem & Bolt Mezcal

The Martinez family have been making Mezcal by hand with no machination or industrialisation with a recipe that has been unchanged for 450+ years. Taking its name from a Mexican myth that is centuries old about the birth of Mezcal - A lightening bolt is said to have struck the gem (heart) of the Maguey plant, roasting and fermenting its sugars and out poured what is known as Mezcal today (poetic, right?)

This Artisanal mezcal is distilled together with Damiana, the first of its kind to be available on the commercial market. Damiana, a cousin herb to mint that is indigenous to central America, Mexico, southern Texas and Baja California Sur, known and used locally as a herbal remedy. Others say it increases sexual desire and orgasm frequency and although it’s nothing scientifically proven, there’s certainly no harm in trying…right?

Artist-Alchemist entrepreneurs Adrin Adrina and Elliott Coon have seen their product receive critical acclaim having won the Master Medal at the 2019 Spirits Business awards, and it’s no wonder why. Imagine drinking a single malt scotch whisky with it’s smoke and smooth finish, but without that little burn you always get afterwards and you’d be spot on with Gem&Bolt Mezcal. One most definitely to add to your drinks cabinet! This Mezcal has the most insane and in-depth flavour. They have also created a medium sized “flask” bottle which gives you the option of a sensible amount to take with you round your mates.

Gem and Bolt can be found online at: Harvey Nicolls, Master of Malt, Whiskey Exchange, Drinks Supermarket, TT Liquor. Prices start at £5.99 (5cl Miniature), £18.99 (20cl Flask), £55.51 (70cl Bottle)

Cazcabel Tequila Liqueur

Cazcabel Tequila Liqueur

Cazcabel takes its name from the master of medicine in Mexico the Mythical “Don Cazcabel” - a master of natural medicine learnt from Toltec, Olmec and Aztec backgrounds. People came from hundreds of miles to sample his remedies in the Jalisco Mountains. The micro distillery that operates today in the town of Arandas within those mountains, uses the same philosophy as those medicines - they use only the best quality ingredients for the best possible results; they use only locally sourced Blue Weber Agave that has been grown for 7 years. The elevation of the town helps this tequila stand out from others. The blue weber keeps well hydrated and they have mineral and nutrient rich soil that ensures they are the best in the entire mountains.

Cazcabel now produce a wide range of tequilas and Liqueurs. Their Blanco and Reposado are their main stayers but they have cleverly concocted liqueurs that can give any margarita an unusual twist. They sent us the Honey and their newer release of Coconut. I did sit down to try both on their own but the sweetness is a little heavy for neat drinking. However…they are absolutely perfect for mixing, the Coconut in particular is a welcome change from a Coconut-based rum. 

I shook it well with ice, Pineapple juice and a bit of Lime juice, the result was a take on the Pina Colada but with that tequila finish. Excellent for sipping in the sunshine!

Cazcabel can be found in most drinks retailers online and directly from their website. Blanco Tequila and Liqueurs (70cl) start at £24.99 / Reposado Tequila starts at £27.21

VIVIR Tequila

VIVIR Tequila

Vivir has probably the snazziest bottling on the market. Simple, elegant and sophisticated. Now its never good to judge a book by it’s cover, as a big Whisky drinker I’ve bought some Whiskies in the past based on what their labelling was like (I know, for a drinks writer that’s like…blasphemy) and some of them have been bloody awful, so it’s not the best way to judge a new tipple. Vivir however tastes every bit as good as it looks. 

Like Cazcabel it is also produced in Jalisco using only the finest and sweetest Blue Weber Agave grown on their own land, only natural local water that rises from a volcanic spring in the middle of the distillery to give an excellent and smooth Tequila. Co-creators Paul and Nav thought the U.K market for Tequila needed shaking up like a well measured Margarita, especially as his allergies meant a lot of Tequila consumed in the U.K wasn’t available to him. 

Since it’s launch it has taken home countless awards from Bartender awards (Gold and Silver), Great taste Awards, GQ, Vogue and many many more. This isn’t just by coincidence, a lot of time and love has gone into every element of this Tequila. 

We got to try the Blanco and it is ridiculously smooth. Mix it in cocktails, stir it in with your favourite mixer but if you’re looking for something simple, serve it in the sun over some Ice. I don’t think there is anything more beautiful than sitting in the garden, sipping good tequila and dreaming of being in Mexico (except, you know, being in Mexico).

Vivir is available from a range of well known online drinks retailers and direct from their website: Blanco - £35.99 / Reposado - £38.99 / Añejo - £43.99 

Jose Cuervo Tequila

Jose Cuervo Tequila

A list of Tequila wouldn’t be a list of Tequila if it didn’t have the old faithful on it, right? Tequila, as we’ve seen from the previous four can be new, exciting and most of all it can make you look classier than Daniel Craig sipping a cocktail and chatting about current affairs and politics (and knowing what he’s talking about, obviously) but let’s be honest we all love a dirty tequila slammer don’t we? 

We have all, sometimes unknowingly partaken in drinking of Jose Cuervo. We’ve all got that friend who disappears from your table at the pub presumably for a smoke, then returns 30 minutes later with 4 beers, a friend from school and a tray full of Mexico’s finest for the whole group to sink. 

The US market has just received the first few bottles of the “Tradicional Añejo” which is aged in American Oak for at least a year and then in Irish Whiskey bottles to give it a rich, complex flavour with a smooth finish. Hopefully it won’t be long until the U.K. market gets the same treatment too!

Jose Cuervo have also been up-cycling their used Agave into drinking straws that decompose 200x faster than a normal plastic straw! 

The Reposado starts at £18.00 (70cl) / The Silver starts at £19.00 (70cl) / Tradicional Añejo - Yet to be released!