What does tequila taste like?
Tequila tastes like cooked agave: earthy-sweet and peppery, bright and a little citrusy when it's unaged, and smoother with vanilla and caramel when it's aged in oak.
Tequila
clean, peppery agave
Tequila is made from blue agave, a spiky plant whose heart is cooked, crushed and fermented. Blanco (silver) tequila is unaged, so it tastes the most like the plant: green, peppery, citrusy and a bit vegetal, with a warm burn. Reposado rests in oak for a few months and picks up soft vanilla. Añejo spends a year or more in barrels and drinks more like whiskey, with caramel and spice. Cheap 'mixto' tequila, made with as little as 51% agave, is behind most bad tequila memories, so look for '100% agave'.
Where you’ll see it
In margaritas, palomas, tequila sunrises and ranch water, as shots with salt and lime, and sipped neat at better bars, where aged reposados and añejos get their own list.
Order it if you want a bright, peppery spirit that plays perfectly with lime and salt.
Quick questions
- What's the difference between blanco, reposado and añejo?
- Age. Blanco is unaged and peppery; reposado rests two to twelve months in oak and gets softer; añejo ages one to three years and tastes of vanilla and caramel.
- Is tequila the same as mezcal?
- Tequila is a type of mezcal made only from blue agave, usually steamed. Most other mezcals roast their agave in pits, which makes them smoky.