Today (24th July) marks National Tequila Day, which you probably most likely didn’t know but is an excuse to a). get out lime and salt, and b). write another article about out mastermind specialist subject: tequila.
There are a lot of great tequilas out there, not to mention mezcal which really doesn’t get the credit it deserves (overshadowed by the other Mescal unfortunately), and we’ve rounded up our top favourites more than once.
However, this National Tequila Day we wanted to share a couple of tips and tricks we actually use day to day (or more accurately night to night). And yes, this includes finally - if reluctantly - letting you in on our favourite supermarket dupe.
1). Get the M&S Silver Tequila
This has to be our best ever find. Most tequilas under the £20 mark have top notes of paint stripper, and usually contain unavoidable flashbacks to hazy clubbing days circa 1990 which we’d rather were left in the past. And as much as we love recommending a Don Julio or a Clase Azul, sometimes, you just don’t want to be spending upwards of £50 on a bottle of tequila.
Enter M&S’ Silver Tequila. This is ridiculously smooth for a tequila of its price, with strong notes of agave and a good sharpness that will still pack your margs with a punch. Our go-to tequila for an at-home cocktail is probably a Casamigos - it’s smooth, deep, with the same rich-but-not-overpowering agave that strikes that perfect note between a Blanco tequila and an ultra-premium tequila. It’s hands down the best dupe we’ve ever found, and we review alcohol for a living.
- Want more recommendations? These are the best tequilas in the world
2). You don’t need any fancy equipment to make a margarita at home
Yes, you can take a blow torch to orange peel, you can shake up some egg white, get chocolate and banana liqueurs, but you don’t need all those bells and whistles to make a good cocktail.
If you’re after a margarita, skip the regular marg and go for the more simple Tommy’s Margarita. All you need is tequila, lime juice, agave syrup (it sounds like an obscure ingredient but you can get it at your local Tescos) and ice. You don’t need a shaker either, if you have an empty jar (think jam, chutney, whatever), just use that. Best life hack to date.
Our go to recipe is 60ml of blanco tequila, 30ml of lime juice, 15ml of agave - but you can whack a bit more agave in if you like it on the smoother side. If you don’t have a jigger or measurer, you can definitely eye-ball it - you can use a 2:1:1 ratio.
3. Get your store-cupboard staples in
There are a lot of great tequilas out there, and it can be hard to know what to choose. We have curated a careful long list of our top tequila brands but it’s good to have a top three down. Also, it’s worth mixing it up and including a mezcal in there.
So as well as our favourite supermarket dupe (thank you M&S), and its alter ego Casamigos, our other store-cupboard staple is Teremana. It’s got your smooth agave richness, perfect kicking tang and lies at the reasonable £40 mark.
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