Upgrade Your Liquor Cabinet With These 10 Tequilas

It pains me to admit this but I am not the kind of person who busts out the good china on say, a regular Tuesday night—not for a slapdash meal I haphazardly put together in thirty-ish minutes, after a particularly harried day. The same instinct often kicks in when I (prudently and judiciously) allot and dispense my wine and liquor collection.

But all that changed last year, when we all started processing our collective distress about the (objectively) horrific year that was 2020—while others developed an unvarnished understanding of mortality as the pandemic took hold. It’s safe to say we were terrified.   

I coped in a way I had never done much of before: I cracked open some of my more stellar bottles of wine, such as a precious Ornellaia I paired with a modest homemade Italian dinner. I poured generous drams of special whiskies originally earmarked for birthdays, anniversaries, holidays, celebratory career milestones. I enjoyed a Cognac from my birth year whenever I found myself struggling with terrible, horrible, no good, very bad days. I drank highly limited bottlings and enjoyed many super-premium tequilas in the middle of some afternoons. And I regret nothing.

Because if not now, when?

We’ve already established, six days into the new year, that 2021 is not going to be much better. At least not immediately. But for now, we can be hopeful and concentrate on restorative matters, like drinking more of the good stuff and less of the so-s0 ones. The act of eating and drinking is still one of the few sources of true delight—something the luckier of us still enjoy. So let’s stop hoarding our “good bottles” and drink better—not more.

And yes, I mean that across the board: better spirits, better wines, and better brews. It did wonders for me last year and I’m sure it’ll do wonders for others as well.

10 Best Tequilas to Try Right Now

EL TESORO PARADISO ($130)

This particular extra añejo is extra special to me: It’s one of the first tequila expressions I’ve ever tried on-site at its distillery. It was a treat then and it’s an especially decadent treat now. And so I decant accordingly: I break out my Paradiso not just as a celebratory sipping tequila—but as something to be enjoyed even at the end of a woefully mediocre and pandemic-tinted day, to be enjoyed either alone or with a decadent dessert. Paradiso—which is first aged in ex-bourbon barrels, followed by another five years of maturation in ex-Cognac casks—is as full-bodied and rich as the chocolate cake, crème brûlée, or even the dark stone fruit galette you can pair it with.

CAMARENA REPOSADO ($21)

It goes without saying that every tequila cocktail should be made with nothing less than fully mature 100-percent blue Weber agave. (Por favor, no mixtos are allowed in this space—unless excruciating hangovers are your thing.) And while I tend to favor using blancos in my tequila cocktails, I sometimes like to work with a good reposado, depending on what kind of concoction we’re making. Camarena reposado in particular is an expression I love to use in more “sedate” drinks—mainly because of its soft spice, hints of faint vanilla, and the smoothness with which it goes down. In short: This is the kind of tequila you’d appreciate in winterized tequila cocktail.

HERRADURA LEGEND ($133)

This spectacular specimen of an añejo is matured in new and heavily charred American white oak barrels—all of which happen to be specially grooved according to Herradura’s specifications. And this technique (the proprietary grooving and the charring of the new barrels) enables the tequila to achieve maximum surface contact throughout the wood as it ages for 14 months—contributing vanilla and oak flavors along with an incredibly rich, deep hue with a longer-than-sufficient finish. This is a tequila I like to savor by itself—or with something just a smidge brighter that can complement its complexity.

EL TEQUILEÑO REPOSADO RARE ($225)

Third-generation master distiller, Jorge Antonio Salles, is renowned for his craft: He was born into it and had trained for many years under the guidance of extraordinary men who came before him. El Tequileño, after all, is the kind of tequila that many in-the-know bartenders and spirits professionals seem to fancy. And the company certainly has an expression for every kind of tequila drinker. But the El Tequileño Reposado Rare is the distillery’s prized bottling: The distillate, straight out of the still, is aged in a 25-liter pipón made out of American oak for six years, which is twice the maturation requirement than that of an extra añejo. And the result is at once “lighter” and more complex, in that tropical sort of way—all vanilla with very faint hints of pineapple. Drink this neat, poured over a clear ice cube, or in a Mexican old fashioned.

TANTEO HABANERO TEQUILA ($40)

There are many days when I just crave a spicy margarita—no matter the weather. (Believe me when I say that nothing can cheer you up more on a cold winter day than a hit of something unapologetically tropical.) And to make an extra spicy margarita, you’ll need a quality tequila—bonus points if it’s already infused. My most recent obsession? Tanteo Habanero, which delivers maximum heat and flavor instantly. The habanero, being much spicier on the Scoville scale than its jalapeño cousin, is responsible for the sustained heat you’ll feel while you work through your drink. I recommend having fun and playing with your spicy margarita by experimenting with a multitude of citrus (I’ve found that HoneyBell oranges, in season mid-winter, bring a burst of tropical flavors while taming the heat). And adding “offbeat” and unconventional garnishes can often be delightful. Or you can try to replicate The Ivy’s spicy cucumber margarita with serrano chiles. What have you got to lose?

SANTERA REPOSADO ($51)

In my mind, excellent reposados are the best of both worlds: It can absolutely please the tequila connoisseur, who would likely prefer a neat pour, and the adventurous cocktail enthusiast, who is open to any and all kinds of experimentation. So if you’re hosting a small get-together with your pandemic bubble, reposado is the way to go—particularly this one. Santera Reposado has been aged for approximately seven months in new American oak barrels—and it’s got a little more going for it in terms of its flavor profile. It’s not as grassy, floral, or herbaceous as one would expect. It tends to align itself more with warming spices such as cinnamon and black peppercorns—with a touch of heat and sweetness.

EL PINTOR TEQUILA JOVEN ($100)

El Pintor tequila is the kind of spirit you buy three of: two for yourself and one to stash away as a special gift to a dear tequila-loving friend. Not only does it come in a chic gift box (I’m a sucker for packaging) and a vessel that looks more decorative than functional, the liquid inside it is stellar. El Pintor’s tequila joven is actually a blend of extra añejo (aged between three to four years) and a blanco—aged in ex-bourbon barrels. It’s very smooth and goes down easy, lacks a burn, and has an almost imperceptible spice at the back of the palate. Bonus points for its viscous mouthfeel.

CUTWATER BLANCO ($35)

Every decent liquor cabinet has what I like to call an “everyday blanco,” the way one would have an “everyday gin,” an “everyday bourbon,” or even an “everyday Cognac.” Of course, as with any spirits, nobody wants a bargain-basement tequila (because life is too short for mixtos). And anything that’s upscale enough to cause a nosebleed is a no-no. But the fantastic thing about liquor—and wine—is that it’s possible to find something good within any price range. So when it comes to a reliable tequila that’ll never disappoint you, Cutwater Blanco is the way to go. Despite its modest price, the blanco is made of 100-percent blue Weber agave and is cooked in a traditional brick oven, the old-fashion way—before it’s left to nature so open and natural fermentation can do its magic.

TEQUILA OCHO BARREL SELECT 2020: TROPICAL ($80)

Tequila Ocho founders (and industry luminaries) Carlos Camarena and Tomas Estes partnered with Maison Ferrand’s Alexandre Gabriel to create three limited-edition single-estate tequila expressions aged in rum or Cognac barrels. Of the three (Tropical, Continental, and Transatlantic), the Tropical is, by far, my favorite. And for good reason: It’s aged in rum casks from Fiji, Trinidad, and Panama—giving the resulting añejo a creamy yet spice-forward profile. It’s easy to catch hints of cinnamon, clove, and dark chocolate on the palate—and the long finish makes it doubly pleasurable. It also doesn’t hurt that its price range is reasonable.

MIJENTA TEQUILA BLANCO ($46)

Maestra Tequilera, Ana Maria Romero, is known for doing things the slow and traditional way—never sacrificing output for quality. The slow cooking process has clearly paid off. As a non-filtered expression, its rich profile is more pronounced. Think: cinnamon spice, ripened fruit such as papaya or pineapple, and nearly overcooked agave—similar to when the agave’s flesh is practically falling apart. But that’s not all. It’s a little more complex because as you drink into the night, Mijenta Blanco will evolve and reveal notes of vanilla bean and bright stone fruit with a tinge of something floral.