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The Spruce Eats / Amelia Manley
Making tequila is not a quick process. Blue agave plants take seven to 12 years to reach maturity, and once harvested, they need to be roasted, distilled, and left to rest for months to years depending on the style. While many high-quality tequilas come with a steep price tag, you can certainly find bottles to fit your budget—and not all are strictly for shooting. Several brands produce excellent inexpensive tequilas suitable for sipping and making cocktails, such as margaritas, sangritas, and bloody marias. We researched top brands to find premier bottles for sipping straight, mixing drinks, and, yes, taking shots.
Best Overall
El Jimador Silver Tequila
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Minibar
Versatile in drinks
Great for shooting
Excellent value offering
Not a sipping tequila
Very young and quite green
Made in Jalisco, this 100 percent agave tequila rests for 40 days before it's bottled and sent to thirsty drinkers. This results in a crisp tequila that works particularly well in cocktails, and the fact that it’s one of the best-selling brands in Mexico confirms that. Tasting notes of roasted agave, lemon, and honey pair particularly well in a paloma. The name El Jimador tips a hat to the farmers, the Jimadors, who lovingly grow and harvest all the agave in Jalisco, Mexico.
“Probably the best inexpensive tequila for the money is the El Jimador Blanco,” says Gavin Humes, director of operations for the Los Angeles-based Scratch Restaurants Group. “It's smooth enough for shooting, but has enough kick to stand up well in cocktails. While I might not crave a glass of it on the rocks, the price is hard to beat.”
Price at time of publish: $23 for 750 mL
Type: Blanco | Bottle Sizes: 750 mL, 1.75 L | ABV: 40%
Best for Margaritas
Olmeca Altos Plata
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Wine.com
Sustainably minded producer
Excellent cocktail base
Distinctive bottle
Very herbaceous on the palate
Bottle is awkward to hold
This highland tequila is super solid, particularly mixed into cocktails. Though the price is approachable, Olmeca Altos makes sure to use eco-conscious production methods, which is pretty rare for tequilas at this price point. The flavor has sweet caramelized agave and pepper notes with a creamy finish, resulting in a serious bang for your buck.
“My favorite cheaper tequila is Olmeca Altos Plata,” says Josue Gonzalez, a partner in Miami-based Unfiltered Hospitality. “It's in the lower price range, plus it’s an exceptional highland tequila that's great for both cocktails and shots. I love making margaritas with this tequila, and it looks like I'm not the only one—the prestigious 50 Best Bars Awards have named Altos Plata the best tequila for a margarita.”
Price at time of publish: $30 for 750 mL
Type: Blanco | Bottle Sizes: 375 mL, 750 mL | ABV: 40%
Best White
Arette Blanco Tequila
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Minibar
Still family run
Great higher-end expressions
Versatile for sipping and cocktails
Not as commonly found
Lower proof
Pricier than most cheap tequilas
“I like tequilas that have a strong family history and [companies who] choose to do the right thing for the land and the people,” says Dean Hurst, owner of R&D Hospitality in Tampa, Florida. Each bottle is made with care in the town of Tequila, right outside Guadalajara. The brand is still run by the Orendain brothers, who are descendants of some of the oldest tequila producers in the country. That said, the tequila still holds the same quality it did generations ago, with flavors of jackfruit, lime zest, and green pepper.
“Give your margarita some punch with Arette Blanco, a steal for a cheaper tequila,” says Hurst. He also recommends the distillery’s reposado (also budget-friendly) because it's “a great sipper and adds complexity to the paloma cocktail.”
Price at time of publish: $30
Type: Blanco | Bottle Size: 750 mL | ABV: 38%
Best for Shots
Agavales Blanco Tequila
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Drizly
Higher proof alcohol
Low price tag
A crowd-pleaser
Not ideal for cocktails and sipping
Retains a burn
You definitely don't need to shell out more than $20 for shots. This crowd-pleasing budget bottle clocks in at a spicy 110 proof, so it'll add a little heat in each sip. Since it's on the lower end of the price scale, it's not as elegant in cocktails as some other options are.
That said, you can use in frozen drinks, like margaritas, or, as we suggest, for salt-tequila-lime shooters. Consider putting it in the freezer before enjoying. By chilling it down, the cold temperatures will balance out the higher-proof burn of making shots with this tequila.
Price at time of publish: $18
Type: Blanco | Bottle Size: 750 mL | ABV: 55%
Best Reposado
Espolòn Tequila Reposado
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Total Wine
Show-stopping bottle
Versatile in drinks
Affordable for the age
Very fat bottle
“Espolon is definitely my favorite inexpensive tequila,” says Kira Calder, former general manager of Lona Cocina & Tequileria in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. “The reposado is rested in American oak barrels, which creates subtle notes of vanilla and caramel—perfect for spirit-forward tequila cocktails. All of its expressions are delicious and highly underrated.”
The tequila, which is aged between two and four months in white oak barrels, can present a little sweetness and citrus notes when sipped. Adding a citrus peel can help accentuate those. Beyond a bartender co-sign, this bottle has received many medals awarded at international spirits competitions. The design on the label features a tribute to Mexican culture, inspired by Mexican artist José Guadalupe Posada.
Price at time of publish: $30 for 750 mL
Type: Reposado | Bottle Size: 750 mL, 1.75 L | ABV: 40%
Best for Sipping
Bribon Reposado Tequila
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Minibar
Approachable
Can be used in Old Fashioned
Great for whiskey lovers
On the sweeter side
Lots of large vanilla flavors
The crystal-clear Bribon is unaged with vegetal earthy notes that work well in a margarita, paloma, or old-fashioned, but you might prefer to drink it on the rocks. This also is a great choice for anyone new to tequila or mezcal in general, since it has a bright, approachable flavor.
Bottles of Bribon are produced at the historic Casa Don Roberto distillery (a company started by Spanish immigrants in 1924) in the heart of Tequila town.
Price at time of publish: $28
Type: Reposado | Bottle Size: 750 mL | ABV: 40%
Best Anejo
Lunazul Anejo Tequila
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Minibar
Very affordable
One of few cheap aged tequilas
Warm vanilla and smokey notes
Very oak forward
Some might find it very rich
It’s tough to find an anejo tequila on a budget. To be labeled anejo, a tequila has to be aged between one and three years in barrels, so expect a lot of time and investment to go into each bottle. This gives the liquid a more refined flavor similar to a sipping whiskey or Cognac.
Luckily, Lunazul offers a rare, wallet-friendly option in this category. The simple, elegant bottle is smooth and balanced, with pure agave flavors. The 100 percent agave tequila is made with agave plants aged over seven years, roasted, distilled, and then left to rest in reused bourbon barrels for between 12 and 18 months. The oak adds subtle smokey flavors and warm vanilla spices. Try it with a bit of agave syrup and Angostura bitters to make a spicy riff on an old-fashioned.
Price at time of publish: $30
Type: Anejo | Bottle Size: 750 mL | ABV: 40%
For a 100 percent agave tequila that works particularly well in cocktails, go for our top pick: El Jimador Silver. If you're looking to rip shots, your best bet is Agavales Blanco.
What to Look for When Buying Cheap Tequila
Type
There are five types of tequila: blanco, joven, reposado, añejo and extra añejo. Blanco is an affordable, beginning level of tequila that is white in color and aged the least—if at all—while añejo and extra añejo are aged the longest and are the top-shelf preferred sipping tequilas. Which one do you choose? It’s up to you. Blanco tequilas are well suited to mixing in cocktails like margaritas, palomas, and other sunny fare. Reposado (aged) and añejo (extra aged) are oak-aged expressions that drink more similarly to whiskey, with caramel, vanilla, and dried-fruit flavors often appearing on the palate. Because these two categories are aged for longer periods, these tequilas tend to make excellent sippers.
Taste
Your taste buds will sway you to the type of tequila to buy. There are many varieties of tequila—and how it is produced, including whether or not it's aged and what type of agave and other ingredients are added, has the impact on the taste of this liquor. You might find hints of citrus, honey, herbs, spices, and floral notes when tasting it.
FAQs
What is the proper way to do a tequila shot?
Put some salt on your hand, lick it off, slam down the tequila shot, and suck on a lime wedge.
What is bottom shelf tequila?
While you may think bottom shelf tequilas are sharply alcoholic, poor quality bottles, there are plenty of great tequila options that offer careful craftsmanship for a less costly price tag. So we qualify these bottom-shelf tequilas as bottles that offer a lot of value for an affordable price tag. Few of those pass $30, and offer everything from excellent mix-ability to supreme sipping potential.
What’s the difference between a highland and lowland tequila?
Lowland tequilas are grown and produced deep in the Tequila Valley outside of the cities of Tequila and Guadalajara, while highland (Los Altos) tequilas come from higher-altitude regions surrounding the valleys. The tasting differences are relatively subtle, but experts note that highland tequilas are more floral, while lowland tequilas are more vegetal and herbal.
What mixes well with tequila?
A wedge or squeeze of lime is a must when it comes to tequila, and this liquor has a plethora of mixers, including club soda, seltzer, grapefruit juice, coconut water, and other sodas, including ginger, coke, and lemon-lime.
Why Trust The Spruce Eats?
Kate Dingwall is a sommelier and spirits writer. She has been writing about wine and spirits for five years and has visited the Jalisco region over a dozen times. She has even harvested her own agave.
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