For years now, gin and tonic has been the sophisticated summer tipple for the Brit enjoying the sun. Tequila, on the other hand, is more associated with tepid shots in dank student bars.
Now tequila is emerging from the shadows. This summer marks 40 years since M&S launched the nation’s favourite train treat, the “gin in a tin”, and it is celebrating by bringing us its tangy successor: tequila and tonic in a can.
“We’ve seen the popularity of tequila skyrocket in recent years and with margaritas topping the trend lists for 2026, we’re expecting an even bigger year ahead,” said Theresa Williams, M&S’s chief cocktail buyer. Sales have risen 50 per cent year on year and the supermarket has sold 75 per cent more margaritas too.
The revolution isn’t just happening in shops. So many tequila and agave bars line the streets between Kingsland Road and Stoke Newington High Street in northeast London that the area has been described as the “mezcal mile”. One of the best-known venues, Sorbito, offers boutique brands and dispensing machines usually found in wine bars but repurposed for agave spirits.
Tequila may be booming in Britain just as it began to in the United States twenty years ago, but many of us are luddites when it comes to its origins. Technically tequila is a type of mezcal, while mezcal is a broader classification. Both are distilled Mexican spirits made from the agave plant, a succulent which, like many a tequila connoisseur, is semi-nocturnal. It flowers once and is pollinated by bats. Both can be legally produced only in specific regions of Mexico.
While mezcal can be made in nine states, tequila is primarily produced in the state of Jalisco (with some of the oldest distilleries in the town of Tequila itself). In Mexico it has always been typical to drink these spirits neat, at room temperature. Wealthy hacienda owners who made tequila, such as José Cuervo and Cenobio Sauza, aimed to elevate the profile of drink by ageing it in barrels like cognac, whisky and other European spirits. Mezcal, meanwhile, was deemed a more campesino (peasant) drink.
In its birthplace of Jalisco, tequila is often drunk in a cantarito, a paloma-like cocktail where it is mixed with orange, lemon and lime juice and served in a clay cup. Or in a batanga, which is essentially tequila and cola served in a tall class with a salted rim.
The production process for both spirits is long and complex. Tequila should be made from one species of agave called Blue Weber, recognisable by the colour of its leaves. In contrast, mezcal can legally be produced from more than 40 types of agave.
Most species of agave take a minimum of five years to produce their asparagus-esque quiote (stalk). Others can take decades to mature. Harvesting agave involves “castrating” the plant; cutting the quiote when it is just starting to grow. Ideally the plant is then left in the ground with its roots intact, continuing to draw up nutrients into its heart (nicknamed the piña). As a general rule, the longer in the ground, the more complex the spirit it produces.
After a few months the hearts are harvested, and agave ones often weigh more than 200kg. Tequila piñas are typically steamed in ovens or industrialised, high-pressure autoclaves, while mezcal piñas are roasted in wood-fired pits. Once cooked, they are broken down, traditionally using a stone mill, releasing a sweet liquid which is fermented in vats with yeast to create the base alcohol.
Most agave spirits are distilled twice producing a clear spirit, known as either joven (young) or plata (silver). Both can be aged in barrels, although this is far more common in tequila. Agave spirits are greatly influenced by terroir; generally tequilas made with highland plants have sweeter, more floral notes, while the lowland produces earthier notes. Tequila flavours typically range from crisp, and citrusy, sometimes with sweet vanilla. Mezcal is generally characterised as being smokier and earthier, but it has a huge range.
Tequila began to reach international markets more than a hundred years ago but the mezcal boom is much more recent, starting with passionate bartenders bootlegging it out of Mexico. Celebrity-backed brands including George Clooney’s Casamigos, Kendall Jenner’s 818 and Bryan Cranston’s Dos Hombres have raised the profile of these spirits.
American sales of agave spirit peaked in 2023, when tequila overtook whisky and gin, snapping at the heels of vodka as the top spirit. The US market has recently dipped because of tariffs and the rise of low or no-alcohol drinks. Brands are keen to expand into Europe and the UK.
My advice for those new to tequila and mezcal would be to try sipping it neat at room temperature. Speciality brands stock a great range of premium tequilas and mezcal, such as Don Fulano, Tapatio and Ocho, or you could try a bottle of QuiQuiRiQui, £45.99 for 700ml at Tesco. If you want to pair, then adding orange slices with chilli salt is traditional.
Exploring cocktails is a great next step, whether that is a simple tequila and tonic over ice, or a rich mezcal negroni with chocolate bitters.
The Pepino Cooler is a perfect refreshing summer drink:
- 45ml espadin mezcal (Pensador)
- 15ml mint mezcal, made by steeping fresh mint in mezcal
- 30ml cucumber syrup (juice a cucumber, then add half the amount of sugar to liquid)
- 8ml dry vermouth
- 8ml lime juice
- Soda water to taste
- Cucumber strip wrapped inside glass to garnish
Make by shaking the first five ingredients with ice, then strain over ice cubes into a tall glass. Add a splash of soda.
Tequila, Mezcal and More by Anna Bruce is published by Hachette