National Tequila Day lands on Friday 24 July 2026. It is as good a reason as any to buy a proper bottle instead of the harsh stuff that lives in the back of the cupboard for shots.
The trick is knowing what to buy for what you actually want to do. A blanco built for margaritas is a different job from an anejo you sip after dinner. So this is a buyer's guide by style, blanco, reposado and anejo, with what each one tastes like, how to drink it, and where to find a bottle.
One label rule before anything else. If you want tequila made purely from agave, look for 100% de agave on the front. Anything without those words can be a mixto, cut with other sugars, and it is usually the reason cheap tequila gives people a rough morning. Everything worth buying below is 100% agave.
Blanco: the one for margaritas and palomas
Blanco, sometimes called silver or plata, is tequila bottled with little or no time in oak. That leaves the agave front and centre, clean, grassy, peppery, with a squeeze of citrus. It is bright and lively, which is exactly what you want in a long drink or a shaken cocktail.
This is the workhorse bottle for a party. It carries a margarita or a Paloma without getting lost under the lime and salt, and a good one is still soft enough to sip cold if you want. If you are buying one tequila for 24 July and there is a crowd coming, make it a blanco. Olmeca Altos Plata is an easy, affordable place to start, and if you want a cleaner, more premium pour behind the bar, a Don Julio Blanco does the job.
Drink it: in a margarita or a Paloma, or chilled over a big cube.
Build a better margarita (and a spicy one)
The classic margarita is three simple parts: two of blanco tequila, one of orange liqueur, and one of fresh lime juice, shaken hard over ice and poured into a chilled glass. Fresh lime is the whole game here. Bottled lime cordial is what makes a bad margarita bad.
If you like a little heat, swap part of the orange liqueur for a chile liqueur. Ancho Reyes Verde, a green chile liqueur made from early-harvest poblano peppers, brings a fresh, grassy warmth that sits beautifully next to a grassy blanco. Start with a small measure, taste, and build up. It turns a standard margarita into something people remember.
For something lower effort, the Paloma is hard to beat: blanco, a good grapefruit soda, a squeeze of lime, plenty of ice. It is refreshing, forgiving, and made for a warm evening.
Reposado: the all-rounder
Reposado means rested. The tequila spends a couple of months up to a year in oak, which softens the edges and adds a layer of vanilla, caramel and gentle spice over the agave. You still get the character of the plant, just rounder and warmer.
This is the bottle to buy if you want one tequila that can do everything. It makes a richer, more grown-up margarita, it is lovely in a Tommy's Margarita with agave syrup instead of orange liqueur, and it holds up neat or over ice for a slow sip. If you are not sure which style suits you, start here. Olmeca Altos Reposado is a dependable everyday choice.
Drink it: in a Tommy's Margarita, neat, or over one big cube.
Anejo: the one to sip slowly
Anejo spends at least a year in oak, and it shows. The result is darker and deeper, honey, dried fruit, toffee and soft wood spice, with the agave running underneath rather than out front. This is tequila made to be poured neat and tasted the way you would a good whisky or aged rum.
Do not waste it in a cocktail. Buy an anejo for the end of the night, pour a small measure into a tumbler, let it sit for a minute, and take your time. Don Julio Anejo is the classic crowd-pleaser here, warm and rounded without burying the agave. If you want the full range of proper sipping bottles, we go deeper in our sipping tequila guide below.
Drink it: neat, at room temperature, in a small glass.
How to shop for it
A quick checklist before you buy. Look for 100% de agave on the label. Match the style to the plan: blanco for the margaritas, reposado if you want one bottle to cover everything, anejo for a slow pour. And if you are hosting, a bottle of blanco plus a decent orange liqueur and a bag of limes will stretch a lot further than a single fancy sipper.
Worth knowing: the very top end of tequila has cooled a little, so the smart money right now is on the accessible and mid-priced bottles rather than the trophy decanters. You do not need to spend collector money to drink well on 24 July.