with tequila

tequila from historical connotations of slamming or cheap and cheerful cocktails. The Butterfly Cannon, however, is a modern super-premium brand that’s unashamedly pitched as perfect for mixing, either in cocktails or with tonic or soda. It’s from Biggar & Leith, the spirits company formed by Elwyn Gladstone, with UK distribution by Craftwork Spirits. Gladstone’s previous includes Jose Cuero and Proximo tequilas and he later created indie favourite Malfy gin. The brand is named from the migration of butterflies from the US to Mexico and aims to help fund butterfly habitat conservation in the latter. craftworkspirits.com

Ilegal

Mezcal’s smoky flavour, derived from cooking agave hearts over open fire pits before distillation, has brought it fanatical followers. The seeds for Ilegal were sown when its American founder John Rexer struggled to find reliable sources of mezcal in Guatemala for a bar he owned there. He began smuggling spirits across the border from Mexico to supply the bar, before going straight with this. In a nod to its origin story, the brand campaigned against Trump’s Mexican wall plans in the run-up to the 2016 presidential election with the slogan “Donald, Eres un Pendejo”, which translates as “Donald, You’re an Asshole”. In the UK it’s imported by Speciality Brands, whose portfolio also includes Tapatio tequila, Derrumbes and Los Siete Misterios mezcals, La Venenosa raicilla and La Higuera sotol. specialitybrands.com

Mijenta

Terroir can play a huge part in defining a tequila’s character, just as it does in wine. Mijenta is a small-batch tequila made from agave grown in the mineral-rich, red alkaline soil of the Jalisco Altos, or highlands, that leads to a fruity and spicy character. In Mijenta’s case a three-way wood-ageing regime – up to six months in a combination of American white oak, French oak and French acacia – brings complexity and a full but silky texture. The brand launched in the UK through Maverick Drinks with a blanco in 2021 before adding a reposado last year. maverickdrinks.com

Próspero

Fuelled by tequila’s popularity in the US there is, unfortunately, no escaping celebrity ownership and endorsement. Justin Timberlake, George Clooney and Charlie Sheen are among those to have thrown their hats in to the ring. Rita Ora is an early-adopting Brit, as both a shareholder and chief creative officer of Próspero. Of particular note is the brand’s move into the RTD cocktail market in partnership with Lockdown Liquor, a company formed to raise money for NHS charities during the pandemic. Cantarita is their take on the Cantaritos mix: tequila, citrus fruit and agave nectar, traditionally served from clay pots in roadside bars in Jalisco. prosperotequila.com

Tiempo

Cristilano is a new(ish) tequila style, taking an aged anejo tequila and filtering it through charcoal. The aim is to remove the colour that comes from the woodageing so that it resembles a blanco, while, in theory, retaining the full floral and fruity flavours that come from the ageing process. It’s a concept that has divided opinion and it’s still relatively niche. Tiempo’s Reposado Cristalino is a welcome addition to the agave spirits canon in the UK, using 100% puro blue weber agave, grown both at high altitude, for sweetness, and on the valley floor for an earthy, vegetal edge. It’s marketed with the cheeky catchline: “No additives, no chemicals, no celebrities”. tiempo-tequila.com