Jalisco: Tequila

Fortaleza Blanco

Cooked agave, olive brine, citrus and black pepper.

Serve: Neat or in a Margarita

Patrón Silver

Fresh and sweet: cooked agave, citrus and black pepper.

Strength: 40% · Age and cask: Unaged

Made at Hacienda Patrón in Atotonilco el Alto in the Jalisco highlands. It is a blend of agave crushed by a traditional stone wheel (tahona) and by a roller mill.

Serve: In a Margarita or on ice

Herradura Reposado

Cooked agave, butterscotch, vanilla and dried herbs.

Strength: 40% · Age and cask: 11 months, American white oak

Casa Herradura in Amatitán, founded in 1870, rests its reposado for 11 months, far longer than the legal two-month minimum, which gives it extra oak and sweetness.

Serve: Neat or in a Paloma

Tequila Ocho Plata

Cooked agave, citrus, black pepper and fresh herbs.

Strength: 40% · Age and cask: Unaged

Created by tequilero Carlos Camarena and Tomas Estes, each batch comes from a single agave field in the Los Altos highlands, named on the label, so the taste changes from year to year like a vintage wine.

Serve: Neat, or in a Margarita or Paloma

Don Julio Blanco

Crisp agave, citrus, black pepper and a light sweetness.

Strength: 40% (38% in some markets, such as the UK) · Age and cask: Unaged

Founded in 1942 by Don Julio González in the Jalisco highlands. Made from 100% blue Weber agave, it is one of the most widely sold premium tequilas.

Serve: In a Margarita or Paloma, or neat

Fortaleza Reposado

Cooked agave, butter, vanilla, citrus and gentle oak.

Strength: 40% · Age and cask: Reposado, rested in American oak

Made in the town of Tequila by Guillermo Sauza, great-great-grandson of the Sauza founder. Agave is baked in brick ovens, crushed with a stone tahona and distilled in small copper pot stills.

Serve: Neat, or in a top-level Margarita

Siete Leguas Blanco

Cooked agave, black pepper, citrus and a mineral, earthy finish.

Strength: 40% · Age and cask: Unaged

A family-owned distillery in Atotonilco el Alto in the Jalisco Highlands, founded in 1952. It still uses a stone tahona alongside a roller mill, and the name honours Pancho Villa's horse.

Serve: Neat, or in a Margarita or Paloma

El Tesoro Blanco

Sweet cooked agave, lemon, white pepper and fresh herbs.

Strength: 40% · Age and cask: Unaged

Made by the Camarena family at La Alteña distillery near Arandas in the Highlands. The agave is slow-baked in brick ovens and crushed with a traditional tahona.

Serve: Neat, or in a Tommy's Margarita

Don Julio 1942

Caramel, roasted agave, vanilla, chocolate and a long, warm finish.

Strength: 38% (40% in some markets) · Age and cask: Añejo, at least 2.5 years in American white oak

Named after 1942, the year Don Julio González began making tequila at 17. Made from 100% blue Weber agave from the Jalisco highlands, it is one of the best-known luxury añejos.

Serve: Neat in a small glass, slowly, after dinner

Patrón Añejo

Smooth: cooked agave, vanilla, honey, raisin and a light oak spice.

Strength: 40% · Age and cask: At least 12 months (Añejo), oak barrels

Made from Blue Weber agave at Hacienda Patrón in the Jalisco Highlands. Part of the agave is crushed with a traditional stone tahona wheel and part with a roller mill, and the two are blended.

Serve: Neat or on ice, or in a tequila Old Fashioned

Olmeca Altos Plata

Fresh and peppery: cooked agave, lime, green herbs and a sweet citrus finish.

Strength: 38% · Age and cask: Unaged

A 100% agave tequila from the Los Altos highlands of Jalisco. It was created with two London bartenders, Henry Besant and Dre Masso, and part of the agave is crushed with a traditional stone tahona.

Serve: In a Margarita or a Paloma

Tapatío Blanco

Pure and lively: sweet cooked agave, black pepper, mint, citrus and minerals.

Strength: 40% · Age and cask: Unaged

Made at La Alteña, the distillery in the Jalisco highlands near Arandas that Don Felipe Camarena founded in 1937. His family still runs it and also makes Tequila Ocho there.

Serve: Neat, or in a Tommy's Margarita

Patrón Reposado

Cooked agave, vanilla, light oak, honey and citrus.

Strength: 40% · Age and cask: Reposado, rested a few months in oak barrels

Made from 100% Blue Weber agave in the Highlands of Jalisco at Atotonilco el Alto. Part of the agave is crushed with a traditional stone wheel (tahona) and part with a roller mill before the two are blended.

Serve: Neat, in a Margarita, or in a Paloma

Espolòn Blanco

Clean and peppery: cooked agave, citrus, white pepper and a hint of tropical fruit.

Strength: 40% · Age and cask: Unaged

Made from 100% Blue Weber agave at Destilería San Nicolás in the Los Altos highlands of Jalisco. The labels are illustrated in the style of Mexican folk prints and Day of the Dead art.

Serve: In a Margarita, a Paloma or with soda and lime

G4 Blanco

Mineral and fresh: cooked agave, wet stone, citrus, mint and pepper.

Strength: 40% · Age and cask: Unaged

Made by master distiller Felipe Camarena at El Pandillo in the Jalisco highlands. He uses collected rainwater and spring water and a home-built mechanical tahona to crush the agave.

Serve: Neat, or in a simple Margarita

Herradura Plata

Bright and smooth: cooked agave, citrus, vanilla, light oak and pepper.

Strength: 40% · Age and cask: Rested 45 days in American oak

Made at Casa Herradura in Amatitán, which cooks its agave in traditional clay ovens. Herradura says it made the first reposado tequila, in 1974.

Serve: In a Margarita or Paloma, or neat