How to Buy the Healthiest Tequila Possible

Each product we feature has been independently selected and reviewed by our editorial team. If you make a purchase using the link included, we may earn commission. While there ‘s no confusing it for, IDK, a green juice, there ‘s a definite difference between high-quality tequila and stuff that will give you a hangover. here ‘s the exclusive. For besides long, tequila had a badly rep. however, its renaissance in the last ten — gaining popularity as a climate “ upper ” and light spirit — is lento convert consumers that ‘s nothing but a misinform pigeonhole. By now, if you still associate tequila with cringe-y shots creditworthy for your adjacent day ‘s hangover, you ‘re likely drinking the wrong kind of tequila. That ‘s right : not all tequilas are created adequate. Some might be hiding additives — or even high fructose corn syrup — that you might not want to be drinking.

Reading: How to Buy the Healthiest Tequila Possible

To find out how healthy tequila is truly, and ensure there ‘s no eldritch denounce in your liquor, get tips from industry experts on how to pick the best tequila .

Contents

1 What Exactly Is Tequila, Anyway?
- 1.1 A Little Bit About Agave
2 How Healthy Is Tequila?
- 2.1 Different Types of Tequila & Additives
3 How to Pick a Good Tequila

What Exactly Is Tequila, Anyway?

Let ‘s start with the basics : In club for a heart to be classified as tequila, it needs to be produced from 100 percentage blue weber agave grown in the Mexican department of state of Jalisco or in certain parts of Michoacán, Guanajuato, Nayarit, and Tamaulipas. These states comprise tequila ‘s denomination of origin ( DOM ) — which defines a product as being exclusive to a particular geographic area — as regulated by Mexican law, explains tequila adept, Clayton Szczech of Experience Agave. For anyone who ‘s ever been to Mexico and driven past fields of agave, you ‘ll recognize that agave is n’t only grown in these five states. When agave spirits are produced in states outside the DOM, they ca n’t be labeled tequila. so, mescal or bacanora ( which are made of agave as well ) become the equivalent of what sparkling wine is to champagne — all tequila is an agave emotional state, but not all agave spirits are tequila.

A Little Bit About Agave

Agave is a succulent that was once considered the most sacred plant in Mexican pre-columbian cultures ( before the arrival of Christopher Columbus in 1492 ), explains Adam Fodor, laminitis of the International Tequila Academy. “ Its leaves were used to create roofing, clothes, ropes, and wallpaper, ” he says. Out of more than 200 species of agave, about 160 species can be found in its native Mexico. ( Outside of Mexico, agave grows in the Southwestern U.S., particularly California, and at high altitudes — above 4500 feet — in South and Central America. ) “ The middle part, which we refer to as ‘piña ‘ or ‘corazón ‘ can be cooked and chewed on, ” says Fodor. Tequila is derived from cooking the “ piña ” before distilling it at least doubly. ICYDK, naked agave is prized for its alimentary health benefits. “ Agavin, the natural sugar found in the sap of the bleak agave plant, is believed to behave like a dietary character ( which means it ‘s not absorbed in the same way as other carb-derived substances ) — which may improve glycemic master and boost repletion ( feelings of fullness ), ” says Eve Persak, M.S., R.D.N. Preliminary studies suggest raw agave blackjack besides contains modest amounts of prebiotics ( which stimulate gut microbiota ), saponins ( which may alleviate inflammation ), antioxidants ( which support unsusceptibility ) and plant-based cast-iron ( an essential mineral for individuals following plant-based diets ), she says. How-to-Buy-the-Healthiest-Tequila-Possible-AdobeStock_280653301-175960905-gif

credit : AdobeStock

How Healthy Is Tequila?

deplorably, because agave is fermented in order to distill tequila, most of the sanitary qualities are eliminated in the process. even so, tequila experts and nutritionists do praise the intent as being a “ goodly ” alcohol. “ Tequila is one of the liquors I suggest to clients who like an episodic draft but would rather not completely undo their overall health and nutrition efforts, ” says Persak. It ‘s worth noting that, when it comes to cocktails, the mixers are where extra calories and sugar can sneak in, so if you ‘re looking to keep your toast super goodly, opt for something such as sparkling body of water or a squash of bracing yield juice, which are by and large humble in calories, boodle, and carbs, says Persak .

Different Types of Tequila & Additives

While all tequilas by and large offer the lapp amount of calories and nutrients, there are different classes of tequila that dictate how it ‘s made and what ‘s inside. Blanco tequila, sometimes called ash grey or plata, is the pure form of tequila ; it ‘s made with 100 percentage blue weber agave with no additives and is bottled soon after distillation. Its tasting notes much include impertinently cut agave ( a scent that mimics green or unripe plants ). Gold tequila is much a mixto, meaning it ‘s not 100 percentage agave, and in those cases is frequently a blanco tequila with relish and color additives. When it is 100 percentage agave ( and frankincense not a mixto ), it ‘s probably a blend of blanco and aged tequila, according to Experience Agave.

Aged tequila, labeled reposado, añejo, or excess añejo, are aged for at least three months, one year, or three years, respectively. Up to one percentage of the total bulk can be additives such as season syrups, glycerol, caramel, and oak extract, explains Szczech. “ Additives are harder to detect in age tequilas, and many of them mimic what barrel aging does, ” he says. While that does n’t sound indeed bang-up, it ‘s actually reasonably normal in the kingdom of alcohol. For reference, wine can have 50 different additives, per EU legislation, and more than 70 additives are regulated within the U.S., including acids, sulfur, and sugar, which are broadly included as stabilizers and to preserve season, says Fodor. “ Compared to that, tequila is a very humble swallow in esteem to additives, ” he says. ( Related : Are the Sulfites In Wine Bad for You ? ) thus what do these additives do ? They typically enhance season, whether making it dulcet ( syrup ), a more round mouth feel ( glycerol ), to make it seem as if it ‘s been senesce longer than in reality ( oak educe ), or impart discolor ( yellowish brown ), explains health bus and bartender Amie Ward. Additives can besides be used to amplify agitation rates, create coherent tasting profiles, and rectify undesirable characteristics or deficiencies in the concluding product, she adds. While the veridical beginning of any holdover is the consumption of alcohol in general ( you know the drill : enjoy in moderation and have water system between drinks ), these additives can contribute to your icky next-day feelings, explains tequila expert Carolyn Kissick, capitulum of education and taste feel for SIP Tequila. For model, aged tequilas have oak extracts from sitting in barrels, which “ adds season but besides infuses the tequila with microscopic bits that can add to your concern, ” she says. And while oak can be a result of the natural barrel aging process, oak educe can besides be included as an linear, says Szczech. “ Part of what ‘s happening is origin of those color, olfactory property, and season elements from the wood, which the addition of an distill is meant to mimic. ” The cosmopolitan takeaway here is that additives ( i.e. oak educe ) are n’t inherently evil, but you should be mindful that not all tequila bottles are filled with entirely pure, 100 percentage agave. And on that note, let ‘s talk about tequila mixto. “ If it does n’t say ‘100 percentage agave tequila ‘ on the pronounce, then it is a mixto, and up to 49 percentage of the alcohol in there was fermented from non-agave boodle, ” says Szczech. You might be thinking, “ But how can that be true when tequila is supposed to be 100 percentage agave ? ! ” here ‘s the thing : If the agave included is grown in the DOM, a mixto can distillery be referred to as tequila. Manufacturers are n’t required to disclose the ingredients within their mixto tequilas, says Ashley Rademacher, early bartender and founder of the women ‘s life style blog, Swift Wellness. And “ these days, that ‘other ‘ sugar is probably to be high-fructose corn syrup, ” says Szczech. This is often done to keep up with need. Because agave takes five to nine years to reach full maturity, substituting in another sugar can allow a manufacturer to produce more tequila at a quick rate. And, that ‘s not ideal : concentrated forms of fructose, such as high-fructose corn syrup, are linked to health concerns including fatty liver disease and abdominal adiposity ( metabolic disease ), says Persak. so if you ‘re looking for healthy tequila a mixto is not the way to go.

How to Pick a Good Tequila

1. Read the label.

For starters, if you ‘re looking for a healthier tequila, go for 100-percent agave. “ barely as you might look for ‘organic ‘ or ‘gluten-free ‘ on a label, you should look to purchase only tequilas that are labeled as ‘100 percentage agave, ‘ ” says Rademacher. She besides notes price can frequently be an indicator of timbre, but not constantly. And when it comes to additives, unfortunately, there are no legal obligations to disclose the use of them in tequila, says Szczech. That means you ‘ll have to do some research.

2. Check for sweeteners.

Outside the liquor aisle, you can use this trick from Terray Glasman, fall through of Amorada Tequila, to find out if a tequila uses sweeteners. “ Pour a little moment of it in your palm and rub your hands together, ” says Glasman. “ If, when dry, it ‘s sticky, then that tequila is using sweeteners. ”

3. Take expert advice.

4. Know this about organic tequila.

In orderliness for a tequila to be considered constituent, the agave needs to be organically grown ( without fertilizers or pesticides ) and organic farming is unmanageable, says Fodor. If a tequila is USDA-certified constituent, it will intelligibly appear on the spirit ‘s label, so it ‘s a short easier to identify than the presence of additives — but just because a tequila is organic does n’t mean it is detached of additives, which means it does n’t necessarily make a remainder on how healthy it is or is n’t. however, if buy constituent is separate of your life style, seeking out “ smaller, craft distillers who are producing in the same way they have for generations, you ‘re much more probable to find sustainable and organic practices being used, ” says Kissick. In the expansive dodge, it ‘s better to seek out an additive-free tequila over certify organic because the certification serve is expensive and drawn-out, so some companies forgo it tied if they have a quality intersection and meet most of the qualifications. ( related : Should You Be Using Organic Condoms ? ) “ To be included on the Tequila Matchmaker list you must have your distillery inspected, which I think is more healthy than the constituent documentation ( as there are sol few on the commercialize [ with that certificate ], and if a different tequila is being made at the lapp distillery not organically, you ca n’t claim to be organic on the bottle, ” emphasizes Maxwell Reis, beverage director of Gracias Madre, a vegan Mexican restaurant in West Hollywood, California.

5. Consider ethics and sustainability.

aside from what ‘s actually in the tequila, it ‘s besides important to remember the ethics behind a trade name. “ When it comes to buying a ‘healthy ‘ tequila, I ‘d challenge you to dig into how it ‘s made by the producer and if they ‘re ethically and sustainably audio, ” says bartender, adviser, and drinks writer Tyler Zielinski. “ If the brand treats their employees well and lists their distiller ‘s name on the bottle, has a sound design for farming their agave and ensure the dirt is healthy and agave are able to reach full moon maturity ( which takes five to nine years ), and is 100 percentage bluing weber agave tequila with a NOM on the label ( the Norma Oficial Mexicana numeral denotes the bottle is authentic tequila and which tequila manufacturer it comes from ), then you can trust that the brand is producing a merchandise worth drink. ” When in doubt, research a tequila distillery or email them to ask about their cultivate and distilling process, says Glasman. “ If they ‘re loath to answer your questions, then it ‘s most likely that they ‘re hiding something. ”