Don’t underestimate the power of good tequila to make it feel like summer. Even when the sky’s doing its best to convince you it’s November. Even when bags of charcoal are still sitting sadly, forlorn and barbeque-longing in the corner of your terrace more than six weeks after you bought them. Our guide pulls together some of the best brands to sip straight, as well as those for making the perfect paloma or mean margarita—¡ Salud!

Cazcabel Tequila Reposado : The Whisky Exchange

The Spirits Business held its annual Tequila and Mezcal Masters last month, where an experienced panel of judges uncovered some of the category’s best expressions available on the global market.Cazcabel breezes into our damp summer Sunday – not sort-of damp, but darkened by sudden pounding rain, brightened by fitful lightning – and warms it up into something more Southern hemisphere, watch the storm from your verandah. One of three Master-winning expressions in our annual competition was Pendasor Mezcal, which was assessed in the Mezcal Blanco round. One judge noted that it “felt very natural, like it had been made with very pure processes”, while another detected notes of “ginger, white chocolate and mandarine peel”. One judge, who praised its “gorgeous multi-layered finish”, said “there’s smoothness and smokiness present, but there’s so much other complexity and balance”.

New beverage launches: from tequila to coffee

Herradua Añejo claimed a coveted Master in the Super Premium Añejo round for its “amazing dry finish”. As premiumisation continues, so too has the image of Tequila been elevated in the minds of consumers. The Spirits Business presents 10 of the best value bottlings on the market, and also highlights some excellent mezcals that are worth a try. SB presents the best value for money Tequila and mezcals As our most recent blind tasting competition revealed, it can be all too easy for producers to lose the essence of the agave flavour by over-ageing or over-sweetening the spirit as they strive to create something different. Despite this challenge, many expressions shone through, offering excellent value in their respective flights. Records the default button state of the corresponding category & the status of CCPA. It works only in coordination with the primary cookie. Casting a smooth golden glow, with a hint of sharpness from the orange, and some bitterness from the Campari. It’s not 100% a substitute for an honest-to-God stretch of barbeque weather… but it’ll warm away this midsummer sense of winter.This cookie is set by Rubicon Project to control synchronization of user identification and exchange of user data between various ad services.