Not every tequila is meant to be sipped.
Some of it’s made for shots, some of it’s made for mixing, and some of it probably shouldn’t have been made at all. And if you’ve ever tried to sip something that felt like nail polish remover lit on fire… you get it.
But when you do find a sipping tequila (like, a real one) you don’t need salt or lime or a chaser. You just need a glass and a little peace to appreciate it.
So how do you know what’s worth sipping? Keep reading.
…Or get your hands right now on the best sipping tequila. Click here.
What makes a tequila good enough to sip?
First rule: if it tastes like dessert, it’s probably hiding something. The good stuff isn’t trying to charm you with vanilla and fake oak. It’s honest about the agave, and not afraid to put the crisp peppery flavor front and center.
A good sipping tequila doesn’t coat your mouth like syrup or leave you wondering if someone slipped in caramel extract. It moves clean, and sure, there’s heat, but it comes and goes the way it’s supposed to.
You know the moment you walk into a pastry shop and get hit with that sweet pungent smell? It’s a great look for a pastry shop. For a tequila you’re about to sip? Not so much. Good sipping tequila should smell like a fresh plant, think aloe, think a little peppery. That’s the agave coming through, and that means you’re in good hands.
What type of tequila should you sip?
This is where it starts getting personal, and there’s no clear answer to this. It really just comes down to preferences and what you’re in the mood for. Generally though? Here’s what’s what.
Blanco: if you want it raw and honest
This is tequila with absolutely nothing to hide behind. There’s no aging here, no oak flavor, just straight agave and the technique. With a great blanco, you’ll get hints of citrus, pepper, and that beautiful clean heat.
Reposado: if you want a little calm and a little heat
We’re getting deeper now and bringing aging to the mix. Think of reposado as the first tier of aging; it’s still agave-forward, but with the edges rounded off. You get that little oak taste here to start softening things out without quite muting the crisp agave.Think of it as the “day to night” version of blanco. Works just as well solo as it does with a seat at the dinner table.
Añejo or extra añejo: only if they didn’t drown the plant in oak
Now you’re dealing with more time in the barrel, which can be a beautiful thing… or a total mess.
If the agave’s still in there, peeking through layers of spice and toast and warmth, you’ve got something worth sitting with. If it tastes like someone dropped a cinnamon roll in bourbon, put the cork back in.
Curious to read more on types of tequila? Here’s your chance.
How to actually sip it
Put down the lime and the ice. And no, you don’t need the cocktail mix here either.
This is the sweet sipping stuff, so it needs to be done nicely
Get yourself some nice and quiet, maybe some warm music playing in the background.
Set out time for this tequila, pour yourself a small pour, and let the aroma and the agave carry you to somewhere a little special.
This isn’t a speed run. Sip. Pause. Let the finish land before you dive back in. Good sipping tequila should change a little between the first and third sip. That’s how you know it’s showing up.
So what’s the best sipping tequila?
Honestly? The one that makes you forget to ask that question.
You shouldn’t have to go through multiple checklists before pouring yourself a little glass. The best sipping tequila won’t make you guess, it’ll just show up as it is. Expect for it to be good and steady from the first pour to the last sip.
You just sit back and go, yeah… this is it.
It doesn’t need to be extra aged, and it sure as hell doesn’t need to be sweet. It just needs to taste like someone cared about what went into the bottle.
Celosa is that. It’s a joven, and it has rested just long enough in red wine barrels to take the edge off… without burying the agave under oak or syrup.
There’s no shortcuts and dupes to be found here (and definitely no pastry shop smells). You get slight cherry notes from the french wine barrel aging, and a blush-pink hue that doesn’t just look good… it sips good.
And maybe that’s the real test. You should want to sip it. You should reach for a second pour without thinking about it.
If it doesn’t do that? Then what are we even doing here?
Ready to try the one that gets it right?
Shop online or find a distributor near you.
