The tradition of making tequila dates back thousands of years, and has grown to include many different styles. You can have a bright and peppery blanco, a smooth and complex añejo, and so many varieties in between. There are plenty of rules that regulate the tequila industry, including the type of agave you use and how long the spirit is aged, that ensure that you’re receiving a quality product. Some guidelines, however, leave a lot of room for interpretation.

Mexico’s Tequila Regulatory Council allows producers to use additives in their recipes; and if those extra ingredients make up less than 1% of the tequila by weight, they don’t have to disclose them. Only 1% may not seem like much. But additives can, in fact, make a big difference when it comes to your tequila-drinking experience.

agave plantationpinterest

cristianl//Getty Images

It’s worth noting that extra ingredients aren’t necessarily a bad thing. “The term ‘additives’ can get used in a negative connotation, but there is a place where they can be helpful for certain brands,” says Cody Goldstein, mixologist and half of the husband-and-wife duo behind Muddling Memories. That is particularly true when it comes to large-scale industrial tequila houses appealing to Americans. In fact, Goldstein estimates that about 70% of the tequilas on the market use some form of an additive.

At the same time, some tequila producers rely on these extra ingredients to cover up less-than-delicious products and pass them off as higher quality spirits. We consulted tequila experts to discuss the main additives that might be hiding in your bottle of tequila and how they impact your alcohol. And, if you’re interested in exploring additive-free tequilas, we’re also including a few bottle recommendations to add to your home bar.

Glycerin

close up of face serum pouring from a pipette into an amber glass bottle natural skincare and essential oil aromatherapy health and wellness concept copy spacepinterest

Olena Malik//Getty Images

Many people believe that when liquor has a smooth finish, you’re drinking a higher quality product. That’s a common misconception, especially when it comes to tequila. Many producers use an additive to make your tequila taste smoother on the way down.

Glycerin, an ingredient widely used in cosmetics and as a food preservative, is colorless and odorless. It contributes a sticky and viscous consistency that can coat your tongue when drinking tequila. “It is often used in tequila production to add a silken and ‘smooth’ texture to the final product,” says Max Reis, Beverage Director at Mirate in Los Angeles, California.

Glycerin may make a tequila taste less harsh, but it also smothers the natural flavor of the agave and shortens the finish. A well-crafted tequila that highlights high quality ingredients, on the other hand, should have a defined agave flavor that lingers on your palate. The ability to identify the presence of glycerin by taste gets easier as you become more acquainted with the tequila category. There is a trick, though, that even tequila novices can use: the hand test.

“If you pour a little tequila on your hands and rub them together like you would hand sanitizer, they might be a little clammy at first, but allow the tequila to dry,” says Carlos Kennedy-Lopez, Lead Bartender at Lolita in New York City. “If your hands are greasy, it’s often a sign glycerin was added to the bottle.”

Jarabe

covid liquid medicine bottle being poured out onto a metal spoonpinterest

Cavan Images//Getty Images

Industrial tequila producers often cut corners by harvesting agave before it’s fully mature, which limits the depth of flavor that ends up in the distilled spirit. Many additives, jarabe included, compensate for the lack of complexity. “Jarabe is essentially sugar syrup, that can also be flavored, hyper concentrated, and is often used to alter the flavor of tequila,” says Reis.

Some forms of jarabe are meant to simulate the flavor of agave. Others are modeled after entirely different ingredients to appeal to an agave-averse audience. Commonly found flavorings resemble vanilla, caramel, and even cake batter. They can be created with any source of sugar as the foundation—like agave, corn, cane, or even artificial sugar substitutes.

“With the American market, brands are looking to add some flavoring because it’s more palatable for the American consumer,” says Camille Parson Goldstein, Managing Partner of Muddling Memories. It covers up the vegetal flavor of agave that some may not appreciate and can streamline the taste from bottle to bottle. “Ethically, however, I don’t think it respects anything related to agave, terroir, or the people who depend on this plant for their livelihood,” adds Kennedy-Lopez.

The best way to tell if your tequila has been flavored with jarabe is to become familiar with the notes of the agave plant itself. “Flavors that are present in cooked agave resemble ripe plantains, almonds, black pepper and brown sugar,” says Beau du Bois, Vice President of Bar and Spirits at Puesto in Southern California. “One easy way to tell if a Blanco tequila has additives is if the tequila seems have muted those flavors with common criminals like vanilla or cake batter.”

Oak Flavor

closeup of rustic, wooden tequila barrelspinterest

Claudia Cooper//Getty Images

Depending on the type of tequila you’re buying, it can rest in oak barrels for upwards of several months. The interaction between the alcohol and wood contributes unique nuances to the spirit (that often come with a steeper price tag). To mark up the price of a product, some tequila producers will use additives to make it seem like it has been aged longer.

Oak flavoring in particular is used to “increase the perception of the effects from the aging process,” du Bois says. But the taste and aroma of wood is not something you should necessarily expect from a tequila. “Even if it was rested in charred oak barrels, you’re still not going to get that smell—not like a bourbon,” Goldstein adds.

Caramel Color

glasses of tequila on the wooden boardpinterest

AlexPro9500//Getty Images

The indicators of an aged tequila are not just olfactory, they’re also visual. The wood used for the barrel, the climate, and the time spent aging all can impart varying shades of amber to a tequila. It is, however, a common misconception that the darker a tequila is, the higher the quality.

Certain producers capitalize on that confusion by adding caramel color to the bottle. “Mass production is meant to speed up the process of making tequila,” Goldstein says. “Coloring additives make reposados and añejos look closer to the color consumers expect without actually having to age it as long.”

Because there are so many variables that can impact the hue of your tequila, identifying the presence of caramel color isn’t an easy task. But odds are that if you can find the oak flavor, you can reasonably expect caramel color to be present too.

Our Favorite Additive-Free Tequilas

The additive-free movement is relatively new in the tequila industry, and it’s becoming a popular term in terms of marketing. Parson compares it to the appeal of natural wine. “Younger generations of drinkers care more about what they’re putting in their bodies and they want more transparency,” she says.

Goldstein does note, however, that additives aren’t inherently harmful—especially since you’re already drinking alcohol. But additive-free recipes often correlate with other benefits associated with small scale tequila production. Tequila without additives is typically made with higher quality ingredients and with more care and craftsmanship in general.

Learning more about additive-free tequila isn’t something you can do by reading a textbook. “There first has to be an exploratory period in tasting many tequilas,” says du Bois. You can enjoy them on their own, or complement them with other ingredients in a cocktail. The best resources you have in your community are bartenders and alcohol purveyors who can point you in the right direction.

“Strike a conversation about what you want and what you don’t want in your glass. Chances are they have a gem waiting to find you,” Kennedy-Lopez says. He also recommends using the website Tequila Matchmaker to check ratings and learn detailed information about how a tequila is processed.

Need a place to start? Here are a few additive-free tequilas that are worth trying:

Tequila Ocho Plata

Tequila Ocho Plata

Kennedy-Lopez, Reis, and du Bois all recommend buying a bottle of Tequila Ocho. Their blanco tequila has floral and citrus notes that pair beautifully in virtually any cocktail.

Don Fulano Reposado Tequila

Don Fulano Reposado Tequila

Don Fulano is Kennedy-Lopez’s favorite additive-free tequila “in ethos and glass.” Their reposado is aged for eight months to take on an oak flavor that complements—and doesn’t overpower—the agave.

Patrón El Cielo Tequila

Patrón El Cielo Tequila

Now 14% Off

Credit: Total Wine

There are only three ingredients in Patrón tequila: 100% Weber Blue Agave, water, and yeast. Patrón El Cielo in particular is distilled four times, which offers a smooth finish without the addition of glycerin.

Fortaleza Anejo Tequila

Fortaleza Anejo Tequila

Another widely recommended tequila. “It’s one of our favorites,” says Parson. “Even if it wasn’t additive-free, I would say it’s fantastic.”

Headshot of Gabby Romero

Expertise: TikTok Trends, Drinks, Pop Culture

Education: B.A. in Journalism and B.S. in Communications from NYU, Culinary Arts degree from The Institute of Culinary Education

About Me: As an associate editor at Delish, Gabby works on everything from features to recipes to content on our social media channels. Before joining the team, she wrote for StarChefs Rising Stars Magazine, Mashed, and Food52. When she’s not developing cocktail recipes, she’s making cocktail-inspired dishes like and . Her features cover online trends like the , rank everything from to , and answer some of your most pressing food safety questions. You can also find her posting content on Delish’s TikTok, including her about cooking like influencer Nara Smith that garnered over 3M combined views.  She loves eating spicy food, collecting cookbooks, and adding a mountain of Parmesan to any dish she can. 




Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *