Friday 24 July 2020 9:24 am

Four unique spirits for National Tequila Day – and cocktail recipes to match

According to the powers that be, Friday 24th July marks National Tequila Day – and who are we, humble City A.M. journalists, to argue?

The agave spirit may have once suffered from a reputation for student union misadventures, but over recent years even Brits have woken up to the fact that there is as much diversity and quality in tequila as in any other spirit.

Here’s City A.M.’s guide to some of the most interesting tequilas on the market – and, with your lockdown-honed cocktail making skills – what you can turn them into. ¡Salud!

The big daddy of the tequila world, all of Patron’s expressions are well worth trying. But the Anējo is City A.M.’s favourite, aged for a year in a combination of French Limousin, French Allier Oak, Used American Bourbon, New American Oak and Hungarian Oak. It’s sweet, smooth and smoky in equal measure, and a perfect sipping tequila. But if you feel the need to jazz it up, try it in a tequila old-fashioned for a twist on the bourbon classic. Amazon, £53

Tequila old-fashioned
50ml Patron Anejo
7.5ml Syrup (slowly dissolve 250g sugar into 125ml water on the hob, and allow to cool and store)
Angostura bitters
Orange zest

Shave off two strips of orange zest and express the oil into a rocks glass. Add the tequila, syrup and bitters and stir over the biggest ice cubes you can find. Garnish with the zest.

Cazcabel takes its inspiration from a medicine man in the Jalisco mountains, whose tonics have become the stuff of legend. And while tequila is unlikely to cure a headache, Cazcabel is made from the best the Jalisco mountains has to offer – their flagship tequila, Blanco, is made from dried Blue Weber Agave from the region. Try it in a Pina Rosa for a dead easy summer treat with a smokey kick. Master of Malt, £29.99

The Pina Rosa
60ml Cazcabel tequila
30ml fresh lime juice
15ml Agaze syrup

Shake with ice, and serve over ice in a rocks glass. Garnish with pink peppercorns and two fresh basil leaves.

For something a bit different, you could go worse than Storywood, the only tequila entirely aged in whisky casks. Scot Michael Ballantyne hit upon the idea when visiting his mother’s hometown of San Miguel De Allende and after an unexpected meeting with master distiller Luis Trejo at Distiller La Cofradia, the concept became reality. There are two brand new expressions – both aged in Speyside casks, and both eminently drinkable neat. Use the 7-month-aged liquid for a refreshingly different base to a classic margarita. Proof Drinks, £47.45 (14) and £38.95 (7)

A Scottish-infused margarita
45ml Storywood Tequila Speyside 7 Reposado
25ml fresh lime juice
15ml Cointreau

Shake with ice; serve over ice in a salt-rimmed rocks glass

And OK, it’s not strictly tequila, but City A.M. heartily approves of adding in some mezcal to the mix. MexGrocer’s resident spirits expert Eduardo Gomez recommends Ojo de Dios, which has a wonderfully smoky kick and works well in a down-and-dirty vegan margarita. mexgrocer.co.uk

The Vegan Mez-garita
A few cardamon seeds
35ml Ojo de Dios Mezcal
35ml pineapple juice
15ml agave syrup
25ml lime juice
25ml chickpea water

Muddle or crush cardamom seeds in a shaker and add all the ingredients. Add ice and double shake for a minute each, and strain into a chilled coupe glass.