We Asked 14 Bartenders: What’s the Most Overrated Tequila Cocktail? (2024)
Tequila can be magic in a cocktail. The earthy, herbaceous qualities of a blanco add subtle bite to refreshing poolside drink; the barrel influence on an aged reposado or añejo makes for perfect riffs on traditional bourbon builds. This chameleon-like versatility makes tequila an intriguing base for drinks beyond the Margarita, and there are plenty of bangers to consider.
There are also some tequila cocktails that, in the eyes of bartenders, have a little less bang. They have no problem making them for guests when they’re ordered, of course. They just don’t sign off on their popularity, especially since that order may come at the expense of another agave-based drink they wish patrons would order more frequently.
So, what tequila cocktails are considered overrated in the bartending community? We asked 14 industry pros to find out.
The most overrated tequila cocktails, according to bartenders:
Top-shelf Margaritas
Tequila Sunrise
Ranch Water
Batanga
Tequila shots with lime
Any tequila cocktail claiming to be “better” than a Margarita
Mexican Martini
Tequila Espresso Martini
“I think top-shelf Margaritas are incredibly overrated. The classic Margarita is a worldwide staple: a boozy limeade tickling all the taste buds, only requiring the robustness and natural sugar from the bottom-shelf tequila. Expensive tequila, which is specifically curated to enjoy at room temperature, is not required for this classic to be delicious.” —Shane Mastroine, bartender/bar manager, Table 45, Cleveland
“The most overrated tequila cocktail is a Tequila Sunrise. The traditional way this cocktail is made is essentially as a pour-and-serve-style drink, which can be fantastic in its simplicity. But I believe a good agave spirit deserves more dignity than to be shrouded in so much sugar and acid. A Tequila Sunrise often just tastes [like] orange juice, and lacks any real complexity or nuance. If a guest orders this cocktail and is willing to be persuaded, I will often nudge them in the direction of a Mexican Firing Squad, which contains some of the same components but is put together in a way that complements the tequila rather than masking it.” —Sarah Kornegay, bar supervisor, The Katharine Brasserie & Bar, Winston-Salem, N.C.
“My Texas friends will hate me for this, but the Ranch Water is, in my opinion, the most overrated tequila cocktail. The reasoning behind this is not because the Ranch Water isn’t wonderful; it’s light, refreshing, and delicious, especially on a hot summer day. But let’s be honest — it’s just a tequila and soda with lime juice. You can tell me it is different because it’s made with Topo Chico, but that is still carbonated water. If we as bartenders eye-roll the Cape Cod and Cuba Libre as 1:1s with the addition of lime, the same lack of reverence should be paid to the Ranch Water.” —Charles Friedrichs, beverage director, The Jones Assembly, Oklahoma City
“I know I will get some heat for this hot take, but a Batanga just isn’t that great of a cocktail unless you were drinking it at the bar that invented it, La Capilla. A tequila and Coke with a squeeze of lime just doesn’t have the same appeal in the U.S. I know some bartenders are saying this should be the drink of the summer, but for me, it’s not.” —Erin Hayes, bar & beverage consultant/co-founder, Black Lagoon Pop-Up.
“For me, an overrated tequila ‘drink’ would be a shot with a lime. Most likely, you aren’t drinking [high-quality] tequila, and you’ll feel like you-know-what the next day.” —Rob Giancarlo, owner, Cry Baby Gallery, Toronto
“Tequila is an incredibly versatile and complex spirit that punches up the ingredients around it, and the Tequila Sunrise allows none of that. It’s a muddy drink whose only payoff is the visual effect, which also makes for a supremely unbalanced drink. Instead, drink a Margarita or anything else!” —Annie Graham, bartender, The Garrison, Seattle
“The top-shelf Margarita has overstayed its welcome. Too many times I’ve seen guests taking liberties with agave spirits and thinking expensive means better. Sometimes, [the Margarita] is viewed as a ‘Mr. Potato Head’ cocktail in which substituting certain spirits will make a superior drink. That is just not the case. If the bar you’re sitting in has fresh lime juice, chances are they have a solid classic Margarita. Drink that instead!” —Charlie Alvarado, director of operations, Good For a Few, Oklahoma City
“Ranch Water is overrated. It’s basically a Tequila Soda with lime. I’d much rather drink tequila straight and enjoy it for what it is.” —Ricky Ramirez, owner, The Mothership, Milwaukee
“I’m a massive tequila fan. It’s definitely my go-to spirit for cocktails, so initially this was a tough call — until I remembered the Tequila Sunrise. Honestly, I haven’t made one in the last 15 years of my bartending career, and for good reason. I’m so glad that folks are no longer hiding the ‘taste of alcohol’ in an overly sugary, orange juice-drowned drink that I’m sure people drank solely because it looked nice.” —Kelsey Ramage, sustainability educator and cocktail consultant/co-founder, Black Lagoon Pop-Up.
“Anything that claims to be ‘better than’ or ‘the next’ Margarita is immediately overrated and simply branded as such for the clicks. Drinks are made the better when they don’t try to stake their claim wearing someone else’s shoes.” —Joshua Gandee, host, no proof podcast
“I am not a huge fan of the Mexican Martini. It’s a cross between a Margarita and a Dirty Martini; basically just a Margarita with brine. Why do people need to mess with perfection? How salty does one drink need to be?” —Alex Barbatsis, cocktail consultant, Bees & Bats Beverage, Chicago
“A lot of the tequila cocktails that have found their way into the classic canon deserve their place. But a tequila cocktail trend I’m seeing that I find tremendously overrated is the tequila Espresso Martini. I’ve been a big hater of the Espresso Martini and its variations, but I’ve come around to the OG version recently — which is why every time I see a new [riff on] Espresso Martini, it never lives up to the hype. I imagine the tequila version won’t be remembered fondly.” —Christian Favier, beverage manager, The Ordinary, Charleston, S.C.
“Ranch Water. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a great beverage. But the rebrand of tequila, soda, and lime reminds me of when someone orders a Cape Cod instead of a Vodka Cran.”—Alex Jump, founder of Focus on Health
“The most overrated tequila cocktail is the extra-extra spicy, burn-my-mouth-off-and-set-it-on-fire Margarita. The beauty of a well-balanced Margarita is that you can still get all of the flavor of the tequila along with the other flavor notes. What is the point of adding so much heat to a cocktail that you obliterate any semblance of flavor from the other ingredients? It seems silly to me, and I keep having to make these. Please stop.” —Greg Kong, beverage director, Nomad Tea Parlour, NYC
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