We Asked 10 Bartenders: What’s the Best New Tequila That’s Earned a Spot on Your Bar? (2026)

As other spirits report declining sales and pauses in production, the ever-popular tequila category just keeps growing, with hundreds of new brands launching last year alone. America’s insatiable appetite for agave is now met with so many options, it can feel like there’s a new bottle hitting the shelves every day — and by some counts, there is.

But as the market is flooded with new labels, it can be tricky to separate the mediocre products from solid, thoughtfully made bottles worth adding to the back bar. So we asked 10 bartenders from around the world which new tequila has become their go-to. Here are the bottles that have won them over.

The best new tequilas, according to bartenders:

Amatiteña Barrancas
Azul Force Tequila Blanco
Tequila Centinela Eterno Cristalino
The Lost Explorer Tequila Blanco
Montagave
Amatitán Tequila
Cascahuin
Tequila Entremanos
Zumbador 108 Proof Still Strength Blanco
Siembra Alteño

“For me, a great tequila has to be expressive. It should speak of a place, tell a story, and have something to say beyond the category itself. I recently tried Amatiteña Barrancas, and what I loved about it is that it doesn’t just take you to a single terroir, it takes you to an entire ecosystem. During the second distillation, mango, mamey, and plum are added; fruits that come from the same barranca in Amatitán. To me, that’s the beauty of the product: It’s a tribute to the agricultural memory of Amatitán. Before the demand for agave reshaped so much of the landscape, the family used to grow those fruits. So for me, there’s a great intention there.” —Alejandra de Aguinaga, partner and bar manager, El Gallo Altanero, Guadalajara

“A new tequila I’m excited to have on our back bar is the Azul Force Tequila Blanco from PM Spirits. Azul Force is produced at NOM 1615, a distillery three hours south of Guadalajara that makes only one other tequila: the family’s own brand. It’s fermented with 100 percent natural wild yeast, made without a horno or diffuser, distilled on a column still, and proofed with reverse osmosis and treated aquifer water, so it’s essentially just agave and water in the bottle. I personally love the rich, cooked agave mouthfeel — it’s bright and citrusy with a bit of earthy pepperiness. The price point makes it easy to recommend without sticker shock, and it’s flavorful enough to hold its own in cocktails. It’s a fun, workhorse tequila.” —Darryl Chan, bar director, The Portrait Bar, New York City

“Tequila Centinela Eterno Cristalino is a top-tier pick for me because it bridges the gap between historic aged complexity and the bright, mixable profile of a silver tequila. Drawing from 18th-century charcoal filtration, this expression pays homage to heritage while offering modern-day clarity and a smooth finish. This perfect balance ensures a sophisticated, consistent pour that excels whether served neat or as the backbone of our top-shelf signature Margarita.” —Dorian Filippi, lead bartender, Rosa Negra, Miami

“The Lost Explorer Tequila Blanco has earned a permanent spot at our bar for how clearly it expresses agave without feeling aggressive or overworked. It’s bright and clean with citrus, fresh herbs, and a soft mineral backbone that makes it incredibly versatile for highballs, sours, and spirit-forward builds. What stands out is its balance; it holds structure in a cocktail while still being easy to approach for guests who may be newer to tequila.” —Gabriel Lowe, founding partner, Cat Bite Club, Singapore

“We just added Montagave to the program at Thunderbolt. It’s a pretty exciting, relatively new brand that hits all of our procurement standards for agave and is produced at one of our favorite NOMs (Cascahuin). It is so delicious, providing ambient fermentation with fibers, brick ovens, copper pot stills, and uniquely aged in a custom built concrete egg. It’s also a steal for the quality.” —Mike Capoferri, co-owner and operator, Thunderbolt, Night on Earth, Semiprecious, Los Angeles and Denver

“A bottle that has earned a spot on our bar is Amatitán Tequila, a newer brand released in late 2024. Amatitán Tequila stands out to me for its commitment to traditional production methods, including tahona-crushed agave, combined with a unique glass-aging technique developed by the Sandoval family, who bring eight generations of tequila-making experience. Its profile is clean, expressive, and versatile. Typically, I enjoy it neat to savor its full character, though the blanco also works beautifully in cocktails. The Plata and Joven expressions are particularly enjoyable neat or over a large ice cube.” —Luis Alatorre, general manager, The Cabinet Mezcal Bar, NYC

“Any new release from Cascahuin I try to get immediately! I think it’s the best in the game. The distillery itself is old, but they’re doing unusual and fantastic special additions that really highlight the best of the best in terms of quality. Not to mention how they honor the agave plant itself and the historic processes of tequila creation.” —Ivy Mix, co-owner, Whoopsie Daisy, Brooklyn

“Tequila Entremanos is distinguished by its experimentation with different production processes, which allows for a range of blanco profiles. This is the only category featured across its labels. One of its main differentiators is also its respect for time, placing it above production volume. The goal is for processes to remain as natural as possible, letting them determine when they are ready.” —David Rocha, beverage director, Form + Matter, Mexico City

“Zumbador 108 Proof Still Strength Blanco has earned a spot on our bar at Junebug. Until recently, nearly all tequilas available in the U.S. have been 80 proof. Higher-proof tequilas, though, have more flavor because they don’t add water. That lets it really shine in cocktails. Zumbador’s commitment to tahona mill extraction, open-air fermentation, and additive-free production is everything we want from tequila. It has a creamy smoothness on the palate and sparkles with notes of grapefruit, black pepper, cooked agave, and peppermint.” —Nick Farrell, spirits director, Junebug, New Orleans

“When founder David Suro brought the new Siembra Alteño to our last tasting, we were all blown away. It was an immediate must-buy. The Alteño is a collaboration between Suro and Carlos Camarena, two of the most passionate agave acolytes in the industry. It showcases agaves from the heart of the highlands, Arandas, Jalisco. The Alteño is complex but silky, a perfect example of how well-made tequilas express terroir.” —Justin Ware, bar manager, Johnny’s Gold Brick, Starduster Lounge, and Winnie’s, Houston

The article We Asked 10 Bartenders: What’s the Best New Tequila That’s Earned a Spot on Your Bar? (2026) appeared first on VinePair.