Six Tequila Cocktails from the Best New Bartenders of 2025

The Best New Bartender program seeks out the next generation of talent who are making their mark on both sides of the bar through their creativity, participation in social initiatives and commitment to hospitality. The class of 2025 has especially impressed us with its masterful approach to flavor, technique and personal storytelling through cocktails. 

This year, Punch is partnering with Astral Tequila, which brings shared values of sustainability and social responsibility to the forefront of the Best New Bartenders initiative. Using time-honored processes, Astral utilizes more of the agave plant to craft a cocktail-worthy tequila. Six of our 2025 honorees were charged with creating a signature cocktail featuring Astral’s expressions for the launch party celebration at Tales of the Cocktail in late July. 

The cocktails celebrated their diverse and wide-ranging approaches to drink making, and featured genius hacks (like adding gum arabic to prevent pineapple juice from separating), custom-blended tea sodas and even a clarified juice made from homegrown mangos freshly picked from one bartender’s backyard. Beyond a masterclass in cocktails, they represent a snapshot of the industry’s next wave of tastemakers. 

Here, six tequila cocktails that demonstrate the ingenuity of 2025’s Best New Bartenders.