5 Tequilas to Drink in Honor of Cinco de Mayo

Cinco de Mayo celebrations look a little different this year. That doesn’t mean you can’t still have a kickass day at home. Eat all the tacos and drink all the tequila you want. And maybe, after you’ve had a little too much to drink, text your ex. (Just kidding. Don’t do that.) Before you start celebrating, let’s take a minute to talk about Cinco de Mayo and its importance.

A BRIEF CINCO de MAYO HISTORY

First of all, it’s not Mexican Independence Day; that’s September 16th. May 5th is the anniversary of the 1862 Battle of Puebla when Mexican troops beat the much larger, well-armed French. Though Napoleon III’s army eventually overran Mexico City and the French weren’t kicked out of Mexico until 1867, the Battle of Puebla helped establish a sense of national pride in the Mexican people. So, now that you know why we raise our glasses, we need to discuss what is in them. What are we drinking? Tequila. And lots of it.

TEQUILA WHO?

All tequila is made from the blue agave plant and can only be produced in five states of Mexico, Michoacán, Guanajuato, Nayarit, Tamaulipas and Jalisco, where the actual town of Tequila is. After the agave is distilled in copper pots, it’s aged in oak barrels, which produces different varieties: blanco (0-2 months), reposado (2-12 months) and anejo (1-3 years). We came up with a list of our favorite tequilas to sip on or shake up a truk’t Margarita with. Try one or make your own flight with all five this Cinco de Mayo.

WHAT WE'RE DRINKING

1. Don Felix Anejo Tequila

Don Felix Banuelos knew what he was doing when he busted into the tequila industry in 1973. This anejo tequila features high-quality Blue Weber agave that’s aged in American white oak barrels. The result? A smooth scent and unique flavor.

2. Espolon Blanco

All of Espolon’s tequilas start with their blanco. This bad boy’s double distilled, ultra smooth and features a balanced flavor profile; floral, tropical fruit and lemon zest aromas on the nose and tastes of bright agave flavor with notes of pepper, vanilla bean, grilled pineapple and spice. Drink it on the rocks or shake it into a cocktail.

3. Casamigos Blanco

The average fermentation process of tequila is 48 hours. Casamigos ferments their tequilas for 80 hours, which helps increase their aroma and flavor profiles. The citrus and sweet agave aromas make this blanco a perfect tequila for margaritas and other fruity cocktails.

4. Clase Azul Reposado

We love a good ultra-premium reposado. The Tequilana Blue Weber agave is slow cooked in stone ovens for at least 72 hours. Once it reaches a deep, rich flavor, it’s fermented with proprietary yeast before distillation and then aged in oak barrels for eight months. A truly unique tequila, even their bottles are works of art.

5. Casamigos Mezcal

What’s a properly unproper list of tequila without one mezcal thrown into the mix? Casamigos Mezcal is as smooth as it gets. You already know we love their blanco tequila, and their mezcal is no joke. That silky finish is hard to beat. (Check out our blog for the differences between mezcal and tequila. They’re more different than you’d think.)

Now that you know what to drink on Cinco de Mayo, it’s time to build your own taco bar or get some truk’t carryout, grab a bottle of tequila (or five), and celebrate.

The Secret to the Perfect Margarita

It’s no secret. We make a damn good margarita.

How do we do it? We throw random measurements of classic margarita ingredients in a shaker and end up with the perfect margarita.

Just kidding.

We spent time crafting the perfect ratios of tequila, orange liqueur, simple syrup and lime juice. We chose delicious, high-quality tequila and triple sec. We squeeze the limes ourselves and we make our own simple syrup.

Here’s the recipe:

+ 2 oz. Corazón Blanco Tequila

+ .75 oz. Gran Gala

+ .75 oz. simple syrup

+ .75 oz. fresh lime juice

Put in shaker. Shake. Pour over ice. Serve with salt rim and lime garnish. Enjoy.

Just a couple notes about the ingredients.

Tequila

Since it’s the most prominent flavor in a margarita, you want to make sure the tequila you choose is the best of the best. It will define the character and quality of your drink. Try to look for a tequila that’s distilled in 100% agave. If you don’t see that on the label, then up to 49% of your tequila is distilled in cane sugar.

Our signature margarita is made with Corazón Blanco, which is unaged and distilled from 100% blue weber agave. The best part about our margarita recipe is that you can sub out the Corazón Blanco with any of our 50+ tequilas and it’ll still taste like the best margarita you’ve ever had.

Triple Sec vs. Cointreau

There’s always the question of using triple sec or Cointreau in your margarita. Cointreau is actually a brand of triple sec. Both are orange-flavored liqueurs made from orange peels, but the major difference is that Cointreau has a higher alcohol content.

At truk’t, we use neither. To get our margarita’s one-of-a-kind flavor, we add Gran Gala, a “rare blend of VSOP Italian Brandy infused with the rich and lively flavor of fresh oranges.” If you want your margarita to have more of a boozy taste, you can add Gran Gala, Cointreau or even Grand Marnier.

Limes

And, finally, the limes. A little less reliable than lemons, limes’ flavor can vary from uncomfortably sour to undeniably refreshing based on the season, variety, weather and origin. We recommend tasting your fresh-squeezed lime juice before adding it to your margarita because you don’t want your drink to be so sour that it burns your throat.

Salt or No Salt

It’s not just for looks! Salt suppresses bitterness and makes the sweet and sour flavors of a margarita pop. We only salt a portion of the rim on our truk’t Margarita, so you can mix and match when you want a salty sip or not.

Now that you know the secret to our signature margarita, it’s time to try it. You can pair the truk’t Margarita with, well, pretty much anything. Drink it with an order of nachos at the bar or with a selection of tacos at lunch or dinner. No matter what you choose, it’s going to be the perfect margarita every time.

The Battle of Mexico’s Spirits: Tequila vs. Mezcal

We’re willing to bet you’ve had a tequila shot or two in your lifetime. And it probably wasn’t good tequila. At truk’t, we love tequila that you can sip and not take in the form of a $2 shot with salt and a lime. But, did you know tequila has a smokin’ hot older brother? It’s mezcal and we’re huge fans.

The similarities between tequila and mezcal start and end here: They’re both made from the agave plant. Keep reading if you want to know how they differ.

Tequila is to mezcal as bourbon is to whiskey

Tequila is a type of mezcal, like bourbon or rye are types of whiskey. Mezcal is defined as any agave-based liquor, which includes tequila (clearly). To sum it up, all tequilas are mezcals, but not all mezcals are tequilas. Live it. Breathe it. Remember it. Drink it.

Different agave plants make different liquors

Mezcal can be made from over 30 kinds of agave, while tequila can only be made from agave tequilana aka blue agave. The most common agave varieties mezcal is made from are tobalá, tobaziche, tepeztate, arroqueño and espadín, which is the most popular plant. About 90% of all mezcals are made from espadín.

Where in the world...

While there’s some overlap, tequila and mezcal are primarily made in different regions of Mexico. Tequila is made in five states: Michoacán, Guanajuato, Nayarit, Tamaulipas and Jalisco, which is where you’ll find the actual town of Tequila. You’ll find mezcal production in nine regions, but 85% of all mezcal is made in Oaxaca (pronounced wuh-hah-kuh).

The "proof" is in the puddin'

Both tequila and mezcal are made from the core, or the “piña,” of the agave plant. When making tequila, the agave is steamed in industrial ovens before being distilled a few times in copper pots. Mezcal is cooked in pits lined with lava rocks and filled with wood and charcoal, which gives it that killer smoky flavor, before being distilled in clay pots.

Sometimes labels do matter

After being distilled, tequila and mezcal age in oak barrels, but the aging categories are different for each type. There are three varieties of tequila: blanco (0-2 months), reposado (2-12 months) and anejo (1-3 years). And mezcal also has three varieties: blanco (0-2 months), reposado (2-12 months) and anejo (at least 1 year).

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Mezcals you need to try:

MONTELOBOS ESPADIN

"Made with 100% organic agave, this one is smoky and perfect for mixing in cocktails."

CRUZ de FUEGO ESPADIN

"Big, fresh green peppers on the nose. Add Ancho Reyes Verde and fresh lime and you have one of our favorite house cocktails-AIN’T EASY BEING VERDE."

Tequilas you need to try:

TEQUILA OCHO PLATO BLANCO

"This was the first tequila to start designating vintage and agave field location on the bottle. Very little burn on this one which makes it an excellent choice to sip neat."

CLASE AZUL REPOSADO

"High end, smooth drinking tequila rested slightly. Each hand-painted bottle comes with a bell on top. Everyone wants to ring the bell!"

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What we’re shakin’ up:

MEZCALOMA

You know a Paloma? Refreshing, grapefruity, delicious. Now, instead of tequila, think mezcal. That’s our Mezcaloma. Still refreshing, grapefruity and delicious, just with that added smokiness of the mezcal.

truk’t MARGARITA

We make our signature marg with Corazón Blanco Tequila, but if you want to try it with one of our recommendations above or any of our other 30+ tequilas, we’d love to make it for you.