National Tequila Day is July 24, and restaurants offer special deals, tasting flights, or signature drinks.
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Tequila and mezcal have seen a burst of popularity in Texas and beyond. Americans’ taste for the spirits skyrocketed after COVID-19, and that taste continues to evolve.
Those in the know shared some of those trends on National Tequila Day, and how they think North Texans will use agave-based spirits in the future.
Attainable price point
Tequila and mezcal sales have taken the world, and North Texas, by storm.
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U.S. tequila consumption grew 30% between 2015-2020 according to drinks data provider IWSR. American consumers particularly enjoyed premium-and-above brands, sales of which shot up by 60% in the same period.
That trend bore out in Texas. Tequila took over vodka as the preferred liquor at Dallas-based chain Goody Goody Liquor, spirits category manager Jeff Ankeny said.
“We have been seeing it grow over the years, so much so that it’s become our number one subcategory in the spirits,” Ankeny said.
Tequila made up 17.24% of the store’s sales in 2022, less than vodka at 19.24% and bourbon at 17.95%. The narrative flipped starting in 2024. In the past year-to-date, tequila made up 21% of sales with vodka and bourbon at 18.09% and 18.44% respectively.
Bottles in the $20-$45 range are gaining popularity, Ankeny said, while demand for labels priced higher than $45 has gone down. Ankeny also noticed people reverting back to familiar labels across spirit types.
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“When disposable income gets tight, people tend to go to where they know,” Ankeny said. “It’s very evident in tequila sales, but I’ve been noticing that in all my subcategories.”
Consumers are also saving money by picking up a smaller bottle of the same brand, Ankeny said. Handles of 1.75 liters get swapped for 1 liter bottles and 375 milliliter bottles take the place of 750 milliliter bottles.
“You still walk in the party with the right label, but it’s just a little smaller,” Ankeny said. “Nobody cares as long as you’re sharing.”
Authenticity and experimentation
Shoppers at Goody Goody Liquor increasingly seek out an “authentic” feel from their tequilas, Ankeny said.
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“Because tequila’s been on the rise, there’s been more of a tendency for people to be more open and experimental with brands,” Ankeny said.
As people get more experimental with their tequilas, they have branched out to its cousin: mezcal. People buy far more tequila than mezcal, but from 2016-2020, sales of the lesser-known agave spirit grew by 30%, according to IWSR.
Mezcal production went from around 258,990 gallons in 2011 to 3 million gallons in 2024, according to COMERCAM, the body that regulates the spirit. Just north of 2.1 million gallons of the liquor was exported in 2024.
“The category was growing tremendously at the time and still is,” Matt Ornstein, co-owner of mezcal brand Racho, said.
Ornstein and co-owner Daniel Ayala saw an opening in the market for a Dallas-owned mezcal brand. The two partnered with mezcalero Temo Garcia in Oaxaca, Mexico, to start Racho, an artesanal label sold in the above $45 bracket.
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“Being in the category is exciting because we’re always being discovered,” Ayala said. “More bartenders, bar managers are getting more experimental.”
Ayala has over a decade of experience working in and managing bars. He said that starting in 2016, but more so during Covid, demand for agave spirits grew. Ornstein believes that people will acquire a taste for mezcal just like they did for tequila.
“Mezcal is kind of where tequila was 10 years ago,” Ornstein said. “As the tequila drinker today used to be a vodka drinker, there are a lot of future mezcal drinkers.”
Spirited storytelling
Racho and mezcal in general’s success relies on adapting to changing preferences, the brand’s co-owners said. Social media made it more important for cocktails to tell a story.
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For mezcal brands, that means telling their story from palenque, or mezcal farm, to craft cocktails.
“The consumer has shifted to looking for that sort of connection to that brand,” Ayala said. “You have to deliver on value as an operator, and the experience.”
Ankeny sees that trend come through in the types of packaging customers gravitate toward. Visually unique bottle shapes draw attention. Celebrity owned brands convinced non-tequila drinkers to try the spirit out, Ornstein said.
“George Clooney did a whole lot for tequila because he introduced it to the masses,” Ornstein said. “Your vodka soda drinker then became your tequila soda drinker.”
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Social media marketing extended that popularity. Now bars try to appeal to the visual palate as well as the taste buds. Ornstein and Ayala said people want drinks that look interesting and photograph well.
“Marketing in the alcohol space is changing,” Ornstein said. “If the cocktail sounds good and looks good, people will order it.”