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National Tequila Day is July 24, and restaurants offer special deals, tasting flights, or signature drinks.<\/p>\n
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Tequila and mezcal<\/a> have seen a burst of popularity in Texas<\/a> and beyond. Americans\u2019 taste for the spirits skyrocketed after COVID-19, and that taste continues to evolve.\u00a0<\/p>\n Those in the know shared some of those trends on National Tequila Day<\/a>, and how they think North Texans will use agave-based spirits in the future.<\/p>\n Attainable price point<\/p>\n Tequila and mezcal sales have taken the world, and North Texas, by storm.\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n U.S. tequila consumption grew 30% between 2015-2020<\/a> 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.\u00a0<\/p>\n That trend bore out in Texas. Tequila took over vodka as the preferred liquor at Dallas-based chain Goody Goody Liquor<\/a>, spirits category manager Jeff Ankeny said.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWe have been seeing it grow over the years, so much so that it\u2019s become our number one subcategory in the spirits,\u201d Ankeny said.\u00a0<\/p>\n Tequila made up 17.24% of the store\u2019s sales in 2022, less than vodka at 19.24% and bourbon at 17.95%. \u00a0The 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.\u00a0<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n \u201cWhen disposable income gets tight, people tend to go to where they know,\u201d Ankeny said. \u201cIt\u2019s very evident in tequila sales, but I\u2019ve been noticing that in all my subcategories.\u201d<\/p>\n 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.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cYou still walk in the party with the right label, but it\u2019s just a little smaller,\u201d Ankeny said. \u201cNobody cares as long as you\u2019re sharing.\u201d<\/p>\n Authenticity and experimentation<\/p>\n Shoppers at Goody Goody Liquor increasingly seek out an \u201cauthentic\u201d feel from their tequilas, Ankeny said.\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n \u201cBecause tequila\u2019s been on the rise, there\u2019s been more of a tendency for people to be more open and experimental with brands,\u201d Ankeny said.\u00a0<\/p>\n 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.\u00a0<\/p>\n Mezcal production went from around 258,990 gallons in 2011 to 3 million gallons in 2024, according to COMERCAM<\/a>, the body that regulates the spirit. Just north of 2.1 million gallons of the liquor was exported in 2024.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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