You will never find the word mixto on a tequila label. In Spanish, mixto means (surprise!) mixed. In the drinks realm, it is the colloquial word for a tequila that is not made from 100% blue agave. In other words, a tequila that is made with up to 49% sugar from other sources, which must be added during the fermentation process. So why won’t you find “mixto” on a tequila label? The CRT considers the term a pejorative,* and mixto tequila is simply labeled “tequila.” If a tequila is 100% agave it will specify that on the label. In other words, if your bottle of tequila doesn’t say “100% agave,” it is a mixto.
So what is 100% agave tequila?
When a tequila label stipulates 100% agave, it means that the tequila is distilled exclusively from sugars created by fermenting blue agave. The process: Blue agave takes at least five years to mature. When the agave is mature, it must be harvested by hand–or rather by blade. People who harvest agave are known as jimadores and wield a coa de jima–a round metal blade on a staff. After the jimadores slice off the leaves, or pencas, and sever the agave from its roots, the heart, or piña, is cooked (or put through a diffusor) and then crushed to create liquid, which is poured into tanks with water to ferment.
Most distillers also add yeast, although one brand, Seite Leguas, has long asserted the distinction of using ambient yeast. In recent years, other brands have also made this claim, likely inspired by the mezcal boom, which has led some tequileros to return to their roots and explore ancestral processes–or at least market ancestral processes.
Many flavors emerge during fermentation, resulting in something like a bubbling agave beer. This is then distilled twice to make tequila.
Note: 100% agave tequila may legally contain additives such as vanilla, glycerin (which improves mouthfeel and covers defects), oak extract, and sweeteners, including aspartame and sucralose. If the quantity of additives exceeds 1%, the tequila producer is legally required to print the additives on the label. However, most brands that use additives are able to achieve the desired flavor while ostensibly keeping the volume below 1%.
Do all tequilas contain additives? No. Many tequilas are proudly additive free, but the CRT does not allow brands to include the phrase on their labels or in their marketing materials.
When we say “other sugars” what are we talking about?
Historically, mixtos were usually made by adding local cane sugar to the agave juice during fermentation. Some mixtos still are made with cane sugar, but the bigger tequila producers are inclined to instead import high fructose corn syrup from the US.*
Mixto tequila v. 100% agave tequila
Are mixtos inferior to 100% agave tequila? Not always. A couple of producers make high-quality mixtos that are arguably better than the low-grade 100% agave tequilas that are the result of cutting corners and using additives to create a “smooth” flavor.
Mixtos are often less expensive 100% agave tequila, and there are two reasons for this. One is that corn syrup is cheaper than agave, and the other is that 100% agave tequila must be bottled in Mexico (within the DOT), while mixtos may be bottled anywhere–which saves on shipping costs.
Have there always been two categories of tequila?
Not officially. The first law to govern tequila quality was passed in 1949* and it mandated that any spirit labeled as tequila must be made from 100% agave. In 1964, an agave shortage and the surging popularity of tequila pressured the Mexican government into redefining tequila and allowing for additional sugars (30%) to be added to agave during fermentation.** Thus the “tequila” or mixto category was officially recognized. In 1970, the rules were again amended, this time allowing tequila to be produced using 49% sugar from other sources.
The difference between mixto and cold mixing
In 2025, the tequila industry was rocked by scandal after protesting agave farmers alleged that large tequila companies were mixing tequila with industrial alcohol and mislabling it as 100% agave. This resulted in class action lawsuits in the US. Many people misunderstood these allegations and assumed that the tequila in question was a mixto being sold as 100% agave. In fact, the accusation was more damning. The agave farmers were accusing the tequileros of “cold mixing,” or diluting tequila with industrial alcohol after distillation. This practice is against the rules and the resulting product would not even meet the legal definition of tequila.
In short: A mixto is a tequila made from fermenting agave with added sugars while cold mixing is the process of mixing tequila with industrial alcohol.
Tequila v. mezcal
One key difference between tequila and mezcal is that the mezcal category does not allow mixtos. The norm dictates that all legal mezcal must be made from 100% agave. The same can be said for raicilla and bacanora.
Another difference:
Mezcal can be made from many types of agave. Historically, tequila was also made with six other varieties of agave. The 1949 definition of tequila mentions blue agave but also allows for these other types of agave. This was changed in 1964, when the definition stipulated that tequila must be made from blue agave.* In other words, 100% agave on a tequila label now means 100% blue agave.
*Sources:
*A Field Guide to Tequila: What it is, Where it’s from, and How to taste it by Clayton Szczech.
** Divided Spirits: Tequila, Mezcal and the Politics of Production by Sarah Bowen
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